Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-25
A RECRUITING | STATION
Advantages Offered Sy Washington for Such
an Establishment.
A Strong Argument in Favor Of 1t.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in the
service-Mr. Hposevelf's Views.


Men who go down to the sea in ships.
and those who want to go. are continually
asking the question why recruiting sta
ton is not established again in Washing
ton for the enlistment of men and boys
for the United States navy. The Navy
Department recently sent an officer to es-
tablish recruiting stations in the western
states bordering on the great lakes, and
those familiar with the record made in
Washington when such a station was To-
Gated here are at loss to know why the
national capital was ignored by the au-
thorities when the establishment of such
stations was taken up for consideration. A
gentleman entirely familiar with the sub
ject recently had a conversation with a
Star reporter
There was always recruiting station
he said, "at Washington until within the
last two years, and when the receiving
ship Dale was stationed here there were
more men and boys shipped than at any
other recruiting station in the United
States except New York, and at less ex-
pense than at any other place in the coun-
try.
Boys from this city and from Balti-
more and all the southern and southwest
ern states came to Washington to ship in
the navy, and the records they have made
compare more than favorably with those
OF others who entered the service at any
other point in the country. Since the Dale
was ordered away from Washington, and
the recruiting station here discontinued
the apprentices from the cities 1 have
mentioned and from the southern states
have fallen off so per cent. The men and
apprentices enlisted here, / repeat have
turned out to be among the best men in
the service. There are numerous young
men and boys who would like very much
to Join the service if there was a recruit
ing station near to their homes. I am sure if
the Secretary of the Navy would consider
the matter and have a recruiting station
re-established in Washington, we would get
plenty of good men and boys with. trades
and good educations to join the service.
Foreigners I'm the Naval Service.
"They would be Americans, too" contin-
ued the gentleman land Americans are
what we should have to command our new
ships. At the present time over 80 per cent
of the seamen on hoard the United States
ren-of-war are foreigners. They come to
this country in merchant ships, their pay
averaging from $40 to s12 a month. and
when they reach here they desert at the
first opportunity and ship in the service of
the United States because they receive
more pay and better treatment and our
navy is paradise FOR them. There is moth
ing patriotic about them, however, and they
dent care any more about the old flag
than they do a dish rag. These foreigners
who now compose the ma jority of our sail
ors ship aboard our men-of-war for three
years. They hoard up their pay until their
time is out, and then go back to the coun-
tries of their nativity and spend it. They
are only here for the good old American
dollar, and they don't care a cent for the
good old American flag. Any American
Sc aTan who has served in the United States
service will bear out this statement and tell
you the only Americans in the service to-
cay are apprentices and employees in the
engineers forces. But the deck forces are
80 per cent foreigners.
Navy In Need of Men,
1.-The navy is very much in need of men
at the present time, and the way the gov
eminent Is putting ships into commission
shows that the enlisted force Of the navy
Will have to be very considerably increased.
1t Is a great deal cheaper for the govern
ment to transport men from this part of
the country to the seaboard where the
ships are awaiting their compliments. than
1t Is to transport them from the western
part of the country If the Secretary of the
Navy would re-establish a recruiting sta.
tlon Ill Washington it would benefit the
service, In my opinion, great deal. 1t
could be done at very little expense to the
government, for all the facilities for a sta
uon now exist In the Washington navy
yard.
1T is very wel-known fact that Wash
lnston has given to the navy some of the
finest mechanics in the service TODAY
These men are machinists. blacksmith s
coppersmithS, carpenters and plumbers
who learned their trade in the navy ward.
When the recruiting station was done
away with here the navy had a full com
plement of men. but now we need sailors
and cannot get them. The re-establsh-
ment of the recruiting station in Washing
ton would give the young men and boys
of this section a chance to enlist as well
as those of the west, and would not orly
be economical to the government, but
would assure the securing of good men
and promising boys for Uncle Sans naval
SERVICE"
Acting Secretary RoOscyeIt's Views.
Inquiry at the Navy Department de-
veioped that no formal request had been
made to re-estab1ish a recruiting station
at WASH ington. Several old naval officers
thought it would be a very good idea to
have station here, because 1t was the
capital of the nation, and could draw upon
a population whose members were GEN
orally well informed and educated. Acting
Secretary Roosevelt was spoken to about
the matter by Star reporter, and said he
had heard nothing about an inquiry about
the establishment OF recruiting sta
ton here.
If however, it is considered proper"
said Mr.. Roosevelt, ito establish a recruit
ing station for the navy in this section Of
the country 1 should not favor Washing
ton as the point for its location, but would
much rather select a place on Hampton
Roads. A very large proDor ton of the
male population throughout tldewater Vir-
gnia and along the sounds of North Car
DINA are familiar with the water, and by
their training and the habits they have
formed would make, l am sure, excellent
sailors. There is nothing, however that I
know of that is being considered in this