The evening times., 1899-02-23
GENERAL WASi1INGTON
NEWS AND GOSSIP.

NEWS AMI uOSS1F.
The SampsOnISchIey Controversy.
The supporters of Commodore Sampson
in the Navy Depara ment have played what
they believe to be trump card against
Admiral Schley. They have fixed it so
that if Schley is not confirmed as Rear
Admiral before the adjournment of Con-
gress he will be dropped from the rolls OF
the Navy. This condition is brought about
by the promotion of Captain Higginson to
be commodore, vice Schley promoted to
be rear admiral Admiral Schley's place
is it Is claimed, therefore filled and IL he
falls of confirmation TO the higher post 1t
will, it is said, require special act of Con-
gress to restore him to the naval service
Diabolical as the plot may seem it appears
to have been deliberately planned and is
unfortunately in harmony with the gen
eral treatment Admiral Schley has received
at the hands of the Navy Department ever
since he located and destroyed Admiral
Cerveras fleet at Santiago last summer. 1t
will be recalled in this connection that
just before the assembling of Congress in
December that the friends or Admiral
Schley were warned semi officially not to
antagonize the jumping of Sampson over
some facts" might be disclosed that
would not rebound to the credit of Schley.
This warning was unheeded and the Navy
Department subsequently made its threat
good by delivering its wonderful broadslde
against Admiral Schley. The Sampson ring
was not satisfied to let the matter stop
there, however. Anticipating probably the
present situation they arranged TO place
Schley in a position where he would either
10 III, lnUaJ Tr.h
forced out of the navy. Sampson will still
be a commodore if he fails of confirmation
as no one was promoted to be commodore
vice Sampson.
The friends of Admiral Schley do not
believe that he will alter his course II
consequence of the threat to force him
| out of the navy. They believe that he viii
| stand by his guns as he did at Santiago
! The friends of Admiral Schley will be
| heard from on the floor Of the Senate OF
| this subject. There is bound to be- 1t Is
believed, complete exposure of the rea
character Of the plot against Schley
| If, by a chain Of circumstances, as ar
| Administration organ puts 1t, said Sena-
| tor today, Admiral Schley should fine
| himself dropped from the rolls OF the navy
the Administration would be the chief suf-
ferer by it. The unspeakable Eagan i:
| given six years leave with full pay fol
conduct that merited his dismissal from
| the army in disgrace, and now it is pro
posed to reward Admiral Schley for win
| ming one of the most brilliant naval vic,
| tories in the history of the United State!
| by dropping him from the rolls, Do yot
| think that the American people Will tame
! ly submit TO such an outrageous perversioI
| Of justice. If Mr.. Mckinley and the mem
bers of the Navy Department ring thnl
so they have woefully misiudged the TEN
| per Of the people OF this country. We hav,
not seen the end OF this matter yet. Ad
miral Schley has no occasion to get fright
| ened. To use a poker term. let him stano
pat. The American people can be trusted
| TO see that Justice is done him in spite o
| the Vaccinations of the Sampson ring il
the Navy Department"
Old Men in the Departmcnts.-A
the close of the fiscal year, on June 81
next, a great many so-calIed superannuateC
clerks in the Government departments vii
be dismissed from the service. When Sec
retary Lyman j. Gage came into office tive
years ago one OF his first acts was TO ere
ate what was known as 'supernumerary
| roll Employees of the departments wht
| were above siXty-f five or seventy years o
| age were summarily reduced 10 5000 a year
Mr.. Gage stated that he did not have the
heart to turn these old and faithful sery-
ants OF the Government out into the cold
| but he declared that the Government re,
| quired the services of younger men in mos
of the positions held by the veterans. 81
the order was promulgated reducing the
| ancient clerks and placing them practically
| upon new roll. In the majority of cases
| however, the only change the old fellow;
! observed was in the cutting down of theii
| pay; their duties continued 10 be substan-
! TALLY the same as they were before Mr.
| Cages reform was inaugurated. Congress:
| at the present session has refused to sane
| ton the .'supernumerary roll. and STRUCK
| out the appropriation for II; hence at tht
| close of the present fiscal year the persons
| borne on this roll will be dismissed. as they
! cannot be restored TO their former posi-.
| tions. IL is estimated that more than
! thousand veteran clerks Will be affected
| by this change, and in the majority ot
cases, of course. much hardship and suf-
! fering will result. The heads of other
| departments adopted Mr. Cages plan. anC
| in every department there will be a weed
| ing out of the old clerks on the first Of
! July. It is quite pathetic TO hear some o
| the old chaps talk about the fate that i:
awaiting them.
Said an old gentleman who is past eigh,
ty, but still we'll preserved and active, to-
day: Il have been in the Government
service owe: forty years. When Mr.. Gag
issued his order knocking us old fellow;
down was drawing $1,000 year. I wa
put down to $500. and. OF course, had t
stand it. My work was not changed, how
| ever, and my chief of division tells III,
that l am just as good a clerk as l evel
was. / know that l get through with jus
as much work as any clerk in the division
more than many of the younger ones.
don't know what l shall do when l los,
my position. 1 don't suppose it will maxi
much difference to the powers that b.
whether we old fellows live or die, but
is pretty hard on us just the same. No,
have not saved much money-have hat
heavy family expenses all my life. Th
| great majority in my class are in the sam