The sun., 1891-01-30
COL wcAWLEr,s RHTIREMRNr
II Comes when Qreat Changes arc Talked
or for the Marine Corps.

I wAsHINarcS Jan 90. Col. Chario1 Grymes
McCawlcy, who. having arrived NJ tho age OF
81 to- 'ay. goes uron thc sh"f. unGer the op.
Grafton Of the ompulsory retirement law has
been nearly forty.'our years In tne marine
corps aud moro than fourteen years at its
head. When he was born. Col. Archibald Hen
1erson was In command of the corps, and only
Col. John Ha, ris and Con- Jacob Ie,lin inter-
vened boforo tho incumbe' cy o. Col. McCaw-
Icy In other words. during n reriod OF more
/ than seventy years tho marine corps has bad
only four commnndants.
| Col. McCawlcye own career cxten is back to
tho Mexican war. Phiade, phan by birth,
no was appointed to the mari'e corps from
Louisiana as q second Lieutenant in March.
lS47. anu at once joining the marine battalion
In Mexico took part III the assault on tho
Heights Of Chsputspec and the capture OF the
city Of Mexico. and earned tho blovet Of First
| Lieutenant for gnllantry. In the civil war he
! added to his battle record. being engaged in
the operations against Fort Wagner nnd Fort
Gregg In Charleston harbor In 1863. while In
| the attempt to surprise Fort Sumter by n toat
| cxucdition from the squadron. he commanded
| the detachment of marines. For Eallant,y on
that occasion Capt McCaw!ey receivc! tho
brcvet OF MAJOR. and his promotion to tho full
grade followed the next year,
| Col McCAwleys retirement occurs At criti-
cal moment In tho history OF thu marine corps.
What its future Is to be. whether Of ads ance or
OF restriction, not to say retrograde. no ono
can predict. A movement has been started to
withdraw the marines from the ships. leaving
| them only shore duty at the navy yurds and
stations. oxcopt when despatched as an cxpc-
| ditons.y force. This project is not wholly
novel. but has heen rev, oil Of late BIZ tho rsc-
! om,nendation OF tho Hoa d on the Revision of
| Drill and Tactics. OF wliyh Commodore Grecr
yUnc DNa m hnr n Il In .tSNNt an,,I
| Those naval oilieors who advocate this change
hold that The e. sailors would inn rove i allowed
Guiding the standing 4f guard. Lieut.. W. +.
IulIam. a prominent advocate OF tho change,
% SStwees tho s' Mains sas seaS'' an% the % saor
due to tho. fact that ono Is trusted ami tho
Other Is nTt that thH mar "a ne corps ,r"ed
and thst no man ism is m,Ie ,rus'wor,ny i he he is
never ,rps,eI t nor ,esrss,abIe !, & he 's never
swans mate he taught simply 10 whistle and
shout and stand helpless spectator. while tho
guard c"ae S stS his H s s'G o
GERS have argued that since blue hackers arc
sash g a u ther
survey and other small ships marine guards
Petty officers q the navy. under such a
rorals, and line officers those OF the commits
g., ssionel officers OF marines From each gun
|
guard. 1t is admitted that the marines rim DO
their duty we'll but il is argued that they he
long to the old.time SYSTEM when tne sailor
whereas nowadays there are few or no sails 10
handle n1dI "a; and the seaman has become gunner,
The contrary nreumenti is that a. the marines
are u trnino. i. tre j. and effective b dy 81 men,
Thsy
Suestessiul M ets nna ao not sha
liable to have u disastrous elect on Jack Tar.
frn ftnVir SaHo % IN tIme OF war nas nesn Sttcsted
| ent In our own service and still Longer in other
services Fnrragut declared in 1864 thnt ne
nau io atiS nWnSs aeeneu ,he marine Tnaru one 9t
| ness ma mart of n crow in ,he
ordinary duties OF the vessel hns always been
mnn!iast MN ID ever instance. lnev W"rk and
Reformed their duties IN shns undsr INV " com. y
mand with fidelity and skill" Winslow. the
con- c@onluernI o, w a ~ hiaoama. s IN uescflbink tne
| "tho marines fourEt tha rile vnn Tha nc.ion
was commenced nn our pnrt by this gun. and
IL III tLe was iana ana eIectiNe tnrouRhoMt.
sustained by the murine guard Of this shin
Twenty years cnrlier Admiral Stewart. after
iec1un,ihH tne services oi We marines; hao
that they CANNOT be- bonencialiv dispansed Win
on our chips Of war"
,s Uitna ne tr % Wnto nte 20. hic' aWtey
views of his successor are awaited. One noie.
worthy sugRestton is that II the marine corps
1rith Tho sohtni nrrnsrs o uIt uis ~ ~
| VIII tne neeuiui oinchIs coIini oe tthhSlcrred
he wn nr @ ha artssy the.o ] 'ot
aesiffeed: Ife tnns crealinE tben with the ast
n%atbn, eGSnnse: GnnIs. @ 1nI Is very ,!"unni
%%me.n1. SGhnercss h VII antnnr,Ie the VIII.
ErmMni a. & OF the c1rns from me ships insslb!y
~ fay e eveh % Le 1ccooaseu IN numbers so us 10
DO oet'er "oie 70 perform us outleS.
th. Arc W
To THE EDITOR OF THE suN-Sr: Ranccting
| on the suh;ecf of tho everywhore NINA ant nd
w 'no '"eo' y. wv e.,"n0le "pp"'on. uu'
SancinG thought on matters religious It oc-
ours very forclbly to me that we should be pro-
foundly grateful that 1t is our remark able good
fortune 10 oweil more a. this p"lt.cu'nr tlme
| time tas man bee, able TO enioy tho refr.sb
1 .as ,n"n ,o. ,.,''.,,. an.' ~ 'n' M
ing freedom Oh 'houeht ana the e1alteo mem
tai atmosphere created thereby. as ut tho pres
ent And Mt no time has tho inclination been
Wv " Nv ~, 'o 80 "e."
so apparent IN moral teaching to appeal to
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