The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-28

effect But neither could the most ef-
/ fcient and honest administrator make
\ any Roadway with such a complicated
system as exists In the wal department.
The essential difference between the
two systems is In the matter of con-
centrated as contrasted with divided
responsibility. In the war department
II IL always possible for the party d.
| rectly to blame to cast his burden
upon his ~neighbor, and II sometimes re-
quires patience and genius to evolve
from the mass of conflicting or equivo-
cal regulations the true measure of the
responsibility attaching to each bureau.
In the navy this whole business Is sim
plified to the last degree. by putting
upon the paymaster general the respon-
sibility for all the work which In the
army is transacted by the paymasters,
quartermasters and commfssaries.
"Paymaster General Stewart shows IN
his report how his system works as re-
CARDS promptness of action. II nothing
else. Secretary Alger has explained
that one reason for the ~delinquencies
OF the war department was that the
war came upon II unexpectedly; hut
Mr.. Stewart shows that as early az
March. his bueau established a base OF
supplies at Key West, with stores for
5000 men. sufficient to supply them for
three months. At Mare Island. Cal,
anu AT ENbIlOth. w. OtntT odstS NCit
established. each with supplies to last
1000 men three months. while at New
York preparations were made for sub
sisting and equipping 5000 men for the
same period. Early In April. although
In the minds of many good citizens
there was still no danger OF hostilities,
the paymaster general had his
ments for the Asiatfc fleet so well In
hand that within 4s hours after the
order had been sent to Commodore
Dewey to Ill his ships with supplies
and purchase a collier and sup
ply-ship, these ships were purchased
and equipped for a f~ve-months' war;
and in the early days of May. immed-
lately following the arrival of the news
of the battle OF Manila Bay. the City OF
Picking sailed from San Francisco with
three months additional provisions for
the Asiatic fleet and a large cons'gn-
ment Of miscellaneous stores.
o May Z. one week from the day Of
her purchase. the refrigerating steamer
supply sailed to join the fleet OF Cuba.
laden with fresh meats. vegetables.
fruits. ice. etc. The Celtic was purchased
also. and soon sailed with 800. 900 pounds
OF beef n mutton In cold storage. s0o,-
900 pounds OF fresh vegetables, 500 tons
of ice. and a large general cargo. In
jun a refrigerating steamer crossed
the Pacific and carried 600. 900 pounds Of
fresh meats and 600.0 o pounds of fresh
vegetables to supply the fleet at Ma
Mia. Although Mr.. Stewart does not
say so. there Is reason to believe. from
facts which a slipped out at the war
department. that this naval outfit
mercifully extended a helping han To
the troops as well as to the sailors at
Manila, thus possibly saving the war
department from a worse raking than
II has yet received for the insufficient
provision for our troops I'm the Philip
pines.
I'm all. the paymaster general of the
navy has had to provide for 1888 ves-
sells. keeping them supplied with nee
essary stores of every nature during the
period of hostilities. In the face of this
II is simple folly to contend
hat the breakdown of the war de-
partment al due to its having so
great a diversity of interests to care
for. scattered over so large a territory.
To provide for 1893 ships In all parts OF
the earth must have taken as much
thought and taxed the providers abil-
ity as greatly as provision for an equal
number of regiments. which. by the
very nature of the thing. could not
have been more widely distributed.
I'm addition to looking after so large
a force of our own, our navy suddenly
was charged with the care of f,720 Span
ish prisoners captured at the destruct-
ion Of Admiral Cervera's fleet. The
paymaster generals office in Washing
ton received scant notice of what would
he expected of 1t, but when II was ad-
vised that within two or three days this
host of men would have to be quartered
and fed on Seavey's island, in Ports
mouth harbor. 1t had to maxi its per-
parations very rapidly. Without the
least sign of upheaval or irritation 1t
went to work, and by telegraph ar
ranged with Paymaster j. y. Loomis,
detailed for duty as commissary at the
Spanish camp. to have the prisoners
cared for as well as our own sailors
are. with the result hat when they
arrived everything was in readiness, n
wholesome dinner was served. and each
man was furnished with a Mattress, a
hammock. two blankets, n sue cloth
ing as was necessary. To accomplish
all this quickly and efficiently. some
open-market buying had. of course, to
be done. But in spite of the pressure.
the standards were not lowered for an
instant. Contractors were held to a
rigid accountability for adherence to
specifications. and the supplies deliver
ed were the best of their kind. A COM
parison OF prices, moreover. shows that
those paid during the war were In
most cases no higher and in many cases
absolutely lower than those paid before
hostilities began.
And how large a staff had the pay
master general to depend? The number
OF pay officers allowed by law on the
active list Is Ill. During the war this
number was raised to $50. by drawing
into the service all the available re-
tired pay officers, and adding thereto
such volunteers as were necessary. As
the need of so large a stan declined.
however. the surplus were discharged
as fast as their services could be dis
pensed with. till the number has been
reduced to 1874. exclusive of those who
are now engaged in settling accounts
preparatory to taking leave of the SER
vice.
When IL Is reflected that the bureau
of supplies and accounts in the navy