New-York tribune., 1901-02-26
a NAVAL SENSATION.
ADMIRAL SIMPSONS OPINION MAY DE-
FEAT HIS PROMOTION.
HIS ENDORSEMENT ON GUNNER MORGAN's S
APPLICATION FOR PROMOTION LIKE
LY TO HAVE FAR-REACH-
ING CONSEQUENCES.
ING CONSEQUENCES.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE

[By TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNE.l
Washington Feb. 25-Admiral SIMPSONS in
dorsement the application of a gunner for
promotion from the warrant grade to a COM
mission in the navy has been the engrossing
subject of discussion in the navy to-day. and
while the spirit which is believed by his numer-
Gus friends to have animated him is generally
supported by officers of every rank. the delv
erance is deeply deplored. and its far-reaching
effect is dreaded Officers believe that it defeats
beyond doubt SIMPSONS promotion 10 the grade
of vice-sdmiral. and in all probability the other
rewards recommended by the President on ac-
count of the sea campaign in Cuban waters
But this is not regarded in the service as the
chief result for there is not much enthusiasm
for the Santiago rewards. involving they do
the humiliation Of many brave men whose
work was not snowy. but the less i'm
portant. There is universal pity that the COM
mander-in-chief of the greatest American fleet
ever assembled should have dictated such an in
dorsement at a time when he was broken In
health and his faculties were impaired by long
illness and irritating duties, and just at the
moment when the worst wounds of an unfortu-
nate controversy were likely to be healed by the
action of the Senate. and the great mass of
naval officers frank in expressions of alp
proval Of the admrars opposition to admitting
uneducated men to the high ranks of the service
with the accompanying responsibilities which
they would probably be untitled to discharge In
all the gathering of naval officers in Washing
ton to-day not a voice is raised to question
Admiral SIMPSONS frankness in opposing the
admission of civilians to naval command rank.
1t is declared that political pull" would sooner
or later foist men on the service in whose charge
the great battleshps would be endangered and
who on distant duty might by an indiscretion
plunge the nation into officers who do not
firmly believe In the general proposition that
Naval Academy graduates exclusively should
secure commissions and be eligible to the higher
grades. with frequently recurring examinations
preceding every promotion. are rare indeed. and
are ominously silent to-day.
EFFECT ON FUTURE OF THE NAVY.
But the most notable result of publishing the
Sampson Endorsement and the one which is
calculated to have the most radical effect on the
future OF the navy lies in its bearing the
Senate amendment to the Naval Appropriation
bill. now in conference. The Endorsement is
thought to insure the legislation against which
it was really aimed
The amendment is apparently a harmless af-
fair, merely designed to furnish an incentive
to extraordinarily energetic and capable young
Americans to win advancement their merits
after the ways open to them in other careers
under a republican form OF government; but
II also resurrects the bitter line and staff con-
troversy which injured the navy for so many
years and which finally buried II was sup
posed. when the Personnel law three years ago
gave real instead OF relative rank to officers and
amalgamated the line and the engineers The
amendment. and It is now reasonably sure Of en-
actment is as follows:
Whenever. in view Of the vacancies in the grade
OF Ensign on July 30 of any year untitled by grad
nateS OF the Naval Academy. the Secretary OF the
Navy snail so recommend, the President may ap-
point 20 that grade as OF July 30 from among the
bOatSVainS. gunneTs warrant machinists not
exceeding six in any one calendar year. No person
shall be appointed who is tkirty-hve years OF
who has served less than six years as a war
rant officer. who is not recommended by a COM
manding officer under whom he served. nor
until he shall have passed such competitive
animation as may be prescribed by the Navy De-
partment.