New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-28

HOW THE "sINEws OF WAR" ARE
DISTRIBUTED

HISTORY OF THE PAY DEPARTMENT AND THE
WAY ITS WORK Is DoNE-PAYMAsTERs
WHO HAVE LOST BY VIOLENCE
AND MURDER.
Washington Aug q (SpeciaD. 1.-The interest Of
the people during last few months has been
so centred upon the brilliant achievements OF the
Army and Navy-ther victories land and sea
that comparatively little thought has been given
10 the forces impelling their movements. the
motive power. "Sinews Of war. by which these
grand results have been attained. The splendid
DEVELOPMENT OF the Nation commercially and fnan-
cally during the ,lst thirty years. not to speak
OF its Intellectual progress has made It possible
for in the short space Of three months to de-
feat crushinGly sovereignty once the greatest In
the world. and TO remove its hands from the con-
tinent Of which II once controlled the greater
part.
The work OF providing the funds instrumental
IN accomplishing this has been performed BY Con-
gress upon the recommendation largely of the
pay departments OF the Army and Navy. while the
disbursement Of these funds has been a labor Of
no little ana difficulty especially In the
pay department Of the army.
The responsibilities involved may be Judged
somewhat from the fact that during the last year
Of the Civil War thcre was paid out by the War
Department alone over sG0o.ooO00o while from
1861 TO 1861 this Department paid out over
100 100000 Though the grand total Of Army
expenses alone during the recent Spanish American
War has reached nothing Ike these figures. the
sudden Increase in the size 81 the Army from
twenty thousand men. customarily involving
the services OF twenty-five experienced paymastcrs
Of all grades IN their monthly payments. to over
two hundred thousand men necessarily threw sud
denly greatly increased burden % labor upon
tho uav department. This was felt the more as
the additional paymastcrs." for whom provis-
ion was speedily made by net q Congress were
largely appointed from civil Ne and Rad 20 hc
put through "kinderEarten" Of departmental
training before they could he safely sent forth to
nav or the armies I'm tie field. The ordinary
civilian iguoran, Of the laws. special orders. vari-
Gus kinds ~ pay 20 he dishurscd. method Of keep
ing accounts and technique generally 81 this de-
partincnt has little conception ~ the difficulties
10 he encountered in this work In Instances ap-
poin,ees after n few days experience ut school"
becoming sulderiy aroused to the dangers not
only Of losing their salaries. hut Of having their
bonds-ncn pay largo sums - money on th"ir ac-
count have quietly resigned and sought po-
eition and cnolumcnt elsewhere. m" names ~
others who have eon" n the front have FOR some
reason ceased 10 appear tho rolls Of the do
partment. and according 20 tho inspectors. IA"
number OF mistakes appearing in the reports ~
some Of the "ad iitiouai plymas'"r9 has boon
something phenomenal In ono instance thirteen
hundred error. were observed. ard ~ = the op'n-
ION q the inspector that all ~" correct entries
IN tho payrnasiers report were un!nten'ional mis-
takes on his part These are exceptions Of course.
as tho greater number = new nnpoint"es have
proved eNlclent an1 successful IN th"'r work
NOT A DOLLAR LOST
The h'n Increasing the Regular Army 20 over
eix,S Thousand men. ori The calls hf ~" Fr"s'-
don, for 10000 and - oo1 volunteers resp"r'iv"r.
uecessi,a'ei iucroat'nz ~" force 'f paFn"S''''
n An arrrcrate - III while tho number - clerks.
,rspeotorz and 90. . assistants las been proper
,ionotoly increased Tho aggregate appf '1riailon'
made hy Congress for ~" payment ~ nom N'tn-