Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-09-17
WINSTON CHURCHILL
HAS HELPED SAILORS
With One Stroke of Pen He
Wiped Out Injustice to
Bluejackets
tspsaI.l cahls to II. I0urnsl.>

LONDON Sept. H.--Wtth the q cour-
ageous stroke OF the pen Mr.. Winston
Churchill has not only raised the whole
status OF the lower deck but has wiped
out an injustice THAT only came into
existence after the British seaman had
won the mastery Of the sea by CEN
turtles OF fightings In those strenuous
days the highest rank the navy could
offer was open to all, and SIR Cloudes-
ley Shovel and Sir Christopher Myngs
are two Of the most distinguished sons
of the lower. deck who fought their
way up to admirars rank
From the time we settled down into
permanent peace after Trafalgar the
officers corps became more and more
the close preserve Of a small class, and
though for a good many years the
lower deck has been clamoring for
greater opportunities for advancement
than it possessed 1T has till today clam
ored in vain. Now the gates have been
operied-not fully, it is true. but opened
wide enough to make. promotion to the
quarter deck effective and real That
IL will be forced open wider and wider
as the years go on is certain.
That the old restriction has initiated
against the efficiency and contentment
OF restricted recruiting for the navy
10 the classics small moneyed and
semi-aristOcratic class from which Of
ficers were recruited; the working class
from which the men were recruited.
The great middle and lower-middle
class held aloof; they could not afford
TO send their sons as officers, they
would not send their sons as common
sailors"
No r,attar bov ynurb rnen NAV In
crease in ability. education or intelli-
gence; no matter how their work may
pass from the purely laborious to the
highly skilled and specialized, their
status must always remain within the
limits OF their possibilities. The lower
deck has realized this with ever-in-
creasing force during the past decade
and thousands OF the very pick Of its
sons have left the navy because their
prospects have been so limited. The
seamen we may IN future hope to re-
tain. Not only that. as soon as the
public realize that the concession is a
real one, recruiting for the lower deck
will open itself to a much wider circle
than it touches at present
That is one aspect Of the case, and
one only. During the past couple or
years the country has had forced on Its
notice that, serious IL not dangerous
discomfort afflicted the naval seamen-
This discomfort is largely due to the
lack of understanding between officers
ana men. They are the outcome OF two
distinct systems of entry, neither mas
anything in common with the other.
The present concession will bridge that
gulf for in a few years we shall nave
sitting at the same mess table, hoo-
nobbing in the same smoke room, or
ficers who have come together on equal
footing from the two sources OF entry.
We are being told that men promoteo
from the lower deck viii have some diff
aeulty IN the wardroom. One fails to
understand why. That suggestion is only
put forward by those who do not under
stand the modern petty officer, and naval
oficers, whatever their failings, are not
suobs. 's'' ns~F
But. waving aside the objections, let
ms take the scheme as IL is. Candidates
for commissioned rank viii be taken from
warrant officers and petty officers who
have passed the seamanship examination
for warrant rank. AS far as possible
those selected will be men who have not
exceeded the age Of g. This with the
exception of the first selected oatcn' WIN
exclude existing warrant officers, as very
few indeed are made at such an early
age.
At first sight this may seem an In
Justice Actually TO have placed the age
higher would have been to wreck the
scheme and made men enter the ward
room at an age which would have made
promotion beyond lieutenant an impos-
sfbility. This scheme does offer chance
Of rising to commander-but small
chance
The average lieutenant entered through
Osborne attains to that rank at the age
of n The new ranSer neutenants Will
not be selected for promotion till they
are 3. They viii have to go gunnery
and tropedo courses, also six months at
Greenwich coIlege-about fifteen months
in all; a further two to three years as
mate and acting mate before they be-
come Heutenants. which brings them up
to the age OF Is or g. and so they viii
have a handicap OF eight years against
them I'm the race Tor commander. That,
with other things, is pretty sim han
dicap. II
That is the weak point in the pres
ent scheme. but ii can be overcome by
an adjustment of seniority. There is moth
ing new in this proposal II is done every
day in the case Of junior heutenants,
and Of recent years 1t has been done
for war services. 1t is not asked for all,
but only those who get a possible" at
their examinations. The principle is that
IN each or the SIX examinations tnat go
10 make up the entire course for lieu
tenant the candidate can obtain a first,
second or third-class certificate convey
ing three, two or one mark, respective
~. Seniority as lieutenant is then award
ed in accordance with the total OF these
marks obtained. If these lower deck
men are treated In the same manner.
then the more brilliant will get an ad-
vantage over their less brilliant fellows
just as the brilliant sub reaps the bene-
At OF his briliance today. This readjust-
ment Of seniority Is the only thing that
can place the new men on anything like
a fair footing with the Osborne heuten-
ants, and Is one OF the things that will
have 10 be fought for