Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-10

GRANTED BY SECRETARY WHITNEY AND CON-
TrNuED By SECRETARY TRACY n EXTRA
LEaAL-rHE MONEY THE MEMBERS HAVE RE-
cEIvED MAY HAVE TO BE PAID BACK.
1here II CONSERVATION In the ranks Of the
Marine Band. 1t is more than likely that from
this time forward tine members will be
only too willing to get their discharges.
while recruits to take their places will be
hard to find. There has always been general
feeling that the members of the band should
be better paid lot Of men than they have
been in the past, and there are even those who
say that if it were twice as large as it is now
and if its members were able to devote their
whole time to it instead of seeking
outside work in order to eke ont
living our national band would
compare more favorably with similar organiza-
tlons In other countries. Secretary Whitney
did what he could to raise the standard Of the
line as his predecessor. Now the fourth audi
tor of the treasury has decided that the efforts
OF the two were eXtra-legal
THE POINT AT ISSUE.
The whole point at issue now seems to be the
question whether the Secretary of the Navy has
any authority to rate the members Of
the band. The fourth auditor has de-
cided that he may not do so, and as the
pay OF the men depends upon their rat
ing the question is one Of vital interest to the
men Themselves The fourth auditor has dis
allowed the June pay of certain members whom
he claims have been overpaid. and this
ruling would seem to demand the refund
ing TO the treasury of all the overpay they
have received for the past three years it can
be readily understood that the gloom that
hangs over the marine barracks today is dense
and well nigh impenetrable The only ray of
hope that seems to get through is that the de-
mand for the return Of the back pay may not
be enforced.
The law OF 1851 that incorporated the Marine
Band stated that it should consist Of thirty men
and leader. The thirty men were then rated
into three classes. receiving respectively thirty
four, twenty and seventeen dollars q month.
In addition the men received four dollars
a month for playing at the White House. Later
the number of men in the band was increased
by the addition OF ten privates. From time to
time efforts have been made to have both the
membership and the pay Of this band, which
has since become national institution, in
creased, but these efforts have always proved
futile
RAISING THE RATING.
Three years ago, during the administration
Of Secretary Whitney, it was decided that the
Secretary could improve the status of
the men by raising the rating. This
Was done. Originally there were seven
men in the first rating. eight in the
second and fifteen in the third. Secretary
Whitney added eight to the first, leaving ten in
the second and five in the third. Secretary
Tracy following this precedent has since
placed twenty in the first and ten
in the second, leaving the third vacant.
This did not make a very extravagant addition
to the pay of the men, but it helped q good
deal. and it showed them that the authorities
were doing the best they could for them.
Still, many Of the men have been compelled
to do outside work whenever they have had a
little leisure between whiles and q number of
the men have become familiar 10 theater-
going people who have seen them in the
orchestras hard at work after their days work
at the barrack was over.
THE FOURTH AUDrToR's RULING.
On the LIST of this month the men signed their
pay rolls on the ratings they have held for sew
eral years and the same that have been passed
as satisfactory every month since Secretary
Whitney first adopted the new system. The
men have since been called upon to sign new
rolls, the reason given being that the fourth
auditor had discovered that the Secretary of
the Navy had no authority to change the rating
OF the men. There are now twenty men in
the tirs. grade. The auditor holds there
should be only seven, SO that there
are thirteen who must suffer severely In q
pecuniary way. 1t is also maintained that they
must return to the Golfers of the nation all the
extra wealth they have received. In the case of
some OF them this will amount to more
than zoo, and it is expressing it mildly
to say that they are worried at the
prospect OF having to scrspe up such q sum or
else have thei- reduced pay still further re-
duced by having it docked for years to come in
order to make up the deficiency.
CAN'T PAY IT BACK.
As one Of the men said to Q reporter for
The STAR at the barr acks this morning. why,
don't suppose any one Of us has anything like
that amount saved up. We received our money
in good faith and We have spent it
to have it taken back from % Us
again. IL we have been illegally paid il is not
our fault. the people up at the other end
of town having passed our accounts all right,
and if there was anything wrong they might
have discovered it before, it seems to me.
We all had bills out last month relying
ON getting the same pay at the end Of the month
we always had. Don't you see how il works
q big Inconvenience, If not injustice upon us?
Already one man has demanded his discharge
He has not been in the band long and do not
see how his discharge can be denied him, for he
enlisted with the understanding that the mem
bers Of the band were not getting any more
pay than they were legally entitled, to and if he
gets his pay reduced now it looks to me as
though they would have to let him 60 if he
wants to. oh, we're pretty well discouraged
crowd Of men.I tell you"
The ruling of the auditor seems to be based
upon the old law that applied to all the
bands Of the regular army, and which provided
Of each should be placed in each rat
ing. The officials Of the navy and the marine
corps maintain on the contrary that inasmuch
as the Marine Band was incorporated by spe-