The sun., 1898-03-15
TO REORGANlZE THE NAVY.
rBE PRESIDENT URGES THE PAS
SAGE OF THE PERSONNEL BRIL-.

SAGE OF THE PERSONNEL BILL.
ne wishes II Reported 10 the Houss re.Da,
and Passed Before AdiouFnuaent-ut vii
Provide the Number or RaEiasers sna sur,
seons That Are Absolutely Reauirea in u.
Present EmerEsucy ana Will ne Away with
tho Friction Betwesn the HAne ana staM
WASHINGTON, March 14.-Another important
otep In tho line of emergency preparations was
taken by President Mckinley to-day In request.
ing the House Naval Committee to report the
bill for the reorganization OF the personnel OF
the navy to the House at noon tomorrow and
dispose Of 1t before nd djournment in the evening.
Naval officers who know of the President q
action are jubilant tonight over the prospect
Of an immediate removal Of tho differences
which have caused 90 much bitterness and strife
between the line and the STAFF of the service for
many years. The most gratifying feature of
this prospective passage Of the personnel bill,
however, is that It will add number of now
officers to tho naval service. which 10 sorely
pressed In the current emergency preparations
for q sufficient complement of officers for tho
ships which are being placed In commission.
With tho two Brazilian cruisers added to
the navy. tho need Of moro officers be.
positively to tho Government that these ships
would bo secured the President determined
that as the reorganization bill offered the surest
and quickest path to that end he made the re-
quest mentioned. Assistant Secretary Roose-
volt, to whose efforts the preparation and intro
duction OF the bill were largely duo and who
has exerted his energies in its behalf, had a
talk with President Mckinley this afternoon.
Mr. Roosevelt declined TO tell his business with
the President. but 1t was probably in connec.
ton with pushing the measure through House
and Senate without delay.
To naval officers the most pleasing feature of
tho bill Is that 1t will do away with tho con-
troversy which has been waged for long time
between the limo and engineers over the fact
that staff officers had no actual rank and were
not authorized to give commands to the mon in
their charge. In connection with tho emer-
Eency preparations. however. the most i'm
portant provision Of the measure is that provld-
ing for giving commissions as ensigns to all
naval cadets now at sea on their graduation
cruise OF two years. and shortening the torn at
the Naval Academy from six to four years. The
engineer officers will receive line commissions
when the bill becomes law. and will perform
the duties OF limo officers. In addition to those
with which they are now charged, thus
wipng out the engineer corps. Tho younger
line officers arc to learn now to manage
the machinery, and in the course of time all
officers Of the navy will be trained to attend to
both engineering and line duties. Much Of tho
work now performed by the engineers is to be
turned over to warrant machinists, intelligent
men who know how to operate marine engines,
and who will receive 81 200 and 81, 400 year.
The bill authorizes the employment of 100
warrant machinists.
President McKinley's determination to exert
his influence in behalf of the reorganization
measure was q result Of hearing given this
morning by the House Naval Committee to
Secretary Long. Capt. Gro Chief of the
Bureau Of Navigation; Engineer in.Chief Mel.
vile, and Surgeon General Van Reypen. Tho |
navy officials appealed to tho committee to |
make necessary increases in the engineer and |
medical divisions at once. The Engineer In
Chief showed that his corps Was short at least !
ahundred officers. and he asked that authority
to increase the engineer force by that number |
DO given. Secretary Long also urged that the |
Increase DO made. 1t was explained to tho COM
mittee that the present emergency required the
services OF moro engineer officers than were
available. and the prospective increase in the
number Of ships made it absolutely necessary to
have trained men at once,
surgeonGeneral Van Reypen told the commit.
apt surgeons. There were twenty vacancies In
the Medical Corps, he said. and oven IL these
were filled fifty other physicians will be needed.
Inc failure to hll vacancies DR.. Van Reypen
explained, came through the inability of young
physicians to pass tho service entrance exami-
nations. and from the lack of candidates, owing
!" lack or inducements. He recommen ded legis-
iAuon increasing the maximum age limit for en-
rance to 40 years. 1t is now SO years.
tpere was some opposition manifested In the |
committee to the proposed increase In tho num-
oer OF engineer officers Chairman BouteIle
was OF the opinion that 100 extra machinists
would be quite as serviceable as the same num-
Dor OF commissioned officers Tho hearing was
NOT as satisfactory the Naval Adminiatra-
aon hoped 1t would be. 1t was tho original
'A'ehtion TO have the committee report O bill In.
'ieasing the personnel Of the engineering branch
" inc service. but when President Mckinley
was informed Of what had taken place at tho
bearing and the apparent misunderstanding of
'ome OF the committeeman In regard to the exi-
tsnces OF the occasion. he concluded that. 1t
"ouia DO better TO have the Reorganization bill |
pu' through Congress than bring In q separate
MEASURE which would meet only partly the abb
'o'ute necessities OF the service. In this he was
'fohgly seconded by Secretary Long,.
IN order to stop the difficulties experienced In
ae naval service by the anomalous condition of |
Aestan, Theodore Roosevelt. soon after he be-
anne Assistant Secretary Of tho Navy. deter
Aihsd to prepare legislation looking to that
!, nuch hoped for. but seemingly hopeless, end.
nc opposition to giving engineer officers actual |
Ank came principally from other officers of tho
sf'ice. by direction of Secretary Long board
'AS organized. with Mr. Roosevelt as President.
!" other members were line and engineer Off.
ss. Failure of Its efforts was predicted from
No hrst. but the board persevered. and after
'uoh hard work bill was prepared which har-
iohized TO a great extent the embarrassing DIFF
'rences ne that existed in the personnel and {
~ continue to exist until the Reorganiza-
on Dill Is enacted into law. The prin.
. ,pai diniculty was In getting q majority !
the board to consent TO the proposed
imagination OF line and stan. This was
= measure lessened by tho decision that |
liy the engineers should be included In the ]
'moInation' leaving out the pay. medical, con- {
lactoh' and civil engineering corps. As a I
a!ofity OF the board were line officers, It took
great deal OF arranging and rearranRing plans I
W suggestions. Finally. however. the bill was q
.pafeu and almost unanimously adopted, | G
iuv dIler S0cretarv haa l -