The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-01-21
NEARLY roURrMAnTIAI.ED.
scandal Regarding the Letting Of
| Lnuadry Work for Mnriue Corns.

Sc"hdhl Regarding the Letting of
i'n9adry Work for Mnriue Corns.
washington. Jan. 20.--Maior HoratIo
Is. Lowry, staff uuartcrmaster of the
MARINE Corps. has been severely repri-
nahded III public orders by cx-Sccre-
tary Herbert thereby escaping court
martial. y court of inquiry recently in
vestigated the contracts let by Ma ior
Lowry for the laundry work of the Ma
rine Corps, and found that although they
were let to the lowest bidder. the price
PAID was clearly eXorbitant, the aver
age having been $500 per hundred. MS
compared with the year previous
~ man named Belford, who was not n
lnundryman. secured the contracts at all
The navy yards and then subiet them at
an enormous profit. The conditions and
prices in the Washington contract we're
similar TO those at Portsmouth, n. H..
Philadelphia. Brooklyn. Norfolk. Boston
ana Annapolis. The court decided that
Major Lowry had committed seven spe-
ciflc offenses.
Secretary Herbert concluded not TO
convene court martial for the reason
Ihat IL does not seem probable that any
iurther evidence can be obtained, and
the evidence now before 1t is not suf-
icient. when taken In connection with
the previous good character of Major
Lowry. to justify the conclusion that he
mas Deen corrupt or guilty of anything
else than carclessness or insubordina-
ton.
a DISASTROUS POLICY.
the disastrous policy of maintaining
d naVal organization with an insufIici-
Sne corps OF naval engineers has again
Deen presented by the prostration OF
fleet Engineer Burnap, OF the OlympIn
the flagship of the Asiatic squadron. A
veteran of the civil war, and n man
closely approaching the compulsory
naval nge OF retirement, he has col
lapsed under the strain Of looking out
ior the 1900 horsepower machinery of
the olympia. while at the same time ex-
erclsing the general duties OF fleet en-
gineer of the squadron.
AS result of undermannInr Tho on
gine room IT Is claimed that the heavilv
powered ships cannot hereafter be de-
pended upon for continuous duty, and
tne cost of maintenance and repajrs "a
Ing. ''@'
NAVAL ORDERS.
Thc following naval orders were Is
Sueq to-day: The orders of Commander
u. W. Watson, to the Portsmouth IN.
- navy yard. have been revoked. and
leave.
CHIEF Engineer Habighurst is detached
from the Terror Feb. /, and rranteI
three months leave, being relieved Nv
chlet engineer j. =. Mckley, who ia dc.
.acneu from inspection duty ut Phila
oeipnla Tor that purpose
Assistant Surgeon III. In MottJe 20 or
dered before the retiring board at WASH
ensign II. Mclean Is transferred from
the oregon to the Adams.
OLNEY ON THE TREATY
inc Senate Committee on FOREIGN Re-
latlons listened to Secretary Oiney for
more than an hour this morning. The
secretary, who drew up the general
treaty OF arbitration between this gov
eTnment and Great Britain, made nm
elaborate argument in favor OF the ra fla
cation or the treaty as sent to the Sen
ate. Much OF the talk about the commit-
lee table was of an interlocutory cha
Ter, and several Senators. NOTABLY
Aiessrs. Morgan and Davis asked nume,
lous questions OF the Secretary. intend
Gu 10 gather from the Secretary his idea
OF the scope of the treaty. The questions
propounded indicated quite plainly mn
antagonism to the text of the conven-
tion ana the intention of Senators to
insist upon its amendment before re-
porting the instrument to the senate
Ar Olney was questioned closely as to
the general scope OF the treaty nnd
stated that 1t did not include the abrora-
tion OF the Monroe doctrine and was
so understood by this government and
Great Britain The matters In dispute
that would come under the provisions of
the convention were such as might grow,
out or treaty rights or under interna-
tional law.