Evening star., 1903-10-19

has now existed for many years" said Mr.
Long. has stood the test of all that time,
including two recent wars and the uppulo-
ing of the new navy during the last two de-
ca6es 1t is possible that some better sys-
fem might be devised, but with the con-
stant improvements in details Whlch VIII
incidentally attend 1t in the future, as mas
been the case in the past, no better system
in general outline has been or is likely 10
be suggested. Certainly no change should
be made which, while seeming to maintain
the present relation of the navy to CIVIL
ian head in form, will displaCe it in fact.
For this reason it has seemed to me that
the general staff. which. so long as 1t is
subject to appointment and contfol by tne
Secretary, as originally Instituted by me, is
a very valuable adjunct in 1nSurinS pre-
paredness for war, should not be put by
legislative enactment beyond immediate
civilian control. Certainly no such act
should be passed with reference to the navy
as was passed in the last Congress in re-
gard to the general staff of the army,
which makes the chief of that staff the I'M
mediate head of the various bureaus OF the
War Department and pracucally gives MN
the control of them.
"Such an enactment with regard to the
navy would naturally be followed by efforts
for fixed tenure of office and for steadily
enlarging power. 1t might tend to an un-
due increase of expenditures which are al
ready necessarily great, by committing
them to an official who is permanently lden-
tilted with only his own profession, and IS
not under the responsibility of a civilian
member of a general administration VINO Is
directly accountable to the legislative
branch of the government and Is SUBJECT TO
an early return to the criticism of popular
elections 1t is also likely to tend to pro-
fessional jealousy on the part OF naval Of
ficers toward one of their own number eX-
ercisirg the function of Secretary, While
there is none toward a civilian exercising
that function. who goes utterly out of sight
after short term.
IF there is under the present system
cor
toward the Secretary, as of course there
now and then is, they can take it out by
growing and calling him uncomplimen-
tary name, but they have. perhaps for that
reason, no jealousy of one with whom they
can have no question of permanent rank.
Command of ship or fleet is different from
the command of the whole navy. The for
mer gives necessary and readily accepted
control over it's subordinates for a limited
period and within limited range, the lat
ter over his naval fortunes his assignments
to duty, his whereabouts on the race OF the
earth.
ITO be sure the army act above referred
to gives this supervision to the chief of
staff under the direction of the President,
or of the Secretary under the direction of
the President But with a chief of staff
well in the saddle it is easy to see how
slight a check upon his mastery this pro-
vision would be. especially hereafter when
a new Secretary comes in and is uncon-
sciously subordinated to what he is led to
regard as the customary order of things.
Besides the act will be a stimulus to the
chief of staff to hereafter seek direct COM
munication with the President; and a Pres
ident with aggressive force would easily
come to deal directly with the official who
by such a law is made the real working
head of all the bureaus and machinery of
the department. Under such circumstances
the Secretary could hardly fail to lapse into
a figurehead in the administration of the
navy and really have no other function
than to sit in an advisory capacity at the
cabinet table. Precedent quickly hardens
into an inflexible system, and the first step
should not be taken toward a military head
of any department of the government"