The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-01-20
NAVY IS NOT
GRADED RIGHT
Paymaster General cowe objects to
Way Personnel is Arranged
and Suggests That Some
Changes Be Made.
OTHER NATIONS sNEEE
Parallel Case Would be Sending
Minister to Country Where
an Ambassador Should
Be Sent.
OTHER NATIONS sNEES
UNITED Press special seryice1.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 20,-In a plea
for the creation of the grades OF adj
mfral and vice admiral in the United
States navy, Paymaster General T. ].
Cowie, q. S. N. IN statement today
gently criticised congress for Its fail
ure TO provide the American navy the
proper personnel it deserves.
THE United States is the only
power on earth that confides the COM
mand of powerful battleship fleet
to a rear-admiral, who is prevented,
wha- ever his individual capacity, by
the very limitations OF his low rank.
from rendering the most efficient
services" Cowie declared. Even
the Chinese. Portuguese and Danish
navies, which are negligible in COM
parison with ours. have vice admir-
ais, who take precedence over the
commanders-in-chief of our great At
lantic fleet, in the handling of the fate
OF which is wrapped up SO much OF
the hope, of the pride and the destiny
OF the people. Such condition Of az
fairs lowers the prestige Of the Amer
lean nation"
1T is bitterly humilia.ing to real
ize that in any combined operations
or international functions where
naval forces are involved, the flag
officers of our mighty republic are
predestined to take the lowest place,
and thus, under the working of world
custom and agreement as strong prac-
tically as law, prohibited from exer-
cising the degree Of control and influ.
ence to which, in their representative
capacity, they are rightfully entitled.
American flag officers must always
submit, with what grace possible, to
having their commands placed TO The
rear in lines of march and fleet for
nations; must always fire the first
salute, always pay the first call, and
always yield general precedence to
foreign affairs at state and social
functions or other occasions OF pub
lie demonstration. The stars and
stripes are automatically assigned to
inferior position.
This lack of fitting representation
of our country by naval officers of a
rank commensurate with it's own no
sition as one OF the foremost In the
world is frequently and freely COM
mented upon by the higher officials
of other nations, many of them ex-
pressing their great surprise at the
failure Of congress to have long since
supplied this to them glazing omis-
sion in the personnel OF our navy.
Its refusal or neglect to act upon
matter of such vital Importance on
the only supposable ground, that of
increased cost, has been greeted with
scorn and ridicule which reason or
so little corresponding weight and
so utterly inadequate would seem to
justly merit; and this feeling has
found place among the rank and file
of the navies of other powers, small
. as well as great, to such an extent
tina. upon all important occasions
where rear admirals are called upon
to represent our government, they are
Looked upon as sort OF laughing
stock, and are subordinated to and
treated with but scant court esy by
officials of third and even fourth-rate
nations.
lack of proper rank for fleet COM
manders is not only question OF SEN
/ tfmental pride. Our material inter
ests are also adversely affected in
grave international affairs, for in adj
dition to duties OF purely military
| nature. circumstances often cause the
I government. to bestow the greatest
trusts In its gift upon our naval com
/ manders-in-chief, and the wishes OF
the government, as voiced through
them, are frequently not given proper
weight because of their inferiority in
grade Standing as compared with the
representative foreign officers with
whom they have TO deal. 1t is not
/ possible to emphasize too strongly
that the important fact Is not that our
supreme flag officers personally lack
prestige on such occasions on account
of their relatively low rank, but that
the nation represented In them is