Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-06-12
AMERICAN MEN.OF.WAR.
wooden ships, Gold Lace and Fay
The work Whitney Has
on Hand.
Washington letter.

Washington Letter
The United States Naval Register for
1885, which has just been issued, is an
interesting and instructive work. 1t IS
volume of 211 pages. Of these 210 con-
tain lists of the officers of the navy, with
their residences, station and record OF
service, and one page contains list OF
thirty-five ships, upon which they are
supposed to serve. According to the reg
lister, there are borne on the active roster
of the service l Admiral, Vice-Admiral,
Rear-Admirals, 16 Commodores. 45
Captains, So Commanders, 257 Lieuten-
ants, 50 Leutenants Gunior grade), 183
Ensigns, 81 Naval Cadets, 158 Medical
Officers, 119 Pay Officers, 235 Engineer
Officers, SO Professors and Chaplains, 81
Naval Constructors, and 200 Warrant
Officers-a total of 1913. In addition to
these there are "a Officers of Marines.
On the retired list of the navy
there are 337 officers of all grades,
most of them of superior rank
and consequently in the enjoyment of
superior pay. This list alone comprises
forty-eight Admirals, drawing $4,000 a
year each, and thirty-nine Commodores
or officers of equal rank, who receive
each SO, $50 per annum. The total num-
Der of officers on the navy pay rolls, ex-
elusive of cadets at the Naval Academy,
is 2,144. Turning to page 191 of the
register (they are all contained on one
page), it is found that the number of ser
vicable ships is thirty-fve, to-wit: One
first rate, eleven second rates, nineteen
third rates, and four fourth rates. The
one first rate ship is the Tennessee, and
two of the fourth rates are the famous
TdlIapooSG and the little old Michigan on
the lakes. Actually, there are but thirty
three ships of any character as war YES
sells. To man these there are 1913
officers and ninty-four marines. But not
all these ships are in commission. Five
of them at least are laid up, and two or
three of them are undergoing repairs.
This makes pretty top-heavy navy.
Two thousand officers and but twenty
five or thirty old wooden ships suggest
preponderance of gold lace, fat salaries
and idleness not pleasant for the Ameri-
can public to contemplate. A further
glance at the register shows that the Ad-
miral lives in Washington and has
nothing to do but attend to his magazine
literature. His salary is $4,000 year.
The Vice-Admiral is chairman of the
Lighthouse Board, an organization which
is in session about one hour in month.
Of the seven Rear-Admirals, but two
command squadrons. The others have
some nominal duty on shore, to which
they are assigned to enable them to draw
duty pay. Not one of the sixteen Com
modores is at sea- Nine of them COM
mand navy yards, but the assignments of
the other seven are as merely nominal as
those of the Rear Admirals, and for the
same purpose. For instance, Com
modore Luce is superintendent of
the ''Naval War College," whatever
that is. When Commodore is
waiting orders" he receives but $4,000
salary. When he is ''on duty" however
slight, he is paid $4,000; hence the
scramble for nominal assignments. Of
the forty-five captains, six command
ships, twenty-eight have nominal shore
duty, and eleven live quietly at their
homes, the department being unable to
find even nominal work for them. OF the
eighty-five commanders, but nineteen are
at sea; twenty-one are idle and the re-
mainder have nominal duty on shore.
OF the whole staff corps, numbering $50
SO, page by page, one might analyze the
navy register and prove that the Govern
ment is supporting needlessly and in
idleness three-fifths of the LOO officers
on the active list of the navy.
While Secretary Whitney is investi-
eating the evils that exist in his depart
ment and projecting measures of reform,
he should spare no effort to devise plan
by which he can relieve the naval service
of its top-heavy load. Secretary Chand-
Ter made some little headway. He got
Congress to pass the law of 1882, which
stopped promotions until certain grades
had been reduced to less number, but
that process of wedding out is very slow.
What is needed is thorough overhaul
ing of all officers of the navy under forty
years of age, with view to keeping in
the service only those who are absolutely
worthy and competent. The others
should be wholly retirod, with a years
pay as an aid to start them anew in life.
sz