The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-01-09
WHERE THE PUBLIc MONEYS GO.

Dec. 24th, makes the following surprising
! disclosures
PAY OF THE NAVY.
! Turn, for instance, to page 81 of the last
| register. and we find list of forty Rear
AdmiralS, each adorned with an asterisk.
BY clause which was slipped into the
Annual Appropriation bill, passed in the
hurry and confusion of the closing hoHrs of
the session, March 3, 1873, it was
Prorided. That no officer on the retired list
OF the navy shall be employed on active duty
except in time of war end provided further,
that those officers the retired list and tn ose
hereafter retired, who were, or rho may be re-
tired after 40 years service, or who have at
tanned the age of sixty two years, or those who
were, or who may be retired from incapacity
resulting from long and faithful service,
wounds. OF Injuries, sickness contracted in
line of duty, shall, after the passage of this
act, be entitled to 20 per cent. of the highest
present sea pay of their grade.
The asterisks opposite the names of
these forty Rear Admirals denote that every
az coming within the provisions of this
clause hence they all receive 81, 500
year, three fourtbs of Rear-Admiral's
highest pay-S6 900.
COMMoDoREs WITHOUT sQUADRoNs.
Following the list of Rear Admirals
there appears y list of thirty eight commo-
dures. all hnt three having the all potent
asterisk. Thirty FIVE of these commodores
receive $500 per year each. BY this it
Will be seen rrat the .'star'' means a good
deal of money! fact which should insure
greater care and prudence in the bestowipg
of it. But the Retiring Boards, composed,
as they are of old ship and mes mates,
can rarely he got to certify that injuries
and physical incapacity were ever produced
outside of IT." line of duty. The country
might overlook thus abuse if it only affect
ed officers who had spent their lives in the
service hut when it comes to be applied
all down the iiue until we see an army of
worthless and incapable lieutenants, mas
tiers, paymasters, engineers ct id omne ge-
mus, all with 'stars," pensioued for life at
a high figure, it is high time to protest
against the fraud.
CAPTAINS AND COMMANDERS.
There are thirty captains and comman-
ders on the retired or pension list who re-
ceive an average of SO 600 a year each.
They are mostly middle aged men who
haxe been retired as incapable of further
service by reason of wounds and other in
juries supposed to have been received in
line of duty. Some of them have been
tired for twenty years others never saw
five years service, and others again who
have been retired because of sickness con-
tIacted in service recovered their health as
if by magic the moment their names reach
ed the coveted place on the register. Since
handsomely two years ago there has been a
lively scramble amongst officers of all
grades to be placed upon it. The Perma-
nent Retiring Board in this eityis constant
ly flooded with applications which come
from men who are capable of service, but
who simply want to- be pensioned for life
and permitted to he free from duty for
ever.
AN ARMY OF SMALL FRY.
After the captains and commanders
come the lieutenants, lieutenant. comman-
ders, masters, enaigns, aud even midship
men. A " starred -" lieutenant commander
receives 50 $50 year, "A lieutenant 81 $50,
master 5 800, an ensign s $50, and
midshipman $3.50. After these come the
stat officers, ami the exhibit il something
appalling. There are twenty five medical
directors at 50 300 each, thirteen other
medical officers at au average of $4,000
each, fifteen pay officers at an average of
81 600 each, and thirty seven engineers at
about the same average BY far the larger
number of these staff officers have not Ten-
dered the Government three years actual
service Many of them are addicted to
drink. Some are Incompetent, indeed
should never have been appointed. and
but very few Rave any claim whichever
to the splendid bounty Of the couutry.
Wherever young officer becomes worth
Less, either from intemperancC or natural
incapacity, instead of being "wholly re-
tired, which means dismissal with year q
pay he is too often placed upon the re-
tired lis, and this ia abuse winch has
become so common that it, long ceased to
attract attention. Under such practices
the list las grown out of AL proportion,
aud IT. is safe To say that the amount am-
nually paid these retired officers at tho
navy exceeds Ivy many thousands the sum
required 20 pay every officers and sailors
widow in the land her much Uegrudged
pittance. AS u matter of curiosity, l
have figured up the amount annually paid
to the "star" officers alone, ard | find it |
reaches the snug annual sum of S746 COO. |
Those without stars receive about $780, |
600 more making nearly 5 900, 900 year
that this list of benedciaries receive from
the Government. The evil is daily grow
ing worse. The Retiring Board are con-
stantly in session at the yard in this city,
examining persons who have either ap
piled for it or have been ordered by the
department for that purpose.
EIRv sOmp uDaccnuDt "a hla m isR nDrehens sion |