Daily camera., 1898-01-18
NO OHIO MEN In THE NAVY
Buckeye Statesmen Do Not Molest
That Department.
The Supposition Is That They Have
Preferred Other Departments
of Government
Service.

One conspicuous but not generally
noticed exception to the peTnicious or
benefcent activity Of Chic men in Amer
lean politics is to be found in the fact
that though the state Of Ohio has q very
considerable water line on Lake Erie
there has never been an Ohio man at
the head of the navy department Of
the United States since the establish
ment of the post of secretary of the
navy in 1893. The present secretary Of
the navy is Massachusetts man, ex
Gov. Long; the first secretary of the
navy was a Massachusetts man, too,
George Cabot; and New England men,
generally, have been largely represent
ed in the administration of this federal
department.
One reason which has occasionally
been assigned for the absence Of Ohio
men, conspicuous elsewhere, in the navy
department Of the country is the fact
that SO far as ocean coast lire is con-
cerned, Ohio is an inland state; but
this view of the case cannot be very we'll
maintained, for Indiana, which is more
of al inland state than is Ohio, has
been represented in the presidents cab
met il 4 secretary Of the navy, and so,
too, has West Virginia, which is in the
same position as Indiana. Moreover,
the state of California, which has q
longer coast line on the ocean than any
other state, has been unrepresented in
the presidents cabinet By a secretary
of the navy. Some other reason must,
therefore, be sought for Ohio's c,lciu-
sion. The most probable explanation
of the case is this, that Ohio E1en. gen
orally have sought in Washington
other posts by preference-that Of
president, secretary of the treasury, at
torney-gercral, or secretary of state,
which is held by an Ohio man at pres
ent. In political way the Office OF Sec
retary CT the navy has usually been re-
garded as subordinate to some other
places in the cabinet Of the president,
and it is for this reason, perhaps, that
Ohio men have found in this department.
very little attraction. In the last sem
ate there was not solitary Ohio rep
resentative on the committee of naval
affairs, and such has been the rule gen
orally. Ohio men have taken little part
in the affairs of the American navy as
admlralS or .-.....,..,riCTes.
Yet it is a fact that the city of Cleve-
land is now one of the largest ports of
commerce in the United States, and
that, in the event of hostilities with
any foreign country with which Canada
took part, Ohio would probably be one
of the chief points, if not indeed the
chief point, of attack. Another consid-
Grafton which has, perhaps, operated
to exclude Ohio from prominence in
the naval affairs of the country isfhis:
The Naval academy has long been es-
tablished at Annapolis, Nd, as the Mill
tary academy has been at West Point
n. Y. The proximity of Annapolis to
made Washington, though not harbor,
the headquarters of those identified or
desiring to be identified with the Amer
lean navy, and Ohio men have not
sought undue distinction either at the
academy or at sea. It is worthy Of note
that this exception is, in fact, the only
conspicuous one OF the diffdence Of
Ohio men when it comIs to ofice-hold-
ing in the United States. There has
been no lack of Ohio men in military af-
fairs or in the war departmcnt-N. Y.
Sun.