The Evening critic., 1883-05-31
THE CADET ENGINEERS.
Secretary Chandler Takes Issue
with the Court of Claims.


In the letter addressed by Mr.. Chandler
that tho suit of Leopold VS.. The United
States, known as the Cadet Engineer Case,
recently decided in the Court Of Claims,
may be reopened, the Secretary says:
II is apparent from the published opinion
OF the court that the decision is based upon
plain errors OF fact and law, TO which your
attention will be called, In order that they
Court.
The suit was commenced on the 10th OF
March last and was, against tho wish OF this
Department, hurried to a decision on the 18th
OF May. The claim, although in amount
nominally but $50, was brought and rushed to
q Judgment solely to assist In the Introduction
into the service OF about forty officers, declared
by Congress to be unnecessary, whose pay for
the first year will amount to about 100000,
and Will In tho course OF years take over
s1,000O00 from the Treasury OF the United
II the decision is correct It discloses an as.
tonishing anomaly in legislation. Congress,
gradual reduction Of the existing line onicers
Of the Navy by lie and of the Engineer Corps
by 100, and TO subserve those reductions by
prohibiting increases MEANWHILE, directed
that about 100 naval cadets who had been
cadet midshipmen should be dismissed TO civil
life, and Enthusiastically intended also, with the
same purpose, to dismiss about forty naval
cadets who had been cadet engineors.
Tho Court Of Claims now appears to decide
that while Congress, toward accomplishing
the reduction Of 115 line officers, has actually
dismissed the 100 cadet midshipmau, 1t has,
toward the accomplishment OF the reduction
OF the. 100 engineers, directly. added to the
Navy forty cadet engineers, who are to be
commissioned as assistant engineers.
In the haste Of legislation Congress- is not
always felicitous in Its modes of expression,
but II does not often mako, and has not now
made, so bad q mistake as this II ithas, only
hearing and judgment, without hastily
blundering over facts or omitting 10 consider
plain statutes, by the Court OF Claims or an ad.
judication by the Supreme Court OF the Unitcd
States will convince or control this Depart
ment.
Statement of Judge ScOGeld.
Judge Scofeld, who wrote the opinion
of the Court, said to your correspondent
to-day that he had seen what purported to
be letter from Mr.. Chandler to Mr.. Brews-
ter, but he did not believe the Secretary of
the Navy ever wrote it. my reason for
thinking so," said the Judge, "is because
no lawyer would ever express such opin-
ions as it contains. Mr.. Chandler is said
to be q lawyer. No gentleman would use
such language as the letter contains; Mr..
w. E. Chandler is Secretary of the Navy"
More From the Secretary.
On the other hand, Secretary Chandler
renews his opinion Of the Court of Claims
more explicitly than in his letter to Mr..
Brewster. He is quoted as saying in regard
to the Leopold case: with all Difference to
the Court of Claims, which is not much,
their opinion Is simply that of three law
| yers, and will not prevent me turning all
| but twenty of these young men out of the
| service with an honorable discharge and a
years pay. The decision of the Court was
wrong, and rehearing will be asked for
and new evidence submitted. ."-New Yorh
Herald