The Dickinson press., 1899-04-01
What Promotion Means to
w

George Dewey hoisted to the peak on
board the Olympia a blue r~ectangle with
tour white stars, showing that he was an
admiral of the United States navy. The
officers of the flagship we're in full dress.
The crews of all the vessels of the fleet
were at quarters. The band played and
salutes of seventeen guns were fired ty
the Americans, the Englishmen, the
Japanese and the Germans.
The United States navy has not DOS.
sessed an admiral before since David
Dixon Porter, the hero of New Orleans.
Vicksburg and Fort Fisher, died in 1901.
Porter was raised to that high grade after
the death Of the only other United States
admiral, Farragut in 1870.
No wonder George Dewey does not
care to be president of his native country
he has honors to spare, a salary for life
of sl3,5oo a year, whether he be aloat or
ashore, and if war comes or not again,
the place he holds is what would be called
a snap by the politicians. And George
has earned it all.
If he likes dignifed ceremonials, he
will have them to his hearts content.
When he goes to inspect a vessel of the
fleet he will be received by all of the Of
6cers of that vessel in full uniform, with
crew at quarters and marine guard parad-
ed. Once on the deck, the drums will
roll and the guns will roar. If he leaves
his ship at night, four lights will be hung
perpendicularly at the peak. Some men
might object to such an announcement of
their being out for an evening, but an ad-
miral, never. He selects his own staff,
and makes it as large as he wishes.
He has a private cabin, where he lives
alone. He has a private cook, a private
steward and two boys are ready to run
at his beck and call. The greatest pull
on his purse will be to buy cups and sau-
GERS and plates for the table service, the
government not providing an admiral
with crockery. He is furnished with a
kitchen stove.
George Dewey can o u the band out
of bed at any hour of the night, and COM
mand the musicians to play him to sleep
with the strains of the "Stars and Stripes
Forever" He has the power to senetnce
to death any sailor in the fleet, under
certain circumstances. He is in a posi-
ton to commit acts that might plunge
this country into war with a foreign ma
ton.
He must wear good cloths. His new
uniform will have on the collar of the
coat four silver stars and two foul an
chors in gold. On each sleeve will be a
strip of gold-embroidered oak leaves.
The shoulder straps will have four silver
stars and two foul anchors of gold. The
dress sword belt will be of navy blue
cloth, edged with gold and embroidered
with oak leaves. While he remains in
the tropical Philippines the navy regula-
tons require that the admiral must wear
white pantaloons, just like the other Of
fcers of inferior rank. George Dewey
will haul down the blue rectangle with
the four white stars some day in the fu-
ture, when he relinquishes the command
of the Asiatie fleet, and then the guns
would boom seventeen times. He will
return to the United States, and if he
comes by way of Frisco will have a
triumphal journey across the continent
to Washington.
Relieved of duty a1oat, he will pro-
badly take up his residence at the ma.
tional capital, nominally the head of some
board of instruction, but practically with
nothing to do but to enjoy life at his own
sweet will. Being under the secretary
of the navy, the secretary might if SO in
clined,:. give him an unpleasant assign
ment at some second rate navy yard, but
the American people would raise the
roof if spite was indicated by such action.
Porter, the former admiral, really had his
time to himself from the date of his com
mission, August Is, 1870. until the day Of
his death, February 10, 1891.
J George Dewey, widower, with a salary
of s13,5oo a year instead of $4,000, keep.
ing bachelor quarters in Washington,
surrounded by a coterie of congenial
friends of his profession, beloved by his
countrymen generally, may be expected
to pass his latest years in comfort and
without care.-Boston Sunday Globe.