National Republican., 1885-12-19


aluieau. II cannot be so surrendered with.
out degradation Of the departmental aud
presidential offices. II II can be committed
TO the bureau Of navigation, 1t can as well
lie given to the bureau Of provisions aud
clothing If the high prerogatiye Of com
m0nd Is TO be ab1icated In favor Of junior
cGptain, II may as lawfully be deyolved
uron paymaster.
The appropriate duties OF the bureau Of
navigation are defined IN an order No. 213,
OF March 30, 1889, and In previous similar
orders. They comprise all that relates to
the naval observatory, nautical almanac,
photographic office, department library, and
Office Of Intelligence. II shall furnish navi-
cation supplies and stores Of all kinds, in
cluding charts, nautical and navigating in
struments and books, sailing directions
and instructions, stationery and blank
books for commanding and navigating
officers, ashoreand anoat; libraries, binnacles,
ilngs, signal lights, running lights, aud
standing lights on board vessels, Including
electrical apparatus for lighting purposes,
logs, leads, lines, and glasses, log
books, Illuminating oil for all purposes,
except what is used in the engineer
department OF steamers. =
II shall be charged with the collection Of
foreign surveys, publication Of charts, sail
ing directions, and nautical works, aud the
dissemination Of nautical and hydrograph.
ical information to the navy and mercantile
mnrine.n u
There is no word here indicating that to
all the complex duties here enumerated for
the bureau Of navigation to perform there
shall be added "the assignment to duty OF
all;ofIlcers Of The navy
II will, doubtless, be denied that the pres
ent method of detailing naval officers in
wolves, as alleged, the virtual transfer OF
the command and control Of the navy from
the civilian Secretary to naval captain.
But this is indeed precisely the case, as will
be seen when the course OF the usurpation
is traced from It's well-meant inception,
through its gradual growth and It's partial
repression, TO its elimination In order No.
S37, of May 90, 1885.
That the functions OF deciding upon and
Issuing the naval orders has been until a
comparatively recent period regarded as the
highest belonging to the Secretary of the
Navy, to be exercised by him personally
and directly, is apparent from the fact that
until after the war of the rebellion no sur
render OF the function by the Secretary or
assumption OF IL by q naval officer was
thought Of The Secretary always signed
all orders, and even during the war the in
Vulnerable instructions were either signed
10y Secretary Welles, or, occasionally, by AS
sistant Secretary Fox; oral aud informal as
sstance concerning the detail being given by
certain officers on duty in Washington called
officers of detail. When the war closed, the
great amount of work imposed upon him.
by the acceptance Of resignation OF officers,
led Secretary Welles to devise for himself u
method of relief, and on MAY IL, 1865, the
Office Of detail was created, and the chief OF
the bureau Of navigation was placed in
charge Of 1t, and in a letter of August 81
1895, Secretary Welles defined and con
| firmcd the duties of that officer, who had
laa, a., tAf gf -
| navigation and Office Of detail, +" the routine
orders to naval officers. June 20, 1865, an
| order was issued declaring that the bureau
| Of navigation should control the orders to
| the staff as well as the line-oflicGrs.
With reference to the method Of issuing
naval orders thus originated at the close Of
| the war, 1t is to be observed that, however
| limited ana guarded, It was mistake. The
| Secretary of the Navy. had; by the dillgent
| performance duty, managed to sign all the
| orders to naval officers which issued from
the department during naval warfare OF
immense magnitude. II would certainly
have been possible to continue the practice
| during times Of peace, instead OF delegating
that important function to a naval officer not
Of the highest rank. Undoubtedly the
preference Of all the naval oiii-
for orders signed by the Secretary Of the
Navy. But II the Office Of detail established
| by Secretary Welles was TO be at all toler-
able, It was necessary that 1t should be only
ancillary to the Secretary's control over the
| orders to officers, and should not gradually
usurp his functions and practically super
sede him In the most important duties OF
his position. The latter has, however, been
the final result.
Shortly after the accession, In October,
| 1881, to the bureau of navigation Of its
| present ambitious chief, further additions
began to be made to the powers Of the Office
| of detail, the most remarkable Of which is
to be found in general order No. 27S, OF
| Nov. 2S, 1881, issued by Secretary Hunt, as
follows: "Commandants of navy yards,
commanders Of squadrons, and commanding
officers Of ships serving singly will hereafter
send all reports, letters, and kilograms re-
lating to the movements of vessels Of the
/, navy to the chief the bureau of navigation
and Office Of detail"
II is difficult to conceive that a Secretary
should have deliberately issued such an
order as the above. The navy is the ships
afloat; all else is merely incidental; and yet
the commanding officers Of ships and squad.
rons are forbidden to communicate directly
with the Secretary Of the Navy They must
address only the chief Of the bureau of nayi.
CATION. An officer losing a ship must moi
telegraph to the Secretary lie must tele
graph "COpt. A. b., chief of the bureau Of
navigation and Office of detail, Navy De
partment, Washington" that his ship Il
lost, and request him to be kind enough tc
inform the Secretary
The usurpation thus extended wai
strengthened by other transfers of power tC
the bureau OF navigation. BY order No
2S5, Of January II, 1889, of Secretary Hunt
"commandants of navy yards, commander,
Of stations and Of vessels acting singly will
report direct to the chief OF the bureau Of
navigation and Office Of detail whenever any
officer under their respective commands 4
transferred to a naval hospital and whei
such officers return to duty.n
March 23, 1852. by order No. 292 Of Secre
retary Hunt, an "oflice Of intelligence wa
established sin the bureau Of navigation
ITO facilitate this work the department II
brary will be combined with the Office of In
tclligence and placed under the direction o
the chief Of the bureau OF navigation
The effects in the navy Of these amplifica
tions In form and In fact of the powers o
one of the bureaus can easily be understood
One was the virtual abandonment by thu
chief Of the bureau of his legitimate work
and its transfer to other naval officers. Ii
q communication from the Navy Depart
ment to the House OF Representatives
dated March II, 1884 (Ex. Doc. No. 25, 4stl
Cong, 1st SESSION., is given the lis
Of naval officers on duty in Wash
| lnBtOn on tne S4tn OF Tue pTeVlOu
January. The total number of line-oficert
was one hundred and two OF these ther,
were directly attached to and employed II
the bureau Of navigation, one rear admiral
one captain besides the chief, three com
manders, four lieutenant commanders
twenty-nine leutenants, and nine ensigns
making forty-eight in all; while in th
bureau Of yards and docks there was on
admiral, the chief; in the bureau OF equip
ment and recruiting, one admiral, the chief
aud one lieutenant; and In the bureau o
mander, three lieutenants, and one ensign
or nine In all these other line bureaus. II
the staff bureaus there were no line officers
in those the engin0er-in-chef employe
eight staff-oillcers, the chief eonstructO
none, the surgeon general six, and the pay
master-general two, while even Of stan
officers the bureau Of navigation employe,