Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-12
MARINES AT GUNS
Secretary Herbert Orders Guard to
the Battle Ship. Indiana.
SIGNIFICANCE OF TIE ACTION
Considered a Victory in the Struggle
Of the Corps for Justice.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS


Naval circles are considerably animated
over the action of Secretary Herbert in
ordering marine guard of sixty men to the
new battle ship Indiana. To the initiated
this order does not present any particularly
noticeable features out of the general run of
executive departmental documents, but
when the circumstances surrounding Its is
suance are taken into consideration 1T be-
comes Interesting. Virtually the order
means that the marine corps has won the
first engagement in a campaign that has
been waged against it for several years and
which has up to this time been carried on by
skirmishng, and always to the disadVan-
tage of the corps. The whole matter may be
explained in few words, and with little
retrospect. Ever since masts and yard
| arms began to disappear from above the
decks of modern men-of-war, and the neces-
sity for the pursuit Of active sailors duties
aboard was no longer present, the line of the
navy, which, by reason of these changes,
was forced to recognize the engineers as
something better than 'greasers," turned
| its attention to the marines and sought to
have them eliminated as factors in the man
agement of Uncle Sans floating HghtlnS
machines.
Marines Are Better Disciplined.
| The reason for this was the admitted fact
| that the marines, under command of their
own officers, performed their duties more
| skillfully and better than the jackies, under
| the command of naval officers. This condi-
| ticn was not due to the latter, but to the ma
| terial they had to handle, and it will be
obvious why this is so when it is appreciated
| that a sailor enlists one day for three years
and the next day is put aboard ship, where
| he has to he taught what to do, while a
| marine, who enlists for five years. spends his
| first year of service on shore where he is
thoroughly drilled, given constant gun and
boat practice and educated in electricity so
| far it relates to mines and torpedoes.
| The jealousy inspired among naval Off
| GERS, therefore, because of the superior etfi-
| cheney of the marines naturally had its in
| fiuence in the Navy Department. and over a
| year ago The Evening Star. in its issue of
| September H. published an article on the
| subject which eXhaustively treated the en-
| tire subject. and which it is timely to repro
| duce in part at this time. because its ap-
| pearance is conceded to have had great eff
| feet upon the ensuing policy of the head of
| the Navy Department in relation to the
| marine corps. Shortly before that time the
| statement had been published that the Navy
| Department was seriously embarrassed by
| the need of additional seamen to man the
| newly completed war vessels, and that in
| order to furnish them their compliments it
| might be necessary to place other older yes
| was also made by the Navy Department
| that it would need 1000 additional seamen
| to properly man the new ships, and that its
| embarrassment was due to the refusal of
| Congress to increa Sc the enlisted strength OF
| the navy, which had been SO earnestly re-
| Guested.
The Declarations Are Questioned.
These assertions brought out the fact that
the more conservative naval officers ana all
of those in the marine corps took serious
| issue with the Navy Department representa-
| tons, and the declaration was freely made
that if the Secretary of the Navy was ac-
quainted with the real facts in the case the
| evil complained of could be easily remedied.
| Such officers also said there would be no
| trouble about having "a sufficient number of
sailors to make up the crews for all the YES
| sells in commission if the marines Were sta
toned at the guns and especially at the sec
| ondary batteries.
| In following these assertions to a definite
| founda ton The Star reporter conversed with
| an old and well-known naval officer. VINO,
| for obvious reasons, did not care to have his
| identity known. In the published reproiuc-
| ton of his remarks he referred to the old
| antipathy he had formerly cherished for he
marines and to the fact that he had recover
| ed from such prejudces, and went on TO say
| that he had been brought 10 such 4 change
of views by his desire 10 see the efficiency OF
| the navy increased
| Improving Il Ships Efficiency.
| Il know" he continued, because l have
seen practical proofs of it, that placing
marines at a battery improves the efficiency
of ship. l can give You many instances CT
it, but one will suffice. l need not mention
names or places but every officer in the
service will know the truth of what am
about to say.
"A ship whose batteries. both secondary
and great gun, were manned by marines wor
the squadron prize for efficiency at large,
mr. fyna
of navigation ordered that the marines be
taken away from the guns and replaced by
sailors. In six months that ship had 70,
only lost the pennant for gunnery, but LOST
all its individual prizes well.
| Il can state without fear of contradic tior
that every time the marines are put at tar.
get practice they make fine records. and
then the bureau of navigation orders them
taken away from the guns. Now, L main
tain that if placing the marines at the guns
improves the efficiency of the ship the inter.
estS of the service demand that they should
be kept there"
Other Interesting Statements.
Further on the officer, after positively
stating that every time ship was put into
commission the marines were placed at the
secondary battery. and that every time
this was done the bureau of navigation
ordered them taken away, said: Il dom,
believe the Secretary of the Navy knows
how the efficiency of the service is retarded
by the refusal to make use of the marines
which is undoubtedly inspired by the in
bred belief of naval men generally that a
marine is a lower order of being than q
sailor. and should never be permitted to
show his superiority over a blue jacket al
gunnery or anything else. oh, yes, if The
!, marines were placed at the guns, as they
should be, there would be none of this hue
ard cry about the embarrassment of the
Navy Department over lack Of men to man
its ships
Col. HeyyvoOd's Opinion.
This interview led the Star reporter to
further investigate the subject, and he
procured pamphlet containing the testi-
nony given before the joint committee on
the personnel of the navy at the first ses-
| sion of the F'ifty-third Congress A peru.