The Washington herald., 1907-12-22
Admiral Melville Replies to
Magazine Article.
SHIPS BEST IN WORLD
Officers, Too, He Says, Are Thor
oughly Competent.
Former EnEIneer-in-chief of the
Navy Highly Incensed by What He
Terms Bureaucratic Control De-
elares Officers should stand ON
Their Merits, and That Politics
should Be Eliminated.

should Be Eliminated.
Philadelphia, Dec 21.-'Ton Tor ton
and gun for gun. we have the best wal
ships in the world"
Angered by an article published In Nc
Clure's Magazine. which charges i'm
proper construction Of the crack ships OF
the United States navy. Rear Admiral
George w. Melville gave voice 10 the
above quoted opinion Of TIE American
naval equipment
Engineer-in-chlef Of the United States
navy for sixteen years, retired for the
last four. but stiH subject to the. Presi-
dents order for service for the next
seven years. the rear admiral pronounced
his opinion in an emphatic way. as COM
ing from a man who is looked upon as a
naval authority.
Don't read the article TO me-" said
Admiral Melville at his residence. 600
North Eighteenth street. this evening.
Just tell me what he says. You hardly
need to do that. for know about what
it is. anyhow. have been listening 20
tales Of the same sort for the last twenty
five years, modified only as time brings
its changes in the construction Of naval
vessels"
Objects Ia Sxwfau,
The various statements. together with
the opinions OF Admiral Luce and other
admirals. quoted anonymously. were re-
counted to him. and he said:
Luce is right. The whole trouble T..
as he SAYS. the bureau system of naval
control. That is always the trouble. and
no good can ever come out Of the navy
so long as il is controlled by those
bureaus, for the twonty-hve-year clique
down there at Washington wants 20
get the control OF the navy into its own
hands
1T is that clique that wants TO ruia or
ruin the navy that has been making 81
the trouble. and those men will continue
20 make Il until they take control Of
the navy out OF the hands of the Presi-
dent and his own advisers aud have the
placing OF all the contracts for its civil
ians and the promotion Of its officers by
the military or fighting naval contingent
of the clique.
Hope To Gain Power.
"In other words, they are raising al
this clamor in the hope OF bringing the
same unfortunate condition OF affairs that
now obtains in the army, and which was
brought about BY just such a Clique in
army circles. They want a general stafr
in the navy like that in the army. They
will do anything to discredit the present
OF the navy TO accomplish
that end
'Warships are the creation Of human
minds and hands and there is nothing OF
human construction that has not some
defects. And then. you must remember
that the type OF vessels built ten years
ago are obsolete now. But 1 VIII make
this general statement. and you cannot
quote me too strongly in the making of
it, that when the vessels Of the past ten
years have been turned over to the gov
ernment they have embodied all of the
best ideas of naval construction that
have been evolved anywhere in the world
at the time they were turned over.
Clique Inspires Attacks.
Now. what do the fighting officers Of
he navy know about the construction of
4 war ship? Not p bit more than the
iriver of carriage knows about the
making of the carriage he can drive so
we'll The naval officers in that CLIQUE
hat inspires such articles as these could
no more build battle ship than they
could fly.
Let us consider the statement that the
'fficers Of the navy are too old l main /
ain they are not: the system of promo |
ion of officers by seniority that still OBJ |
aims in the navy remains the best. Do
'ou want to see our admirals. the nine
senior rear admirals, ranking with q
major general in the army. forget their
iuty to their ships and their country. anG
levote all their time TO the scramble for
political preference in the hope of further
ionors?
DO you want to see our naval captains |
vho rank with the colonels in the army |
loing the same thing? That is what n |
general staff and the change in the con- |
rol of the navy the clique is so anxious |
striving to bring about would do
Always Capable Men.
I'VE will always have men capable Of
'andling fleet For that matter. anv
lieutenant commander in the navy would |
'e greatly offended If he should be told
hat he could not take command of a
eet as well as any of the admirals. He
you'd be right. so far as study and tech
ical knowledge goes. and would be de-
Gent only in the superior experience Of
he officers OF higher rank.
You must remember-that Dewey was
captain when he commanded the fleet AZ
ianila, and Sampson Was not an admiral
[ Santiago. Neither was Schley. See
7hat politics did for the two If there
ad been no politics both might have been
lade vice admirals.
80 long as the President is com
of the army and navy
s the fathers intended. and as he sbouId
ontinue to be, he can always assign ca
able men 20 the command of a fleet
o matter about the system of promotion.
.dmirals may be set down or superseded.
ut there is no necessity for degrading
hem. Remove ambition, and there is
OF much left to the men who give their
YES to their country's cause"
J. III. Small & SOBs. Florists.
Washington and New York