The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-08-29
Promotion in the Navy for Merit


There is a good deal being said in the
papers lust now about the see-saw meth
DDS Of promotion for merit prevailing m
she NAVY Department, and it seems to be
carelessly assumed that there is some
thing wrong about it. We think that the
more it is looked into the less serious OBJ
lection will be found to it. 1t IS NOT
specially unjust or unequal.
In one word, the system is this: When
a naval officer performs a conspicuous
service, especially in wartime, he is pro-
NOTED from one to twenty numbers in the
roster of the branch of the service to
which he belongs.
The complaint is made that this is a
punishment to the officers over whose
head the rewarded man is promoted. This
is an exaggerated phrase. There is no
zeal injury to the men left behind, n
anyway it is impossible to invent any
system of reward by promotion which
does not involve this condition. A man
cannot be arbitrarily promoted without
going over somebody's head. The right
and wrong are not essentially different
from the conditions of civil life in which
some men are constantly forging ahead
and climbing over the heads of their fell
lows. 1t may be said that Navy officers
- ~ror,o+aa a - a c rood men AS the
promoted ones and only lacked opportun-
ity. The unanswerable reply is that life
is so laid out by Providence and exactly
the same is true in business and profess
sional careers. Every one does his best,
and takes his chance Of a prize.
So much for the objection to the sys-
tenn on principle. 1t is further urged
against it that in operation it degener-
ates into absurdity because the man who
gets promotion today may lose it tomor-
row by the promotions awarded to other
officers. This is neither unreasonable nor
even avoidable. Let us illustrate:
Lieutenant A and Lieutenant X are, let
US say, Nos. 119 and 12o on the roll of
Lieutenants. x, we will say, got a chance
in the early blockade of Havana and was
promoted five numbers to No. no. OF
course. he passed A and nine other Off
GERS. Now, let us say, in the destruc-
ton of Cervera's feet it was AS turn to
do something brilliant, and in due course
the President promotes him ten numbers,
making him No. 1o9. He has once again
become the senior of x, who in the cur
rent criticism of the -newspaper is thus
described as losing a portion of his former
reward. OF course, it is nonsense. Where
both men are equally deserving, it is
proper that their relative status from
length of service should be maintained,
and If every one of the nine officers over
whose head x was promoted secured pro-
motion In turn, by some act of distinc-
ton, there would be neither injustice nor
improperly in restoring them to their
places ahead of him on the list. Where
all are equally meritorious, no discrimina-
ton can be made in favor of any one.
Perhaps in cases of great distinction.
the man to be rewarded might be pro-
NOTED at once to the next highest grade,
with the proviso that his fortune should
not retard the regular promotion by.
seniority of other officers, he remaining
s-upernumerary in his new grade until his
former number was ached
At any rate, If there is to be any pro-
motion for merit, somebody must suffer
a slight setback through it.
THE Red Dog poet, who edits the