Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-20
FUTURE OF MARINES
Abolition May Follow Assign
ment to Shore Duty.
ARMY MAY ABSORB CORPS
Members of Congress 1rritated by
Course of Navy Department.
COMMITTEES OPINION IGNORED
Views of Naval Officers Sought After
Decision Against Procedure
Was Taken.
ARMY MAY ABSORB CORPS
COMMITTEES OPINION IGNORED

ven recent executive OTuef uHuel WliCii
marines were removed from vessels of the
navy have taken exception to recent news
paper articles rejecting upon the eff
cheney of marines as ships sunners and
to statements of naval officers before the
House committee on naval affairs in rela-
| ton to many phases of the pending con-
troversy, SO familiar to the public.
! In the testimony given by Commander
Sims before the committee he stated that
if the marines were retained on board
ships it would be at a sacrifice of 40 per
| cent efficiency, as shown by the records
at target practice, and that the marines
were to that extent inferior to the en-
listed men of the navy.
Figures Are Attacked.
| When officers of the Marine Corps were
on the stand it was shown by one OF
them, Col. Lauchheimer, adjutant and in
| spector that the method pursued by Com
mander Sims in arriving at his percent
age was unfair, as on certain new ships
the class of guns manned by marines and
sailors is different from the guns on older
| ships, manned by marines alone, thus
| giving the sailors the decided advantage
of using the telescope sight as against
the open sight used by the marines. The
telescope sight is new invention, insur-
! ing greater accuracy.
Furthermore. Commander Sims, marine
| officers claim, took into consideration
! only the various classes of guns, no mat
| ter where fired or under what conditions,
added the hits per gun per minute and
| divided them by the number of guns He
| admitted, examination, that in this
| way an advantage was given the sailors
| because of the greater number of gun
| pointers from whom the navy could Sc
7 lect as compared with those from whom
| the Marine Corps could select. A modern
| ship has COO bluejackets and only GO ma
| rines.
| He further said that his percentage of
| inferiority of the marines should also
| have been considered in connection with
| the fact that the sailor is at all times
| available at the gun, for drill and other
purposes whereas the marine, owing to
| his military duty. as sentry, as orderly,
| ETC.. was not so available. He would not,
however. state the amount by which the
| 40 per cent should be reduced on account
| Of these factors.
Proper Method of Comparison.
| Officers of the Marine Corps stated. in
their opinion. the proper method Of COM
parison was the record made by the sail
ors and marines at the same classes of
guns on the same vessels and at the
| same time. BY using the figures of Com
mander Sims himself it was clearly shown,
marine officers insist, that in many cases
the marines at the guns are vastly ST.
perior to the sailors and at other times
inferior. but on the whole at all the guns
manned by the marines and sailors on the
same class of ships during the year when
Commander Sims said the marines had
done their worst ffring-that is, in 1905
it was found by official records that the
marines had made scores only } per cent
less than those Of the sailors. In other
words, they were practically equal in
craftsmanship rather than inferior.
In this contention marine officers arc
sustained by members of the House naval
committee.
Rear Admiral Ingersoll, who was pres
ent at this hearing as the representative
of the Navy Department and the general
board. stated to the committee that the
| method pursued by the ofiffcers of the
Marine Corps In reaching their com
illusions was by far the fairer and would
give results which would more accurately
approximate actual conditions than the
procedure of Commander Sims. He stated
that in addition to the mathematical man.
ner in which the marines and sailors were
shown to be practically equal in marks
manship. he deprecated any attempt on
the part of any officers of the navy to
belittle the work done at the batteries
by the marines. as such work was always
done to the entire satisfaction of the
navy.
He instanced the target practice of the
vessel recently under his COMMAND. the
Maryland, upon which the marines not
only won the naval trophy, but showed
themselves the best gunnerS in the world
This seems to be the most important
question which has been agitated by the
navy.
Dispute as to Expenses
Another feature which has been pre-
scented is the question of the increased ex-
penses for the substitution Of sailors for
marines. concerning which there has been
much hot blood and wordy argument.
The first information on this subject fur
nished the committee was that prepared
by Lieut.. Col. Richards, assistant pay
master. Marine Corps
An error In such computations occurred,
due to the fact that the pay given in
the navy register was erroneous in an
important particular. Subsequently Com
mander Shoemaker. on duty i'm the bureau
of navigation. Navy Department, pre-
pared table.
Col. Richards table showed that the ex-
penditures would be increased If the ma
rines were transferred to shore duty:
those of Commander Shoemaker made a
saving by the transfer to the extent of
about $9S.OOD.
Subsequently the House committee. de-
string an expert who could not possibly
be charged with bias. selected Pay Di-
rector Cowie of the navy. who after a
great deal of labor submitted a report to
the committee The Cowie table showed
clearly that If the Presidents order were
carried out and sailors were substituted
for marines on board navy vessels there
would be an increase in the annual ex-
penses of the government of about
$4,000.
Col. Denny, quartermaster of the Marine
Corps, when before the committee testified
that there would be an increase in the ex-
penditure of his department if the OFF, |
GERS and enlisted men of the corps were
comfortably quartered on shore, of about
100000. Thus, according to Pay Di-
rector COwie, the increase in the annual
expenses would be about 81. 5000 II the
Presidents order was put into operation.
Cost Of Transports.
These estimates of increases in expend-
lures do not include the cost of transports
which might be necessary If the program
OF the Navy Department Is undertaken
that Is TO say. II marines are conveyed
from their shore bases to distant scenes of
action In such special vessels
The navy now has three ships which at
times are available for this service, name
ly, the Prairie and Panther On the Allan
tic coast and the Buffalo on the Pacific
coast. These vessels are not modern
| ships. however. Many officers contend It
will be necessary to obtain an appropria-
| ton from Congress to construct new YES
sells.
Each of such vessels will probably cost
y, 100000. If three are required the total
cost would he sc 600 OO0