Evening journal., 1898-05-17
MAKEUP OF THE NAVY
Many of Our Good Men Are Foreign
Born.
nut the Majority Are Native Ameri-
cans and the Governing Policy
FavOrr Americanizing
the Service.

There are records Whlch are very
carefully made up from the returns OF
the recruiting officers and kept on file
in the bureau of navigation at the war
department. These show that at the
close Of the fiscal year 1897, when the
last statistics were summarized, the
number of men in the general service
was s,6s5, and in special service, includ-
ing fish commission and coast survey,
LOIS. OF the men in the general serv-
ice 2,s45 were petty officers, SO per cent.
Of whom were citizens of the United
States, and more than 4s per cent. ma
tives. OF the remaining 5,sl0 about 20
per cent were citizens and So per cent.
natives. Taking the service entire, in
Guiding some special branches, we find
"a per cent. citizens and more than "a
per cent. natives, as against about T2
per cent. and 90 per cent, respectively,
one year before; and more than 10 per
cent. of the remainder had declared
their intention Of becoming citizens.
In pursuance of Secretary Longs pol
icy of Americanizing the navy, the
latest instructions sent to recruiting
officers require them to enlist as ap-
prentices none but citizens.
Some little importance has been
given TO this movement by the raising
of the question, what rights would be
recogn ized, in such a case as the Maine
disaster for example, on the part of the
severa governments to which alien en-
listed men owed allegiance, if an in
demnity were to be paid and divided.
Under ordinary circumstances, un-
ioubtcdly foreign governments would
| genera ly share the feeling expressed
by the diplomatic representatives OF
Japan. of confidence that the govern
ment temporarily employing the men
would see that their dependent families
were remembered in the distribution,
regard less Of their nationality; but tits
possible to imagine complications aris-
ing I'm which the status of these men
might cause embarrassment, and it
would be better on general principles
to have one rule applied throughout the
service. Efforts have been made to
procure legislation in behalf of the
naval service similar to that which was
enacted for the army in July, 1862, pro-
vIding that any adult alien who has en-
listed and been honorably discharged
shall be admitted to citizenship with
out previous declaration of intention OF
proof Of more than one years resi-
dence; but thus far without avail
There seems to lurk in the public mind
q suspicion that no material for making
seamen IS so good as American native
stock. This IS not borne out by facts
In the judgment of some Of our most eN
perienced naval officers. These ex
. perts commonly agree that although
Il Is highly important that we shoul'
! | have citizens of the United States com
mand our ships-men whose natura
sense of loyalty to the governmen
? would not be questioned, and who's
material interests would point in In
; same direction, since they would hav
u 10 other government to appeal TO il
: time of trouble, yet the adopted citizel
j. makes quite as good a sailor and some
times n little better. This is not 81
y | much q question of ancestry as of earl,
environment and training. The Yam
(. kee-born is apt to have much NOR,
quicllness Of perception, promptness o
y action and general adaptability thar
"a his British-born cousin, for instance
but on the other hand the duller BritoI
is apt to have been trained in the schoo
of Difference to superiors and unreason
ing obedience, which on the sea prov
= highly valuable. Where the Yanke
: sailer knows all rights, and knowing
dares maintain, the foreign-born sailor
!, ten chances to one, has never set hi
= sluggish mind to studying the laws O
his own status. The British sailor ha
V been mentioned in contrast with III
american merely because they may b
assumed to spring from commo
y stock and to have had their traits dii
= ferentiated wholly by their home SUI
" roundings aud education; but the sam
difference is to be observed in eve
u greater degree between Americans an
{ sailors of any other northern nation
} atty. While the native recruit, there
fore, is always welcomed on the recei'
u ing ship, the foreign-born citizen cor
il stitutes q valuable leaven to distribut
e throughout the lump, and all exper
II enced naval officers recognize this fac
The movement for Americnnizing th
Is navy has gone on for several years.
% glance over the roster of the old Brool
,e lyn in 1855, for instance, shows onl
r iOG Americans in total of 236 BLU
jackets, and only Is Americans in t.
b. tai of 40 marines At that time, a
t. though inducements were held out
le native Americans 20 enter the servic
n nf those who did enter by far the large
part had escaped being foreign born b
T. only one generation. The Yankee wi
K, ran trace his American lineage back
d evolutionary time or earlier was the
* rs he is now, a rare bird in our nav
Q, ."rvice.-Boston Transcript
The ArIyansnw Way.
Il Good afternoon. sir!" said tou