Mr. TRUMBULL. I dye notknow how many it will cover; but ifiteovers but one. the principle is important. It should be decided upon principle, and not upon the mere question whether it covers one officer or tea. The principle of the bill is that officers of high grades are to be selected from the grade next below, who have rendered the most efficient and faithful service during the recent war. Now, if in the grade of captain there was no captain whom the SecyNavy and the President were willing to trust to perform the duties of a captain, and it became necessary to call a lieutenant, Lieutenant Worden, if you please, or anybody else, to discharge the duties of captain, and he discharged those duties during t ie war, and while he was acting in the position of captain he rendered the most efficient and faithful service to the Government during the war, I ask if he ought not to be eligible to promotion just the same as if he had been acaptuin regularly. You propose by this bill to make the test of promotion efficient and faithful service during the war in a particular grade. Now, if a man acts in that grade by command of the SecyNavy, and renders the service. ought he not to be eligible to promotionjust the some as ifhe had belonged to that grade? Ifnot, you ought to strike out this provision in the bill which allows selections at all. Either let them go up by regular promotion, or else, where a man has performed service in the grade, make him eligible to promotion. Whether anybody would be promoted under my amendment, whether a single individual would be promoted under it, is not, in myjudgment, the question. I think, as a principle, it ought to be open to romotion ot the person who has performed teservice in that rade by command of the SecyNavy; not an accidental service that has been thrown a on him but where he has been selected an detailed for the service in the de, and has done it faithfully and efficiently urin the war. I ask upon what principle you will now promote a captain whom you would not trust during the war, and will not allow a person to be eligible to promotion whom you as signed to perform that very captaufs duty. I hope the committee will agree to the proposition; it seems to me eminently a just principle.