The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-12-17
ON PRIZE MONEY
Marine Review Says It's a
Relic of BarbariSn.
Strong Language By the Navy
Auditor-Secretary Long-ln-
equality Of Distribution.

The Marine Review OF November Sd
publishes an interesting interview with
Mr.. Frank Morris, navy auditor OF the
United States Treasury Department, on
the subject of prize money and boun-
ties which the statutes give to the Off
GERS and men OF the navy in time OF
war.
The whole system OF prize money Is
a relic of barbaric warfare, and, as Mr..
it is nothing more nor less than ply
acy." 1T is a well-known fact" he
adds, that the line officers of the
United States navy were, TO say the
Least, eager for the late war, simply be-
cause of its possibilities for pecuniary
compensat ton"
Mr. Morris also says that he thinks
at is the opinion of Secretary Long
and Others familiar with the subject
that after the present settlement of the
law relating TO prize money and boun-
ties had best be taken off the statute
books"
He shows, too, the inequality OF the
system, and that Sampson will have
far more prize money than Dewey, and
Captain Evans, of the Iowa, viii re-
ceive no more than the captain OF a
vessel which was simply within signal
distance, but took no part IN the fight
off Santiago.
Mr.. Morris further says:
To show YOU how in this matter the
fruits of victory fail 10 reach their
rightful destination, l may say that in
the last few months I have gone care
fully over this entire question Of prize
money and bounties form the time Of
the War of 1912, and l found that in
the case of the prize money accruing
from the capture of vessels during the
Civil war, while all but six per cent. OF
the aggregate sum has been drawn
from the Treasury Department, TWEEN
ty-two of the claimants have not re-
ceived the amounts to their credit.
This demonstrates that the officers who
collect the sums due them, while por-
ton of the seamen and marines felt
unable or unjustified in the slight ex-
penditure necessary TO secure the little
sums due them 1t is well-known in
service circles at Washington that this
question of prize money is at the bot
tom of all this jealousy between Samp-
son and Schley True enough, the law
states specifically that One-twentieth OF
all prize moneys shall go to the officer
in command of the squadron TO which
the vessel making the prize belongs,
whether he is within signal distance at
the time of the capture or not; but it
must be remembered that it was for
some time an open question whether
Schley and the vessels OF the former
white squadron" were technically
portion of the fleet commanded by Adj
1niraI Sampson. no declaration on the
subject having been made either by the
President or Secretary Long. Deter
mination of this point was the real Ob-
ject of the appointment of the naval
board, the value of whose findings re-
garding the Santiago fight was so little
appreciated by the general public. Had
Schleys friends been able to carry
their point with reference to the au-
thority vested in the respective COM
manders, as we'll as the contention that
the New York with Admiral Sampson
on board was not within signal dis
lance at the opening of the fight,
Schley's prize money would have been
heavily increased, and SIMPSONS
would have been correspondence de-
creased. However. they failed, and
Sampson will receive a share of ali
moneys.
1t is subject that demands the care
full and earnest consideration of Con-
gress at an early day. This should be
the last American war in which this
relic of buccaneering is made lawful.