The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-26
Owe RRUN WITH
REAR -A I: ] N |: | |. !
Amazingly Large Flock Of Re
tired Officers With High
Sounding Titles.
.UPsHUR MAKES PROTEST
Secretary Of Navy and President
Himself Will Probably Have
to Pass on Question.
lrron Our Regular correspondent

(From Our Regular Correspondent
E WASHINGTON, D. c., November 2o.-.
t,rhe number Of "ndmirals'' one encoun-
ters in Washington these days has fire.
ouently caused one to wonder whether
there we're any men In the navy below
that rank The city is overrun with them,
and when In doubt as to the title which
should be prefiXed to mans name IL Is
always safe to give him the handle or
admiral and il precision is desired, SAY
rear-ad,niral," when writing the name.
I have observed that the visiting cards
of these retired sailors who have earned
their naval titles in treating sick seamen
or running transit for Uncle Sam
while engaged IN building drydocks and
roads at navy-yards, or experimenting
the same as tho head OF q bureau OF the
department.. or as q member of the pay
corps, never seem to have risen above
the grade of rear-admiral. This has
caused the regret that the title Of COM
modore was abolished; it would have
varied the rnonotony to have heard 1t
occasionally instead Of the eternal adj
miral."
OFFICERS of the navy, the men who have
graduated from Annapolis and have spent
IL great portion of their lives on the
ocean, commanding ships, and sometimes
fighting them, are making crusade
against tho uso Of the title of 'renr-ad-
mira" by men who are not entitled TO
ii. The Secretary Of the Navy and pos
sibly the President will have to pass on
| the question before ii is done with.
While John p. Long was at the head OF
THE Navy department he issued an or
der TO. tho effect that line officers serv-
ing as chiefs Of bureaus were to have
the rank Of rear-admiral. This is a regu-
! lnton which has been passed on recently
4 blythe Attorncy-General who decided that
I officers who held this rank by reason
OF service as heads of bureaus, and Of
! ficer. of the staff who were retired with
4 this rank for the purpose of giving them
4 tho pay, were not entitled TO the title.
/ For Instance. n paymascr general retired
4 with the rank Of rear-admiral, or civil
i engineer retired with the rank Of rear
4 admiral. is entitled to the pay of Off
/, GERS, retired Of that grade, but 1t was not
= contemplated that they should use the
title.
Rear-Admiral Upshur, retired, n Vir-
eiuan by the way, has filed protest
1 With the Secretary of the Navy against
4 the use Of the tile rear-admiral by a
| retired civil engineer OF the department
(, The Secretary of the Navy has not yet
A decided whether he will allow the civil
A engineer to wear the title. but II is be-
lcved he will follow the decision of the
Attorney General.
Rtar-Admral upshur insists that II
would be just as proper for him 10 have
4 his corresponding rank In the army en-.
graved on his visiting cards as 1t Is
for The civil engineer 10 have engraved
on his cards the title representing the
rank at which he was retired. a uava
officer Of high rank. TO whom ] talked
to-day concerning the controversy oyol
! the right Of certain retired officials tc
wear titles which We're purely honorary
or representative Of rank conferred fo
The purpose Of emitting the officer to re
ceEye pay Of n certain grade, said:
1 1T has got 50 now that when an
/, introduced 10 am admiral, i always asl
4 tar, pills or pay?"
Which being Interpreted means. are yo
u reHl-admiral of the line or Of the sur
{ gical department, or Of the pay corps.