Evening star., 1924-01-01
BY THE MARaUIsE DE FONTENOY


Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune, COM
mandant of the United States Marine
Corps, in his annual report to the
Secretary of the Navy. made public
last week, renewed his request and
urged recommendation for legislation
enabling some form Of selective pro-
motion for Marine officers in lieu Of
the present seniority system, which
he denounced as "a serious block to
efficiency and an unnecessary finan-
ciaI drain on the taxpayers" He
pointed out that the Army of the
United States employed limited Sc
lective systems.
OF course. selective promotion in
stead of promotion by seniority al
ways gives rise to insinuations of ia
voritism. But there are many great
men of vast experience and judgment
who do not hesitate to advocate TINS
form of promotion: And l recall in
this connection a visitors book which
has been kept for years on board the
British torpedo schoolship Vernon
at Portsmouth. in the pages of which
many distinguished and illustrlous
personages have been invited, after
being shown over the most scientific
department of the British naval serv-
ice, the one in which most of the new
inventions are conceived or tried out
and experimental with, are asked to
autograph their names along with
some comment, usually a brief SEN
tence. Among the most noteworthy
of these comments is the following
maxim which commend to the atten-
'tion Of Gen. Lejeune, and it runs as
follows:
"Favoritism is the secret of ef-
cheney"
The signature below is that of the
late Lord Fisher. whose rank as ad-
miral of the fleet corresponded with
that of field marshal in the army. and
who at the time when he wrote 1t, in
1908. was the first sea lord of the ad-
miralty. and to all intents and pur-
poses the executive chief of all the
maritime forces of the British En-
pire, as well as the man more than
any other responsible for the person
mel Of the commanders. That is to
. say, it was Jackie" Fisher who at
the time was determining the promo
tions and the assignments of com
mands from those of torpedo boats
and destroyers to those of great fleets
of battleshipS. 1t was because Lord
Fisher was absolutely ruthless in
"scrapping" the naval rules and regu-
lati9ns thn py
that is to say, selective promotion, in
the same way that he scrapped hum
dreds of warships, some Of them cost
ing millions of pounds sterling, which
tain's navy was not only ready but
also on a war footing on the very
day of the sudden outbreak of hostili-
! ties in August, 1914. and was, there
fore, able to preserve throughout the
conflict the mastery OF the seas.
There are few words in the English
language that CRATE on the ear more
| unpleasantly than that of "favorit-
ISM" 1t is held to imply injustice
since, as explained by the Century
Dictionary, it consists in 'dispo-
sition to favor one person or family
or one class of men, in neglect. OF
others having equal claims" And the
person who thus derives advantage
from such favoritism is usually held
to have acquired dominant influence
over his superior by unworthy means
| for selfish purposes"
| That this should be the construc-
| tion based upon favoritism. is not
surprising, when we recall the un.
| SavOry roles WHICH tHe ldNoIileS vi
| rulers have played in the annals OF
the world. Exciting the jealousy ~
we'll as the anger of the people BY
the misuse of the power derived from
| the partiality> of the anointed of the
Lord, they have naturally been hello
| up in all ages to execration, not alone
BY the historian but likewise by the
poet, by the playwright and by the
artist. In short, favoritism has al
\ ways been regarded as one of the
most grave and dangerous faults thai
could be laid at the door of any one
| in authority. And yet here was a mar
| like Lord Fisher, virtually the rank
ing officer Of the British navy. the
| principal and most trusted naval ad
| wiser of his king and OF his gov
| ernment, a commander and master
full administrator of absolutel.
unique experience. with an fnterna
| tional reputation, the one to whom
the whole British Empire looket
| above all others to maintain its mari
time defenses at the top notch of al
eflciency superior to that of an,
Uother two great powers of the world
advocating fayoritism as q means t.
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