New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-07
BUREAU AGAINST BUREAU.
ANOTHER PLAIN TALE OF WAR DEPART
MENT METHODS IN CUBA.
CLASHES OF AUTHORITY WHICH RESULTED
IN IMPORTANT WORK HAVING TO BE
DONE OVER AGAIN - THE BU
REAUCRATs OFFENDED.
TBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.

hEAOCHA1S
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUNE.l
Washington. May Ga recent dispatch in The
Tribune giving some particulars of War Depart
ment bureaucracy in Cuba has not been pleasing
to the bureaucrats in the Department. Never
theless. there are additional chapters which
might he given. The American civilian who re-
lated his observations adds few more Illus
trations
Il forgot" he said. about several things but
they have been brought to my mind by my
friends in the Department. who are obJecting
10 these plain tales of how one bureau upsets
another and how one commander ignores every
thing that some other commander does. Dur
ing the whole winter In Cuba / never found a
military officer who was satisfied with what
his predecessor had done. SO his first business
would be 10 upset what had been done, and go
about II In different way
Now, there was the Havana police system.
General F. V. Greene during his temporary and
provisional term had started to organize the
police foyce after American methods. Well, of
course. when General Ludlow came in there
had to be a lot OF changes. Just as General Lee
had to change the camp sites Then there
were the street-cleanng experiments and the
sanitary regulations Ali this had to be done
over again on a different basis. General Ludlow
has been doing remarkably well. and is en-
titled to much credit but suppose he would
say that he wouldn't have done so we'll II he
hadn't got some bureau permission to upset
what had been done before him and follow his
own plans.
COLONEL BLISS AND THE CUSTOM HOUSE.
And that reminds me- as the storyteller says,
of the way Colonel Tasker II. Bliss got that old
Spanish custom house put in shape so 1t was
"a, faka oil hrao Of a
without inhang the foul atmosphere You
know. the custom-house Is a building about
two hundred years old The Spaniards never
paid the slightest attention TO hygienic sani-
tary arrangements for II. The first thing Colo
mel Bliss did on taking possession of the office
as collector OF customs TO clean up. He
started in by ordering some plumbing and other
urgent sanitary improvements. The first thing
he knew he was up against some engineering or
medical board or something Of that sort. say
up against In a coloquial sense, for Colonel
Bliss didn't stay stationary long. believe he
talked some vigorous talk about interference
by other branches Of the Army with what was
not their business. Anyhow he had the custom
house put in sanitary condition. My recollec-
tion In that there was some correspondence at
the time in which General Ludlow and Colonel
Bliss and everybody else exchanged their most
distinguished consideration for one another and
rassured the bures rats In Washing oB that
there was no friction But as I remarked be-
fore Colonel Bliss got the custom house put in
sanitary condition.
LUMBER TIED WITH RED TAPE.
"Did you ever hear about the lumber that
came floating into Havana HarborY We'll, IL
seems that some one Of the numerous Boards
had contracted for the lumber which would be
needed for building barracks for the American
troops and for other purposes. one day ship
load arrived. | am not whether 1t was
consigned to the Evacuation Commission, to
Governor General Brooke. 10 General Fftzhugh
Lee or to General Ludlow Anyhow. there were
none Of those military officials who had power
to receive 1t. The agent was in a sweat be-
cause after twenty-four hours 1t would be sub
ject to port dues fines and a number OF other
things. Nobody in Havana could give him any
relief. and he had lot OF trouble cabling to the
bureaus in Washington without satisfaction
My recollection is that the officials Of the port
finally winked at his towing it out OF the har-
Dor into midocean. where II was cheaper to ST
the cargo adrift than to pay the fines, duties,
etc. which could be legally charged upon 1t. be-
cause the particular Bureau or Board which
had ordered It was unable 70 help out In the
dilemma.
Then there was another case showing the
beauties Of red tape when tied around lumber.
Though the contracts had been made with the
sawmills of the United States for all the lumber
that would be needed for the Army in Cuba. IL
developed that this did not apply to public
works and sanitary improvements under the IL
rection Of the American military authority. 7 he
engineering officers in Havana, who were clef m
ing up and doing other necessary things, needed
lumber. The Havana dealers had corner on
all the lumber that was coming. except what
was owned by the United States Government.
The Havana military administration not in
cuded. apparently, I'm the United States Gov
ernment. for II was buying lumber at S33 a thou
sand when lumber was worth about Sl4 thou
sand. and, ] suppose. bought for that or for
less by the bureau or Board which had made the
contract with the sawmills
"One day Nova Scotia skipper came into
port with a cargo Of lumber He was not In
the trust formed by the Havana dealers and
he could find no purchasers. He thought he
might have a chance to sell to the military u
thorties The officer who was in charge OF the
no power to buy IT from this Nova Scotia skip
per- who was willing to sell at S14 thousand. in
stead OF at the S33 a thousand which the Havana
dealers demanding and getting. l think
he laid the situation before the bureaucrats.
who told him nothing could be done. and nothing
would have been done II General Ludlow
somebody else holding high command had not
come along and ordered the purchase to be made
without regard TO the bureaucratic regulations.
There were lot OF instances OF the same
kind which to my mind went to show that the
internal organization OF the War Department
might really he modified without endangerlng
the liberties OF the American people"
SUFFERTNGS or SPANISH SOLDIERS.