Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-27
A A c n ES AND THEl R
TROUBLES.
Why Relief Should Be Given to Lieut.
John S. Hammond.

The claim filed at the war depart
ment for reimbursement of extraordi-
nary expenses involuntarily incurred
by. or, more properly speaking. inn
posed upon, Lieut. John S. Hammond
of the Sd field artillery. while ON duty
as our military attache at Buenos
Ayres again calls attention to a Woe
full deficiency in the proper provision
and adequate protection of army Of
ficers who are assigned to the duty of
representing their country in the capa-
city Of military attache at foreign cap
itals. The war department possesses
no fund from which it may draw
money to meet such Il heavy expense
as that which recently compelled
Lieut.. Hammond to employ his private
resources to the extent of $2725.
While that officer was performing
his duties at Buenos Ayres he was as
signed to additional duty as military
attache at Montevideo Uruguay, and
Santiago, Chill from December l. 1910,
to June >. 1912. This assignment To the
two additional South American CAPT
tails was made at the request of the
American ministers at those places,
and Lieut.. Hammond's duties there
Were performed in addition to his du-
ties in the same capacity mt Buenos
AEres. 1t is also stated that the de-
tails were made without the knowl-
edge or consent of Lieut. Hammond.
who moreover, advised the authorities
that he could not afford TO incur the
heavy expense involved in the new as
signments; but his presence was re-
garded as of Importance in an emer-
gency, as it has been described in the
official comment on the subject The
amount claimed for reimbursement.
probably does not represent all the
money which Lieut.. Hammond ex-
pended in the discharge of his official
duties as military attache at three
South American capitals, but it was
founded on an allowance which is
made by the navy department to naval
attaches, for whose protection there is
inserted annually in the naval appro-
priation act an item upon which there
may be draft for expenses TO the in
dividual limit of $3.50 month. That
sum has evidently been determined
upon as a just allowance although it
may not be in all cases, and probably
is not in some instances, an adequate
ALLOTMENT.
The war department possesses no
such fund. and, so far as the official
correspondence exchanged on this sub
ject shows, there is no intention of in
GLIDING in the army appropriation act
an item for the benefit of military at
taches similar to that in the naval act
nrbN-i 1inp fpr tho .a<t
ses OF naval attaches. The arrange
ment to which one class of officers is
entitled is assuredly, in simple justice,
due to officers of another service en-
gagged on identical duty. # is fairly
well known, of course, that an officer
assigned 10 duty as military or naval
attache must be ready to draw on his
personal resources at any time for the
benefit of his country with little hope
that the expenditure OF his own funds
in any such direction VIII ever be
made good out of the public treasury.
The experience of Lieut. Hammond
has probably been that of many, if not
most, of his associates of the military
naval service who are not assigned to
duty in the diplomatic branch. There
seems to he no good reason. however
why there should be a continuance of
this niggardly policy which makes
such unfair use of the personal pos
sessions of an individual. 1t is not
enough to tell Lieut.. Hammond. as has
been done by the war department. that
his relief is in the direction of special
legislation with all the delays and vex-
atoms of that proceeding; the war de-
partment should combine with the
state department in obtaining the
funds which will reimburse the officer
upon whom has been imposed hard
ship. Those departments should go
further and secure an allowance which
will protect army officers acting as
military attaches abroad to the same
extent as are protected naval officers
who are serving as naval attaches.
The existing condition IS pitiable
form of parsimony and is an intolera-
BILE lack of iustice.-Army and Navy
Register.
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