The morning times., 1896-12-10

There was an interesting half hour be-
fore the Naval Committee of the House
on Monday, which, however, did not go
as far as singing of ink bottles or other
tragic incident Tie question mixed up
in the discussion was the indeXing OF the
Congressional Library, the lack OF which
was apparent when it was brought out
that two members of Congress had been
searching for two years for something
that senator Conkling said twenty-five
years ago.
Representative Wilson OF Brooklyn, WHO
is one Of the most prominently mentioned
probabilities for the Naval portfolio, it
was stated, had spent three months as a
member OF the committee by himself and
with clerks looking up the record as TO
what was really intended by Senator
Conkl!ng, Mr.. Washburn and Mr.. Stevens
by relative rank in the Navy, just as at
present il will be necessary To ask the
Senators what they meant by west OF
Rock Creek in the electric light muddle.
Mr.. Conking had been known by ira
dition TO have puzzled the members by
asking in his characteristic way what
was the difference bet ween relative rank
and Ito rank with and IL was known
that there had been a debate on the sub
ject, but i'll all the muddle and logic and
references and rambling through the Ii
brary no one has FOR the past twenty-five
years been able to locate it.
MR. WILSON'S FIND.
Mr.. Wilson, however, discovered it on
Monday, and arrived in the committee
room dramatically al the time when the
debate had nearly reached climax, that
might have ended in any imagined fashion,
with the long lost documents. Both sides
OF the controversy claim il to be in their
favor, and hence the special interest of the
n fnI md h,.t IN rs,
equally positive that there ought to be
the best possible index for the library.
The extracts submitted are from the
Congressional Globe Of March 3, 1871,
page 1877, and also on page 1928.
Answering Mr.. Conkling' question as to
the difference between relative rank,
and Ito rank witil,' Mr. Cragin said:
I'm the Navy there are four or five diff
ferent corps. There is Il line corps, which
in the English service is called the military
branch Then there are the medical
corps, the pay corps, the engineer corps,
the constructors. They have just as posi-
tive rank in their corps as the line have in
theirs by law now; and the only reason
why they need any relative rank at all
in the line corps is to define their position
with the line officers, to give them social
equality and official equality in every
thing, except what pertains TO actual COM
mand. In the British service the stats
officers are called the civil branch and
they rank with the line officers
THEIR POSITION DEFINED.
THAT is defining their position. and that
is the reason, and the only reason, why
they need any position or rank in which
they are brought; and relative rank or
ranking with defines that position just
as well as positive rank.
II want here in this public place to adj
nf Of
the staff To accept this in good faith
and to cease this quarrel"
Mr.. Stevens OF New Hampshire. speak
ing on the same subject, said:
Substantially there were but two
points OF difference betw the com
mitteeS OF the two Houses upon this ques-
.tion. The first was in regard to whe ther
the staff corps of the Navy should have
actual rank, in conformity to the law
regulating the staff corps OF the Army: CT
whether it should be an assimlated. i'm
perfect, inchoate rank, or q fixed. positive
actual rank: ana think itw as the opinion
Of the committee that had il in charge
that this bill! conferred upon the staff OF
the Navy the same rank and official pO-
sition that are enjoyed by the staff corps
of the Army-at least the same correspond
ing position. There was some sensitveness
in regard TO terms, and in that particular
concession became necessary.
Il wish TO say, Mr.. Speaker, that while
the term relative is used in conferring
position and rank upon the staff corps. my
belief that fair and liberal interpreta-
ton Of the language of the bill by the Navy
Department, and those charged with its
execution. will place the staff corps OF
the Navy in the same position in relation
10 that organization that is conferred upon
the staff corps Of the Army. That was
the purpose of this bill as it originally
pa Ssed the House. and just Interpretation
will accomplish it,