The Cheyenne Daily Leader

A National Disgrace.
One of the most disgraceful results
of the pretended retrenchment leg-
islation in the House is revealed by
an examination of the recent order of
the Secretary of the Navy placing on
furlough a sufficient number of naval
officers to bring the pay within the ap-
propriation. Under this compulsory
reduction many of the most distin-
guished naval heroes will be reduced
almost to beggary, and the pay of the
furloughed lieutenants and officers below
that grade will be less than that of
many classes of the enlisted men, such
as mechanics, firemen, boatswains,
mates and cooks.
Among those who
must be reduced are Vice Admiral
Rowan, who was promoted for eminent
services over the heads of such men as
Dahlgren, Davis, Goldsborough and
Gordon, who is cut down to $3,000; Rear
Admirals Olney, Leroy, Reed, Wood-
man and Trenchard; all of whom
fought in the Mexican war, China and
during the rebellion, are reduced to
$2,000, or less than the junior of them
received twenty years ago. Commo-
dores Balch, Preble, Spotts, Donaldson.
Crosby, Crompton, Hughes, Baldwin,
Calhoun and others will receive $1,500:
Captains, like Ransem, Hopkins, Tem-
tle, Carter, who was a major general
of volunteers, Lowry,
Rae, Dekraft,
Truxton, Mayo and Haremony are re-
duced to $1,400, equal to the pay of
young boys who graduated from the
Naval academy half a dozen years ago.
About twenty commanders will neces-
sarily be furloughed at $1,150 per an-
num; about fifty lieutenant command-
ers to $1,100; probably 100 lieutenants
at $800 and $900; about the same num-
ber of masters, engineers and midship-
men at $600,$400 and $300. The
result cannot but fail to cause great dis-
tress among the lower grades, and the
serious impairment of the morals of
the service.