Evening star., 1898-06-13
R ETIRED FICERS
Difference in War and Navy Policies Regard.
ing Them.
The Former Ignores Experience-Old
Army Officers Could Be Used
With Great Effect.

Discretion worthy of diplomats guards
the utterances of the men in the army and
navy VIXEN publicly considering the policies
which are directing their respective
branches of the service, but when they are
together in some cozy corner of a club,
they are very apt to speak their minds to
receptive ears which they believe belong
to possessors of tincommunicative DISPOSE
tions. There are Il few of them, however,
who do not pursue this confidential course,
and one of these, retired army officer
indulged last night In contrasting the policy
Of the War Department with that Of the
Navy Department in some very important
particulars. when hostilities became i'm
minent by reason of the blowing up of the
Maine" he remarked, the officers on the
retired list of the army, the navy and the
marine corps, almost without exception,
rendered their services to the government
in case they were needed when war ac-
tually began. None of them was inspired
by any otker than the highest motives. 1t
was not question of pay with them. as
they We're already receiving three-quarters
of the active pay attached to their rank,
and it was not question of position.
When war began, what was done?
THE Navy Department eagerly accepted
the offers Of It's retired officers to help in
the emergency, and all those, or nearly ALL
physically able were given duty mostly in
executive capacities on shore duty.
The Case of Commander Drice.
II could mention many individual in
stances Of this, continued the veteran,
"but one will suffice to point the moral In
Washington, because the officer in question
is widely known here. l refer to Com
rlander John j. Brice who is a retired ma
val officer, and was until recently United
States fish commissioner. His proffer to
do active duty was accepted and he is now
in command of the Mare Island navy yard
at San Francisco.
"Well, what has been the policy Of the
War Department regarding the offers of re-
tired officers? They have not only been ig-
ncred but have been absolutely insulted.
In countless instances their offers have not
even received an acknowledgment and
when some of them have called at the Office
of the adjutant general they have been
curtly told that they were not wanted and
that affairs could be managed abundantly
well without them. This is not fiction, un-
fortunately, but fact.
A Serious State of Affairs.
What is the result?' he continued
''The positions in the army which could
have been easily filled by soldiers of ex-
perience have been given to the inexperi-
ebCed and in numerous cases the notorious
ly incompetent. All the regular troops
have been taken from the army posts out
west and elsewhere, and one or two off,
GERS. who are chatting to be with their COM
mands, have been left in charge with
ccrporars guard Of men. All these places
could have been and would have been
gladly filled by retired army officers mad
they been given the chance They did not
ask for rank; they simply offered them
selves to Uncle Sam, to be placed where
they might be of the most SERVICE"