The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-26
4 Naval Apneal TO Pa pa

II Is difficult 20 believe that naval reg
ulations and the special instructions Of
the President are being ignored by naval
officers who are DESTROYS of the enact
ment of the measure submitted by the
Navy Department, backed by a message
from the White House, contemplating
changes In the commissioned personnel Of
the service. There appears to be need of
an investigation Of the methods pursued
by the managers of this peculiar cam
paign. regardless Of the fact that their
motives and transactions are entirely in
behalf Of an administrative project OF
legislation Following is the text oG a
printed circular sent to all or most mid
shipmen at the Naval Academy. being the
draft Of a letter which the midshipman
Is asked TO send 20 his father.
[. s. Naval Academy
Annapolis Nd. Jan. J. 1857.
Ny Dear Father; Since / feel that you are so
deeply interested in my career that If the time
should come when your help would make that career
a successful one. that you would willingly do all
that lay in your power to do. and since such a
tine is now at h4nd. I am writing 20 ask you
earnestly TO exert yourself 20 the utmost in nv
behalf.
A bill is now soon viii be before Congress for
consideration to increase the efficiency Of the COM
missioned personnel Of the naval service The uIti-
mate fate Of this bill means for me success or failure
IN nv chosen profession. and to show You the adj
visibility Of this measure. its economy &c from a
political standpoint. send sou statements from the
thinking men Of the country who have considered
the subject. l. e. the President. the Secretary Of
{ a.
TO consider the matter. Believe me. however. I
am not making plea for the service at large. /
am working to further ny own ambitions of serving
the United States in positions Of high rank az an
early age, and my reason for nclosiug these papers
Is not to stir you mp as puhc-minded citizen
10 adjust important factor Of orr national vel
fare but to let you know that while furtherng my
individual ends You would be doing nothing
that patriotic or thoughtful man should not do
! am going 20 give you one sentence embodying
the entire reason Of my anxiety 20 urge legislation
II TINS biz passes. in five years viii be a
in ten years viii be a and in fifteen
years
If it does not pass it will be probably fifteen
years before I reach a grade higher than junior
lieutenant.
To add TO these startling figures would be but to
reduce the strength Of the conviction they carry.
do not have 10 tell man who has pursued a life
work what success or failure in that work means Ia
him.
I ask you, sir, 20 regard anything you can do
to put this through as the greatest Of The
many services that father renders his SON.
Use every method in your power. Letters tee-
grams. the newspapers. anything and everything
that viii fofce Congress 10 put this through.
It cannot be too much to ask you TO give me as
much OF your time at a supreme moment like this.
This is a short session Of Congress, aud for that
reason you may think this is an ill-adyised time to
make your attack but be that as it may, the move
thing You do VIII augment the force already assem-
bled- am not writing on impulse These figures
have seen As things exist now. mine being one
Of the big classes. l will be caught IN a hump
and promotion viii be like 1t was when a man was
fortyTe years old before he got 70 be a lieutenant
II this letter Is not strong it is because I can
not make il But if it appears little historical
it is because haven't time to comb it out must
do as I ask you TO do; act, and act quickly But
if historical remember through it all that my pro.
motion ion the next twenty years is wrapped up in
the fate Of this bill
1 am. &c.
The phraseology, from the applied pa
rental address to the closing paragraph.
is. to say the least. interesting and sig
niicant. II is of questionable propriety
! that midshipmen under instruction for