Year: 1871

Tho STAFF Omcers OF the Navy-what


They Want and What They May


Get.


The course of the HERALD regarding the
resolution of Mr.. Logan, whereby 1t is pro-
posed to abolish the grades of admiral and
vice admiral in our navy, does not suit
majority Of the staff officers in that branch of
our public service. Those gentlemen consider
that everything must yield to their wishes and
everybody espouse their cause. The Presi-
dent, Congress, the Navy Department. the
entire press of the county, all must think as
they think, all must aid them In carrying out
their visws-their one great object-and that
is, to prevent Vice Admiral D. d. Porter's pro-
motion. They would no anything to accom-
plish this; they would shrink at nothing
whereby their fond hope Of defeating his con-
flrmation would be realized, and they gnash
their teeth when they hear of any
move that opposes their wishes, any
voice that is raised to defend the
man against whom they have an enmity almost
deadly. Fond as they all are of rank, devoted
as they are to gold lace and embroidery, they
would, we verify believe, sacrifice it all for the
time being if they could only succeed in de-


feating the Admirals confirmation in the
Senate and in passing the bill for the abolition
of the grade.


This difference of opinion between the staff
and line officers has been, and will continue
to be, most unfortunate for the naval service;
it has made enemies of friends; it has broken
up many an old association, and has brought
about feeling of bitterness that will effec-
:ually destroy that harmony which should
always exist among the officers of man-of-
war. 1t is In measure destructive of dis
cipline; 1t clogs the wheels Of the routine of
the service; 1t sets bad example to
the crew; in fact it creates world
of mischief and destroys the efficiency
Of ship almost as much as the loss of half
her battery, or the partial arrangement Of her
machinery; and yet it still goes on, growing
worse and worse every day, until there is no
telling where the trouble will end or what the
result of it will be.


There is, however, another point we must
touch upon. Among many of those staff ofa-
GERS the feeling against the Vice Admiral is
so strong that they in conversation fire.
quently forget themselves and allow their
tongues to run unbridled. They forget that
he is the highest officer Of the naval service
their superior oficer-and that by being
guilty of disrespect to him they render them
selves liable to be reported, to have charges
preferred against them and to be tried by
court martial, the result of which might very
materially affect their standing in the service,
if it did not entirely deprive them of assimilated
or any other rank. We give them this hint as
gentle warning to beware, and not to 90 too
far. They should not compromise their off,
cal positions. If they hate, let them carry out
their hatred by other means than the mouth.
If they wish to injure their superior in
rank, use other measures than mere words
the latter will never do harm, except to them
selves, by exposing the true reason of their
disikes, which are personal motives, and not
any desire or belief on their part that the
country or naval service will be benefited by
the change they desire to have made. We
still hope that their wishes will not be graft
fed-that the Senate will see through their
designs and decline to further them. Let
them discover that they are not, as they now
suppose themselves to be, all powerful, and 1t
will do more to heal the sore between the
staff and line officers than any other remedy
that can be devised. They will have found
their level, and, like good fellows as they are,
will be content to keep it.


CAPTURE OF MoNTEvIDEo.-News from Rio