The San Francisco call., 1898-07-05
PROMOTION IN THE NAVY.

The advance of seven officers in Dewey s squadron as a reward for their gallant services at Manila has given rise to un- favorable criticism by the friends of off, cers who have been jumped. and the most decided objection is made to the advance ment of Captain N. M. Dyer of the Baltl- more over the head of Captain Charles b. Sigsbee, late of the battleship Maine. It is argued that it would be better to wait until after the war has ended to reward officers who have distinguished themselves and that 1t is unfair to those who through no fault of their own have had no oppor- tunity to render conspicuous services to be jumped. This argument is not likely to have any weight with the administra- ton, for in advancing officers as reward for services in time of war it follows the customs of all naval powers and to wait until the war terminates would enable a certain class of politicians and wire pull CTS to defer recognition for bravery to perhaps the extent of indefinite postpone ment.
 Captain Gridley having died, Sigsbee Is still number 35 on the list and however meritorious Captain Sigsbees conduct was after the loss of his ship it should not debar Captain Dyer's advancement for his sklllful fighting at Manila. As for Cap tain Coghlan, his original place was next below Frank Wildes, but he had the mis- fortune to insult a Navy Department clerk in 1876, for which offense he was suspend ed for one year and lost fourteen num- bers.
 Captain Sigsbee has been in rather hard luck since he became an active member of the navy, and this the latest jump over his head is particularly aggravating to Sigsbee'S friends on account of Captain Dyer being only volunteer officer taken into the regular navy in 1868 for his gal lant record of three years in the war Of the rebellion Sigsbee, Glass and Sands have been trying for the past twenty nine years to convince Congress that they were unjustly treated in the matter of standing Navy Register ceeding in getting back to the positions claimed. Sands and SigSbee entered the Naval Academy in November and Sep tember, 1859; Evans, Glass and Coghlan entered in September, 1860. The war had been going on for a couple of years before these young men were detached from the Naval Academy and entered on active ser vice. Glass headed the first class of 1860; Coghlan stood number F and Sands was number 20. Sigsbee was number Il and Evans number q in the second class.
 After the second attack on Fort Fisher in which Evans, Sands and Sigsbee par ticipated, and in which the first named was severely wounded, the Navy Depart ment advanced Evans and another officer George w. Coffin, now on the retired list fOrty-one numbers, which brought Evans from six numbers below Sigsbee to thirty four above him. It has never been as- serted that either Robley D. Evans or Coffin acted with greater gallantry than Sands or Sigsbee, and the fact that the two former were wounded while the latter escaped unscathed had probably some thing to do with the promotion of Evans and Coffin.
 Boards of admirals and committees of the Senate and House recommended re- peatedly that the alleged wrong done to Glass, Sands and Sigsbee be remedied, but for some reason not made known the cases were not adjusted, and now as a crowning disappointment mustang officer jumps a regular Naval Academy graduate.
 For many years after the close of the war Congress was importuned to rectify alleged mistakes made in jumping officers over the heads of others in 1884, 1865 and 1866. Only sixteen out of forty-four con- plaints were favorably acted on and they were nearly all of higher grade officers.
 No acrimony was caused by the rapid promotion of David D. Porter, who was a lieutenant in 1861 and vice admiral in 1866. Neither did the promotion of Rowan, Rod- gers, Winslow and Worden create any criticism The gallant w. B. Cushing was advanced about fifty numbers and de- servedly so. On the other hand gallant