The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-03-13

It's Rotton Condition--A sharp Criticism
on Affairs,


on Affairs.
ALBANY, n. Y, March 5.-The Arous
Secretary Manning's paper, has a long
article to-day on the condition of the
navy. II advocates the building of an
efficient navy, first for defensive pur.
poses, and second for aggressive action
when needed; favors the building M
hve types OF vessels, viz: steel-clad
monitors OF great strength for harbo,
deIenses, arm0red line of battle ships
arinored cruisers, unarmOred cruisers
or great speed and torpedo boats of nj
least ~ knots speed. The Atlantic
and Pacific coasts TO be- divided into
strategic positions, TO be defended bv
separate fleets capable of being united al
once on any point threatened. The
present condition of the navy is shown
as not possessing in commission a single
modern vessel, aud as having only one
rliied cannon of high power. The arti-
Gle shows the manner In which millions
OF dollars have been wasted on ships Mt
terly UNIT for modern warfare, the suc.
cessive secretaries of the navy since lSR5
having paraded before the country long
lists of wooden vessels of old types as
effective vessels Of use, whom many of
them were old sailing ships, and several
OF them were never launched.
Attention is called to the MOhican.
now hitting out at Mare Island, after
being on the stock over 10 years, AS one
Of tho best vessels the country owns.
and yet it is said she belongs to a class
OF ships over % years old. No fault Is
attributed to the naval officers in gene
raj, who are admitted To have the neces-
sary ability to design and build efficient
vessels II freed from the vicious system
THAT has been pursued by Mr.. Chand-
Ter and his predecessors.
ABUSES IN THE NAVY.
The C0burgers are denounced as a sci.
hsh, scheming clique, with no oth8r in
teresJ at heart than their personal well
rare. They are charged with sullying
Lhe nigh fame OF the service and sacri-
ing It's esprit du corps; with shirking
legitimate duties through social and DO.
litlcal influence, and obsequious toady-
ism to Secretary Chandler. They are
denounced as parasites, who have lived
OIL the late secretary, and who will at
tempt TO lasten on the present one. But
the article declares that their DAYS are
numbered, and that the officers whose
advice Will DO sought in this adminis-
tratl0n are those whose self respect have
RELOCATED them to digniied obscurity;
whose record cannot be questioned
buahuloT IL charged with "a tull knOWl-
edge of tho frauds committed
in other departments than the
bureau of medicine, and of wilfully ig-
noring them; of making his will the
law Of the navy, and with permitting
commissioned officers to act in menial
positions At his wifS's receptions, and
those officers with soft bilets
in the department. He is denounced i'm
unmeasured terms for the brutal lam
guage he applied TO a cOurt-martial
which failed to return "A verdict i'm ac-
cordance with his wishes, while he
dared TO screen another officer whose
record is so bad that nigh every crime
In the calendar is charged against hira,
not even excepting murier-the muir
der of his wife, the noted inmate of an
inebrlate asylum-and all because this
officer is a protoge of the late Republic
can candidate for tho presidency. The
article is Il scathing donuuciation of
Chandler and those naval officers who. !
BY their Willingness to do his bidding, !
rave degraded the dignity of their posi- |
ions, and it promises sweeping
'hange.