Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1898-11-23

much of it was never cIalmed at all There was at one time over $500, 900 unclaimed prize money m the treasury at Washington, and possibly there is still, unless it has been confscated by the government owing to the passing of the time limit
 ReaE Admiral Sampson, commanding the fleet in Cuban waters, will of course receive the lions share of the prize money and bounty. He will get about $lOO, 900. Rear Admiral Dewey S9. 900 and Rear Admiral Schley about s, 900. Notwithstanding the latter's important service in destroying Cervera's fleet his share will be less than that of some of the captains in the navy who were cap turing prizes while Schley was confined to Hampton Roads at the beginning of the war.
 While the law remains as it is, it IS idle to argue about the justice or injus- tice of the distribution of prize money and bounty 10 the navy. Though that, and even the principle of the thing, could be criticised, a more obvious objection to the whole system is that 1t discrimi- blNrt AE-a4AAcN AAG Ill AaNAA bA AA4N navy. There is no good reason why the officers and men of the United States navy, who have been under pay for years in time Of peace. should receive prize money in time of war for captur ing or sinking the warships of otL - countries. IT. was obviously their duty Co do 90 just as much ss if ne dU,y of s,a army so fare rha ~f fha Cuban climate al3 >E; St. cts st Santiago. No one & 5ses pr mo ment that the ns would b~' per" q defaulter tO duty. with ,ne 1C- ditionaI spur to acton of ar .i-csed prize money. It s~~ms too much like placing 8 premlr' upon l0yalty snc introducing merct-ary motives wi nobler and disin' -zted Dnes should prevail
 But. leaving L. 1 -ethlC-l se- poets of the subject 'i 4,,-t,on. il is manifcztly n the aIly which, wkethe' i5 l-=.-l equally great or less yaluabl- arvice n the war. ran 2, .! -isk q Ierei i'm measurabl, .nor,. l. loss of li'a in the navy, ,i.ler iron the sUsl .ss of war or from disease. -,as con para -ively slight, while that If the arn -1m those causes was very large he number of men engaged. The .a.-e O. the property taken possession of~by the aymy was enormously greater than that captured or destroyed by the navy, but the soldiers and officers get nothing but honor and their pay, whereas the naval officers and men get all this and large sums of prize and bounty money as well.
 Numbers of men prominent in official life here are opposed to the prize money system, and even some naval officers of high rank. among whom may be includ ed Admiral Erben, would favor its be- ing abolished. Among army officers it may be taken for granted that but few would favor anything which so unfairly places their branch of the service at disadvantage. Already the handwriting may be seen lpou the wall presaging the end of this discriminating favoritism ID behalf of the navy. It is not unlikely that congress may shortly legislate the prize money and bounty section out of the revised statutes, and that long be- fore oar country engages III another war both army and navy will be placed upon an equality, so far as this is concerned.
 In other years matters were more capitalized, and officers and men of the army were permitted to divide what they oaptured on land from the enemy. When nearly all Of the civilized nations concluded pe do away with the custom of oOnfiscating the property of noncom- betsnts found on land, there was noth- ing 10 be divided among the land forces, and the booty t0 soldiers was abolished This was undoubtedly step in the right direction, but while the privileges of the army in this respect were rescinded those of tho navy were left intact. So far as tine morality of it is concerned. there Is no difference between taking possession of the property of noncom- batants on sea or on land. It resolves itself merely into a question of expedi- eDcy rather than one of ethics. The ex- agencies of war are supposed to still de- uaEd that a state shall capture not onlT all the waTships of an enemy. llt als' all tle merchant ships which could ? lieve the hlockadod portsy 1ppli they In.pnr rel lllra
 This custom oI awardi, r ...L-v in the navy nc d1ut @ u- .le practice of pri -riLg. U-"' tt treaty of Paris i 56 ne2 i Jns tiyiIized nations C. lnissione. ll-yo- teers. Rather str zueely. neither the United States n. ain az d to th.s , convention, but ger attempted .y employ such an auxiliary to its navy in the war so recently -7
 During the i8. % thong navies of that lrE much effective than 0u --onoy va, plentiful. Num. -e "iEh of. cers in the ei-i 5Havy c-r.les by tue CaTt- .~aC gle EPe- djtiCn. Co E Cl. -e ms lTl"l, for example. in June I7ss rC- le Spanish galleon N-tra Sign de Cabada1go, which F id on board '-so and bullion valued at S2,Ooo.pD Je- fore he returned to England his lad ron had captured other vessels worth an aggregate Of s8.O0O. 900, and the conmodore's own share amounted to