Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-10-03

| rendered and supplied now sums for
the gallant men OF Cadz besides
| promising TO ask parliament to grant
| them even more money,
Except for those who are supposed
| 20 be employed In the building of the
| General LINERS and the Queen Regent
| and In repairing the damage suffered
| by the various ships OF the fleet, what
| the remainder OF those worknen do
Ia an enigma which no Spaniard has
| yet succeeded In slowing.
OTHER PHASES OF THIS NAVAL
JOKE.
Many other cases OF waste and abuse
! In the dockyards OF the state might be
| cited. For example, II II well known
| that every parsonage called upon to
| HI the post OF minister of the navy
| gives lucrative places In his Depart
| ment to iraumerable friends and pro-
| teges, although these have no more
knowledge OF things relating 10 the
sea than they have OF the different spec
| cies OF fishes. The new minister Senior
| Coban, has proved no exception to the
| rule and he has had, besides, a brill
| liant and transcendental idea, AZ soon
| as he had taken possession of his
| charge he ordered magnificent chapel
| to be erected In the ministerial build
| ings OF the naval department, and
| this sacred edlfloe has Just been SOL
EMMY and officially inauguratcd, Mass
es are 20 be said there on all holidays
for the personnel OF the aforesaid de-
| partment.
From time immemorlal among the
expenses OF the navy there yearly fig
ure some thousands Of dollars for the
so-called horses OF the navy" and 1t
|
OF the horses OF the commanders of
| the regiments OF marines. Another out
lay In the naval department Is occa-
stoned by the maintenance and navi-
| cation OF the vessel Grade, which,
| presented to the state by wealthy
Spanish gentleman at the time of the
war In Cuba, was afterward trans
formed into yacht for the royal FAM
| lily, which uses 1t as such without any
| more satisfactory reason than that II
costs nothing,
| As II all this were not sufficient to In
| crease the expenses OF the navy, 1t Is
still the custom to begin paying the
officers of n battleship from the day
on which the ship to which they be-
| long has been launched. 1t therefore
results that there are dozens Of officers
| Chose destined for the General Lin
| iers and the Queen Regent, for exam
| ple) who are receiving good pay fivA
| six or seven years before rendering
any service. Other officers who for
| the want of vessels have not been to sea
] for many years, have continued in pay
| and promotion so that II sometimes
| happens that a naval officer, although
he stays strictly at home reaches at
| the end OF certain number of years
the highest degree in his career In
Spain everybody knows that when the
| government sent the ironclad Charles
Y to take part in the last great naval
| review at Plymouth the ship had to
return before reaching its destination
because so many of the officers became
! terribly seasick.
! COLUMBUS sEAsTCK DESCEND
ANTS,
But in all that relates to seasickness
nobody assuredly can contend for the
| palm with Senior Christohal Colon,
Duke of yeragua. who, In his quality
OF legitimate descendant OF the i'm
| mortal dlscoverer of America, pos
sesses the right from the day of his
birth to be admiral of the Spanish fleet,
besides receiving annually n pretty
large pension, which 10 naturally In
| Guided In the expenses OF the naval de-
| partment This gentleman figures
among the most conspicuous personal
| tiles OF the Liberal party, and, having
often been designated for the post OF
| minister OF the navy, he never accepted
., the portfolio without first obtaining III
promise that he would never be re-
| quired to so on board OF a battleship
! Nevertheless, last year he found HIM
| self under the necessity OF accompany
| ing King Alphonso on the sea voyage
! along the coast OF Austrias, but 50
| tremendous and constant was the sea-
| sickness which the unfortunate duke
| suffered on that occasion that he was
confined to his cabin during the whole
| voyage, and when at last ne emerged
| from his retreat to follow the king
ashore his mejesty, seeing him look 81
pale and Ill, kindly babe him go to
| bed.
But-even leaving aside the incom-
| patibillty existing between the ocean
| and the stomach of the Duke Of We
ragua and other companions of his be-
| longing TO the Armada-it Is certal
| that. besides the facts previously ex-
| posed calculated 10 provoke the hostil-
| ity of public opinion against any bill
for the reconstruction OF the fleet, the
feeling of opposition on the part OF the
people Is augmented by the recollection
of the 100000 600 granted in 1892 by par
lament to be used In the building or
purchase Of batteshlps IT is very dim
| cult to find out exactly how those mill
lions have been spent,
A PIOUS WISH
In these circumstances who can as
sure the Spanlards that, even If they
were to devote from SIPS, 100000 20 $780,
600 600 to the building OF new fleet, the
disasters of 1893 would not repeat
themselves?
May the Lord help youl" ooolly tele-
graphed Senior Moret, then colonial
minister, In answer TO Admiral Cervera,
who, having received order TO proceed
to Cuba from the Canary Islands,
warned that minister that the North
| American fleet was stationed In the
waters Of Cuba. Who can say that
even II il were now decided 20 build
a new fleet, the valiant but unfortn-
| nate Spanish sailors would not have to
limit themselves to confdlng in the help
Of God, especially as II has become
known that various shipbuilders have
been using all their political influence
In order TO obtain a contract for build
Ing the new fleet on terms mos. ad
vantageous 20 themselves In case the
recent naval appropriation bill hal
Jeen approved OF
Therefore It seems TO be the unanl.
nous desire that, leaving che recon-
struotion Of the navy for better and
more opportune times, the Vlllavorde
cabinet should not lose a day in trans
forming and improving the adminlstra.
tlon OF the naval department. II Is true
enough, however, that IN order to do 50
the cabinet would have TO begin by
Transforming the minister of the navy
| himself!
Senior Cobian Is n highly respectable
! parsonage and eminent lawyer, but he
! Ia abgolu,rly ignorant In all naval mat.
terH he himself admits this to be n
fact Having gone with some friends
| two days ago 70 spend the afternoon
| IN the neighborlng park called III Par.
DO. Sonar Coblan net there several
I other friends who IN courteous language
I manifested their surprise a 4 seeing him