The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-09-15
MORE ARMY SCANDALS.
Sensational Charges Segarding the
Handling of Supplies.

Orme Cole, until lately an accountant IN the
office of the Quartermaster-G General of the
Army, has made number of very sensa-
tional statements regarding the methods
nrevailine there. The statements are in
the line of confirmation OF suspicious long
entertained with reference TO army contracts
growing out of the war with Spain and in
the Philippines.
On Nav 16 last, after he voluntarily
left the department, Mr.. Cole addressed a
letter to President Mckinley, reciting his
allegations in detail So far as he knows
no notice has ever been taken Of this COM
munication. Mr. Cole says he left the
Ouartermaster- General office because he
could not conscientiously continue in ser
vice where such practices prevailed. Hear
ing nothing from the President he laid the
matter before Senator William Il. Mason,
of Illinois. Mr. Mason addressed a note
to the Secretary of War, assuring him of
his confidence in the truth of the revelations
of Mr.. Cole and requesting the Secretary
to have these allegations answered in detail
from the proper quarter. After an mex
causable delay an answer came to Senator
Mason, which he considered evasive and
irrelevant, and he referred it back to the
Secretary of War, where it is said the
matter still rests.
COLE CHARGES.
Mr.. Cole, in his statements, charges that
the army officers in control in the Quarter
master Generals office are not less incom-
petent than arbitrary. He says they know
nothing whatever about business matters or
the keeping of accounts and resent all offers
of information from the civilian employees.
He charges that in accounts representing
in the aggregate millions of dollars proper
vouchers were not exacted. When he
called the attention of one of the chiefs to
this fact the only reply was; ''ln this
great emergency there are many things we
have to wink at. " Mr.. Cole alleges that
enormous frauds characterize the work OF
buying, renting and fitting up the vessels
for transport duty. He states The
water transportation business, as conducted
in the Quartermaster-Genera office, con-
tains the records of the most shameful
waste and misuse of public funds during
the Spanish War. 1t shows how the
Government has been robbed in different
ways of sums of money as compared with
which the amounts involved in the Cuban
postal frauds are a mere bagatelle, and
brands with deplorable ineompetency the
army officers directly connected with them.
An investigation will show rascality, also
somewhere.
CHARTERED VESSELS STANDING IDLE.
Rented vessels have been kept lying at
San Francisco ready to be turned back to
their owners for weeks, the Government
in the meanwhile paying from $500 to
81, 200 per day for each OF them In
many cases the Government has paid IN
rent a sum larger than the valuation OF the
vessel, which, in many cases, was too high.
Corporations were also allowed to speculate
and make large profits on the day wages
of their laboring men. Proofs OF these
things are matter of record in the War
Department
In his statement Mr. Cole mentions the
names of number of high army officers
whom he charges with responsibility for
these doings. It is said the most crying
evil prevails in the transport service at
Manila. Transports and freight ships are
said to remain at anchor for days and weeks
with no apparent effort at unloading them.
1t is said that thousands of tons of stores
are constantly being condemned sold
for few cents on the dollar to merchants
in Manila, and the same stores are bought
and used by the American colony and the
large hotels Of that city. 1t is said that
upon one occasion 1000 tons of Govern
ment stores were condemned and sold for
song. The same stores were then shipped
to Hongkong and resold to Government
purchasing agent andthen reshipped to Ma
Mia, where they were used by the Govern
ment Mr.. Cole makes various other
statements of a startling nature on this
subject His charges seem to be made
light of at the Quartermaster-General s
Office, but it seems reasonable to suppose
there must be something in them or
Republican United States Senator and
supporter of the Mckinley Administration
would not have taken them up.
COLE S RESPONSIBILITY.
Mr.. Cole is a man of standing and re-
sponsibility He was chief clerk Of the
United States Pension Agency during the
administrations of Presidents Hayes, Car
field and Arthur, and during his incum-
bency of this important position he dis
bursed about $50, 900, 900 without the
loss or ENHANCEMENT of one cent. In
speaking today of these army scandals Mr..
Cole said all his efforts for the protection
of the interests of the Government were
met with either Indifference or rebuke
Upon one occasion, when he had insisted
upon certain accounts being rendered in
proper and legal form, he was called before
Major Ballinger, who was in charge of this
particular work. Mr. Cole said :
"When | entered his room and APP
preached his desk he wheeled around in
his office chair and there was something in
his manner that indicated to me an inyi
tation to sit down in vacant chair that
was there When | bent my body to sit
down he motioned me with an upward
movement of his hand to stand up and
said: I'm tell you when to sit down.
I'll not undertake to describe the effect
this uncalled-for and outrageous indignity
had upon me. =
At this interview Major Ballinger in
formed him he was not responsible for the
methods employed and instructed him to
do as he was told