Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-15
SECRETARYTRACY RAISES A BREEZE.

SECRETARYTRACY RAISES A BREEZE.
| WASHINGTON, May 14.-Secretary Ira
| cy's first general ORDER" regulating the
assignment of duty of pay officers of the
| navy has caused more comment and spec
ulation than anything that has happened
in the navy department since Mr.. whitney
| issued his order restoring to the chief OF
| the bureau of navigation all the duties of
the detail office. Secretary Tracy was ask
| ed today by reporter if any particular
instance of favoritism in assigning pay
| officers to duty had led to the issuance of
| his order
| The order was made" said the secre-
tary, because / found that d majority of
| the pay directors-Seven out of the thir-
| teen-were on waiting orders. 1t was not
| because OF any individual instance but
was aimed at an evil which had grown up
and which wanted to cure. Assignments
had been made through influence which
produced Injustice to senior officers. 1t
was be ter to make q general rule, and
then II a man or his friends made applca-
ton for place, and he did not come with
in the rule, his case need not be consider
ed if he did, it would be.
What sort of influences are those which
have produced the evil at which your
order is aimed? Are they political or So
cial?"
Both. l have not felt them very much,
but there are jealousies and grumblings
which no order will prevent. Men think
themselves entitled to the softest place in
the service, and complain if they fail to
get it. I don't expect to prevent the
grumbling. Nobody can do that
From other sources than the secretary's
office some information of the instances of
favoritism in the pay corps is gathered.
The people who give it do not hesitate to
charge Commodore Walker with the re-
sponSlbility.
Paymaster Worth Goldsborough is in
charge of the naval pay office at San Fran
cisco. The office is a directors or inspec-
tors place, and Paymaster Goldsborouch
Is fifth IN this rank. Democratic influence
is said to have given him the place Pay
master George w. Beeman, second in
rank, is general storekeeper at the Boston
navy yard. PaymaSter Henry c. Colby
twenty-eighth in his rank. is general
storekeeper at the Mare Island navy yard.
Paymaster j. Porter LOOMS, thirty
third in his rank, is general store
keeper at the navy yard at
New York, and Paymaster H. T. b.
Harris, thirty-four in his rank, is the gen
eral storekeeper at the naval academy
Every enc of these places according to the
recent explicit order, and according to the
unwrltten law which was in existence be-
fore this order was issued, should be filed
by pay directors or pay inspectors
EX-Secretary Chandler was asked YES
terday for his opinion concerning the
cause of Secretary Tracy's recent order.
He said that it was no new law, but a re-
iteration of the rule which was ALWAYS
in force, but violated so often that
the entire service was turned ur-
side down, and had to be richted
by positive order. The responsibility for
these violations, Mr.. Chandler said, Law
with Commodore Walker, who made his
position as head of the office of detail the
means of rewarding his friends and pun
ishing his enemies. The assignment of
officers to duty, he said, should be done
with the most strict impartiality, but, in
fact, IL depended upon the favor in which
the officers stood with Commodore Walk
er, the evil genius of the navy depart
mpui