Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-12-01
SECRETARY LANCOLN'S REPORT.
Recommendations Severe COmment
upon Gen. HaZen's observations Con.
corning the Greedy ExpeditiOn-Thc
New Department Building, &c.

In his annual report the Secretary of War
recommends the retirement Of enlisted men
after thirty-fye years service; that hundred
clerks be appointed in the adjutant generals
Office Tor the restoration Of regimental rolls the
erection OF suitable fre-proof building for the
army medical museum; adequate appropriations
to carry out the ideas of the chief of engineers
in regard to coast defenses, and an immediate
and permanent appropriation for providing
artillery of modern types. He does not approve
the recommendation of the chief signal officer
that the appropriations for the support of the
signal service be incorporated with those for the
support Of the army.
THE GREELEY EXPEDITION.
The Secretary observes with regret that the
chief signal officer has chosen to make, in his
annual report, formal expression of opin-
lon that, after the arrival Of the wrecked
Proteus party on September Is. 1883, at St.
Johns, there was still time. as known from
previous experience and shown by snDseque Mt
facts. to send efficient relief stating that Capt
Melville and others volunteered to go, giving
their full plans for the relief" The Secretary
then quotes the arctic authorities who were of
the opinion that such an expedition would have
been OF no avail, upon which the action of the
Secretary of the Navy and himself was based, and
adds: "The expression OF opinion OF the chief
signal officer. above referred to, is an intrusion
of an official opinion as to the propriety of the
course of the Secretaries of War and Of the Navy
In not hazarding more lives in 1883 in nearly
hopeless adventure upon his telegraphic re-
quests. This excursion into an official iursdic-
ton beyond his own and his dictun upon the
exercise of superior responsibility which he
was not invited to share are extraordinary in
their time and place, and are hardly excnsable
even under whatever Of irritation may have
been caused by the findings of the Proteus court
of inquiry. Waving. however, that considera-
ton, if there had at the time been given more
weight to the views of that branch of the public
service. under whose management there had
been one futile and one disastrous expedition in
the northern seas in two successive years. than
to the views of men having experience In such
matters, 1t is now hardly to be doubted that we
would have had last summer the news of two
arctic calamities instead of one"
THE NEW DEPARTMENT BUILDING.
In relation to the State, War and Navy de-
partment building the Secretary says that it is
believed that during the present year all the
foundations, and the masonry Of the coal
vaults. court-yards. area walls. endorsement
story Of the unfinished wings and part of the
basement story throughout, will be completed:
and that by the end Of the present fiscal year
the masonry Of these wings win have been erec-
ted up to the level of the second story floor.
The need Of the War department for the security
OF many valuable records, now dispersed In un-
safe buildings In the city Of Washington, re-
quires that the appropriation of S500, 600 asked
for continuing the construction Of this building
be granted by Congress.