The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-29

TIE Proportion OF roret N Horn In Our Wsr
sships-rlnu- tor Nntu~nItEntion.


Tne Proportion OF roret N horn In Our war
Shtps-rlnus tor Nnturn1iEntion.
WASHINGTON. Oct. 2s.--An interesting CUES.
ton is started. or rather revived In the cur
rent annual report Of Capt. $. c. Lcmly. Judge
Advocate General OF the Navy. He says that
putllc policy would seom to permit. II not re-
ottirc enlisted mon serving our war ves-
sells TO become citizens OF the United States
But rs 1t is, the statutes practically deprive
them OF this privilege. Only by leaving the
navy. for IL time ut least, AMI thus giving up
the advantages accorded to continuous ser
vice. can they become citizens. lie adds that
cases have recently come to his attention OF
enlisted men being in our navy more than
twenty years performing honorable service.
without becoming naturalized,
This state OF things is all the more astonish-
ing, IL not outrageous. since the statutes
make suitable provision for the naturaliza-
ton OF soldiers In the army and also OF NOR
chant saamen. Capt. Lemy is certainly within
bounds when ho declares this to be an un-
Just discrimination against the navy.
The dcsirablity OF securing greater proper
ton of American born and naturalized sea-
mon for our navy has always boon conceded.
and some steps for that purpose have already
been taken. The most important is that OF
the last Congress-. authorizing an Increase In
the numbcr Of naval apprentices. These lads
must all be American born and accordingly the
large increase now authorized In their numbers
must augment the general proportion OF our
American born sailors. In addition. however.
Il is hoped that Congress will take some steps
in regard to tho naturalization OF our foreign.
born seamen
fow years ago Congressman McAdoo. now
Assistant Secretary OF the Navy, introduced
and strongly advocated a bill absolutely pro-
hiblting he enlistment OF aliens In the navy.
In support OF his bill he introduced some sta
tistics officially furnished to him by the Navy
Department. and they we're OF a surprising
character. They showed that of the 1896 en-
listed men in the navy at that time only 1903
were OF American birth. or the foreign born.
Great Britain and Ireland had furnished .2S2:
Sweden and Norway $50; Germany. 546.
Many other nationalities were represented,
including regions as widely separated as India
and Iceland. and as Tasmania and Syria
Even that statement. showing a great minor
ity OF the American born. did not fully present
the case since this small minority included
the apprentices. all OF whom were Americans.
Deducting them the proportion OF the native
born would be very much less.
or course there are differences In this re-
spect in the different vessels. When the San
Francisco was fitted out at Mare Island n spe-
cinl draft OF $50 men was made from III,
Brooklyn yard and about four-flfths OF that
numDeT were. IL was Rtdteu. ndtitc-DOTu An6Ts
leans. and it was further raid that the re-
mainder to man had declared their intention
OF becoming citizens There is no doubt that
the San Francisco has n fine crew. and 1t Ia
worth recording that in the international pull
ing races at Norfolk last spring her boats beat
those OF every other ship that entered the COM
petition. both American and foreign. The New
York. too. has a fine crew. largely composed Of
Americans, Taking the native born and tho
l..
about 400 men on this ship. fully hve-sixths
are Americans. this result being partly due to
the fact that there are about 80 apprentice
boys on the New York. But taking one ship
with another. and with the additional number
Of apprentices now allowed. it is probable that
the American born are nearly. but not quite.
half the foreign born among tho enlisted men
Of our navy.
Throughout the history OF the navy many
sailors OF foreign birth have been In our SER
vice. One OF the chief causes OF the war Of
1872 was the claim OF Great Britain to search
American ships for deserters from her own
service: and had this deserion been only
trivial drain 1t would hardly have figured as
much as it did in the relations OF tho two coun-
tries. But the British system OF mpressment
was resented by its victims. many Of whom
considered themselves entitled to escape. II
they could; from sc service into which they bad
continued through years. helped to I'LL up the
American ships since tho mon thus impressed
and deserting had knowledge of esafaring
turn into account on ships where the
Englis language was spoken, and where they
could enlist voluntarily. This applied both to
merchant vessels and war ships. some very
extraordinary statements have been made as
to the number OF British sailors who were
found serving on our ships OF war in the early
part OF the century. OF course. the abolition
OF impressment by Great Britain decreased
that source OF the supply of British aeamen
for our service. so far as impressment had
hal an influence on it: but American ships.
both merchantmen and war vessels. with their
superior pay seem always to have had an at.
traction for foreign salt rs, and 1t was natural
that wherever 1t was found that the latter
were good sailors they should be taken.
Nevertheless. the movement to man Ameri-
crews is a sound one. and should be encour-
aged in every way by legls! ation. The two
principal means now possible are In the first
place. to help naturalization by allowing SER
vice on war vessels under certain conditions
to count toward the statute period OF resi-
dence. Just as it does in the army. There Is no
sound reason for making any discrimination
between tho two cases. The man-of-w war for
such purposes should constitute American
jurisdiction as well tho garrisoned fort.
The other means is that OF making the service
more attractive to competent Americans by
increasing its privileges and comforts. SO that
thara will always he enough TO furnial tho