Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1914-01-27
PLUCK|NC BOARD
ON NAVY SCORED
Efficient Officers Retired on PEN
siOns TO Create Promotions
for Favorites.
PRACTICES ARE DENOUNCED.
Geolg is Representatives Cites Gases
Where Capable Men Are 0usied
Abolition is Demanded.

representatives. TIibble and Howard,
both of Georgia, aroused the House
TO admiration for southern ofstory by
demanding in no uncertain tones that
the board should be abolished.
at is an outrage on the taxpayers
of the country to take officers out of
the service and place them on a life
salary averaging $4,000 a year, f"
said Repre- sentative Tribble. He re-
ferred at length to the pluckiug of
Captain Potts and Captain Chambers.
"A swiveled chair admiralty" de-
clared Representative Howard dealt
with gross Injustice in the case of
Ii cut. Commander Burt. rhe pluck
ing board and "its twin brother, vol.
untary retirement, said Representa-
tive Tribble, take thirty or forty off,
GERS every year from the service, few
of whom are more than fifty years
old.
Although il costs ths United States
SIS, 600 to educate an officer at the
Naval Academy and the government
is entitled to their services, said
Representative Tribble, "yet hum
dreds of officers, some OF them less
than thirty years old, vigorous and
anxious to serve, have been retired
by the plucking board for no other
reason than TO promote other officers.
Spt sking of the comparatively re.
cent case of Captain Potts, he said
Recently he was taken jut Of the
service by the board. lie was aid to
the Secretary. In every step of his
career his record was perfect. He
was in line tor promotion to rear ad-
miral The Secretary decids I'd that
he needed more sea service. The
plucking board, in order to get rid OF
him and promote hundreds of Others
in line, took him out of the service
and retired him to private life on
salary of $4,1 Now is there
man On the floor of this House who
will rise in his place and tell me that
Captain Potts is not capable of filling
some useful position in the navyf"
is it not true, asked Represen.
tative Gardner, of Msssa chusetts,
"that il was the Secretary Of til,
Navy's deliberate action in telling
the plucking board that Captain Potts
came within their jurisdiction thai
brought him into that unfortunat,
pre- dIcament that the gentleman hai
just stated7"
al will say this, T" replied Mr.. Trib.
BILE, THAT if you can get anythint
out of the navy or out of its officers,
and any information from any sourc
in that crowd, would like to know
where you got it. / have tried il
and have not been able to get it.
Representative Bryan, of Washing
ton, paid compliment to the sbili
ties of Captain Potts.
"Other people have been retired OF
salary of SIS, 000." Representative
Tribble continued. THE people of
the country pay these taxes. Is IL
right that we should sit down here
and allow these things to go on and
never protest against them7 Let me
| call your attention to this fact, that
| the same plucking board that retired
CAPTAIN Potts also retired Captain
| Chambers. am not going to run the
risk of making any mistakes in tn,
record, because il did these officers.
of course, would come on the floor Il
this House, through some one, a.
show that ! had falsified the record
But here is the record.
Captain Chambers is retired on =
salary of $A,125. Listen: He
forty-five years old, and one Of the
very best aviators. He had charge ui
the aviation station of the govern.
ment and the government is Il onls
entitled to his expert knowledge, bul
needs him very badly for this posi-
ton. Still he is plucked to satisfy
the demands Of the plucking board
He is retired, and another officer /.
promoted and takes the salary OF
So, 900. ! will never get through
with the plucking board, so far as
am concerned, on the floor Of this
House until il is abolished.
81 call attention to another mar
that the plueking board recent,
plucked- Commander Norton VIII
was relieved on a salary Of $4,000
per anuum. He was relieved becaus,
he was of small ststure-too small 1,
be a commander. Therefore he Il
plucked by the retirement board 81,
the people. of the country are burden
ed with another salary during his a
tursl life and new officer is az
pointed TO fill bis place in the tcrped.
station at salary of $1,000. VIII,
not leave him TO that torpedo sta
ton? He was the best MAJ in IN
United States for it. ] challeng,
the department to produce snothe
man in the United States who wodll
fiji that position as well as Captaii
Njrton did.
"Now / will take up the fouril
man whom they have plucked
want to be fair with this House sn
want to be fair with the naval con
mittee. Above all, want TO be fai
with the taxpayers of the coungr
and with the people of my district
The next man is Captain Stone. H