St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-02-04
NO OHIO MEN IN THE NAVY.

One conspicuous but not generally
noticed exception to the pernicious or
benefcent activity of Chic men in Amer
lean politics is to be found in the fact
that though the state of Ohio has 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 1853. The present secretary of
the navy is a Massachusetts man, eX-
Gov. Long; the first secretary of the
navy was 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 line is con-
cerned, Ohio is an inland state; but
this view of the case cannot be very well
maintained, for Indiana, which is more
of an inland state than is Ohio, has
been represented in the presidents cab
met in a 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 a
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 Ohios exclu-
sion. The most probable explanation
of the case is this, that Ohio men gen.
orally have sought in Washington
other posts by preference-that OF
president. secretary of the treasury, at
torney-general, or secretary of state,
which is held by an Ohio man at pres
ent. In political way the Office of Sec
rotary of 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 SEN
ate there was not a solitary Ohio rep
resentative on the committee Of naval
J affairs, and such has been the rule gen.
orally. Ohio men have taken little part
in the affairs of the American navy as
admirals or commdores.
Yet it is 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
e any foreign country with which Canada
took part, Ohio would probably be one
Of the chief points, if not indeed the
chief point, CT attack. Another consid
. Grafton which has, perhaps, operated
to exclude Ohio from prominence il
t the naval affairs of the country is this
t The Naval academy has long been es
: tablshed at Annapolis, Nd, as the Mill
{ tary academy has been at West Point
J. N. Y. The proximity of Annapolis t.
!, the states of the Atlantic seaboard ha
i made WASHINGTON, though not harbor
;. the headquarters of those identified O
desiring to be identified with the Amer
lean navy, and Chic men have no
SOUGHT undue distinction either at tn
=, academy or at sea. 1t is worthy of not
:, that this exception is, in fact, the onl
:. conspicuous one of the diflidence o
D Ohio men when it com<s to office-hol6
b ing in the United States. There ha
< been no lack of Ohio men in military al
S. fairs or in the war departmcnt.-N. y
lie Sun,