The evening times., 1901-10-12
Circulation Statement.


The Future of the Navy.
The annual report Of the Chief Of the
Navigation Bureau To the Secretary Of
the Navy, made public yesterday. con
tainS statements and recommendations
which deserve the earnest attention Of
Congress and the country. Among 9TH
er things. it contains the unComfo-J-
able declaration that If it were neces-
sary to man the vessels now in the
navy for active service. the Department
could not DO il for lack of line officers
and enlisted men. When the vessels
now under construction shall be COM
pleted. which viii be within three years.
the complement of officers necessary
for the regular fleet and few auxiIiary
vessels would be not less than one
thousand
To Offset this prospect the commits
stoned ranks OF the navy only receive
net accessions of ten Annapolis gradu-
ates annually. forty officers being re-
tired arbitrarily each year. The Blu
reau chief recommends that the cadet
corps at Annapolis be increased to
eight hundred. and that authority from
Congress be secured to increase the en-
listed strength of the navy by three
thousand. or To a total Of twenty-five
thousand enlisted men.
Admiral Crowuinshi-ld strongly rec
ommends the creation IF four vice ad-
mirals, urging that the relatively low
rank of our flag officers places them in
a position Of embarrassment. and de-
-. NrT -.-r-
results. when in the presence or acting
in conjunction with flag officers Of other
countries. as happened in Chinese wa
tiers last year. There is a good deal Of
force in this argument. although Just
at the present time its presentation by
Admiral Crowninshield may be not
without reference To a personal eqUa-
ton When a lot Of squadron com
marders of various uationalities are
brought together in consultation. prece-
dence goes by rank. and although an
American rear admiral may have the
biggest ships and more Of them, and
have more suns than any of his inter
national colleagues. re would. for in
stance, be compelled ID give The pas 70
a Chilean or q Haiuen admiral or vice
admiral
There is not a scinUlIa Of doubt that
this country needs great navy-a
navy equal 20 that of any other
maritime nation Incidentally rank
and dignity should 5e accorded to IT'S
- superior officers To assure them Of prop
er respect and defer, nee abroad But
the great navy that We look forward
10 viii not accomplish its object and be
the national military resource of she
country that il should be. unless the
organization and personnel Of the pres
ent navy be first subjected % the most
searching invzstigauon and the most
radical reform.
At present the service is ruled by a
clique. and under that clique a dis
graceful system of favoritism. persecu-
uCn Of non-ring officers, and things per
haps worse, has obtained only this
year the public has learned 20 it's
amazement that costly cruisers are laid
up. and at the end Of SIX months are
found with machinery rusted in a ill
thy condition. and unseaworthy. Il is
not so generally known that assign
ments 10 practically sinecure positions
are given 10 members Of the clique. and
held by them So long that sometimes
they become unfit for sea duty in any
technical capacity As an Illustration.
there IS an officer who had very many
years ashore and was 4 most expert
politician and lobbyist Il is the com
mentary Of the line that he could not
navigate schooner from Newport to
Boston. TO save his soul Yet he reach
81 the highest honors Of the service
before his retirement
Congress and the country viii not
Erudse President Roosevelt all the men
and money that may be needed 10 in
crease our naval power as rapidly as
that can be done. Both probably. and
tie people certainly. viii call upon him
10 lose no time IN cleaning out the Au-
gean stable that the Department gov
erning the service has become.