The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-09
The Marine Corps.

Although the navy has reason to feel hap
py over what it received from Congress.
the legislation for the Marine Corps is in
some respects still more remarkable. To
the navy 80 new officers were added, but to
the Marine Corps 1913, on a much smaller
total. The navy line and engineers for
merly had 921 officers and now have 1920.
an addition OF a little over one-tenth; but
the Marine Corps, with a maximum on the
old basis Of IS, is to have 211. Even dur
ing the war it had only 116 officers, 30 that
its new peace basis is to be nearly double
the wal basis.
or these increases, too, many are in the
higher grades. The Commandant is to be
a Brigadier-General, instead Of a Colonel,
as hitherto for a quarter Of a century.
There was one other Colonel before the war,
and now there are five; there are five Lieu
tenant-C Colonies where there were two ten
Majors where there were four sixty Cap
tains where there were twenty; sixty First
Lieutenants where there were thirty, and
sixty Second Lieutenants where there were
twelve or less. In the staff, the officers
who were Majors are now made Colonies
and the Captains become Majors. In the
line there are no First Lieutenants left, or
even Second Lieutenants. They have all
become Captains, at least. Although only
three-fourths Of the officers provided for in
the three lower grades are to be appointed
this year, the remaining fourth going over
until after Jan. I, 1900, yet a hundred new
appointments must be made, or more than
the total of the former officers. 1t la obvi-
GUS what an unprecedented rise in rank
and Herewith in pay has been provided by
Congress for the Marine Corps.
In it's increase OF enlisted strength the leg
islation for the Marine Corps is hardly less
remarkable. The corps numbered before the
war 3,O74 enlisted men. including the non
commissioned officers; but now 1925 are
added, making 5000. ~Thisdoubling of the
enlisted force is all the more striking IL we
note how the navy Jared. The had, We
think, II, $50 men and boyson the old peace
basis, and asked for 10, 800 more. 1t actu-
ally received about 7, 300, which was a very
liberal addition, yet 5000 short of what
the bill proposed by the Navy Department
called for. But the Marine Corps not only
nearly doubled its old enlisted strength,
where the navy received an addition OF
about three-fifths, but got every man asked
for. T. has a band of sixty musicians, with
a first and second leader. IN liberal pay.
The ley enlisted force contains the &C
ditional grade Of Gunnery Sergeants, of
whom there are ~, with the pay Of $35
per month. There are now, also. no fewer
than 20 Quartermaster S~ergeants, go First
S~ergeants, 24O Sergeants. and 4sO Corpo-
rails. 30 giving many promotions in the
corps, while provision is made for giving
some commissions to meritoriOus non-com-
missioned officers after the graduates of
the Naval Academy and the extra Second
Lieutenants for the war are provided for.
1t was only a few years ago that a strong
movement was made In the navy to abolish
the Marine Corps as a seagolng force. and
to give its guard duties on shipboard to the
bluejackets. who. under their own petty
officers, 1t was urged, would thereby ac-
quire more self-respect, while the space
taken up by the marines could be used to
better advantage by the seamen, who could
perform all the duties of the ship instead OF
only a small part. A board headed by Com
modore GREER, after long consideration,
formally adopted this view, urging that
the Marines should be relegated to the navy
yards and shore stations. At that time the
enlisted strength of the corps was less than
1000. 1t shows an enormous gain when
now there is not only no further talk OF
combining the corps to the land or turning
it over to the army as heavy artillery, but
a trebling of It's officers and men.
The splendid record Of the marines at
Guantanamo, which won them SO much
popular favor, was only what might have
been expected from their history, Dating
its origin back to 1875, the corps as early
as 1777 won a battle against the British in
the Bahamas, and 1t served with renown
under JOHN PAUL JONES in his victories
over the Drake and the Scraps. From that