The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-07-02
OFFICERS
FORCED TO RETIRE
Several Captains With Distin-
guished Records Chosen by
"Plucking Board"
DANIELS FOR REPEAL OF LAW
Absolutely Nothing in Records Of
These Men to Show They Are
Not Fitted for Service.

Washington, July Fifteen naval
officers. several of them captains. with
distinguished records, ended their ac-
tive careers to-day. upon the recon-
mendation of the dreaded "plucking
board" Secretary Daniels made pub
lie the names of those selected for
compulsory retirement this year. with
Il formal announcement that he cx-
pectcd to ask FOR the repeal OF the law
OF 1893, under which the annual
"pluckins'' Is done
OFFICERS RETIRED
IN ANNUAL PLUCKING
The officers retired. with their pres
ent stations. follow:
+ Captain John II. Gibbons. command
ing battleship Utah
Captain Frank NJ Kellogg. com
manding battleship North Carolina.
Captain John &. Leonard. command
ing battlcShip Virginia.
Captain Frank X. Hill. Army War
College. Washington. -. c.
Captain George Il. Evans. command
ing battleship Nebraska.
Commander George " Hayward
Collier Hannibal.
Commander John T.. Patton. COM
inanding battleship Tennessee and re-
ceiving snip at New York
Commander Provost Babin. en- route
10 United States from Asiatic station.
Commander William :. Whittcd, in
spcctor Cramp Shpyard. Philadelphia.
Lieutenant Commander Walter NJ.
F'alconer, collier Leonidas
Lieutenant Commander Ulysses s.
Mayer. in charge of navy recruiting
station. Philadelphia.
uccnant-Commander Carlton r.
Kear. gunboat Elcano.
t., -.
SchOenfeld. battleship Minnesota.
Lieutenant Franklin w. Osburn, Jr..
gunboat Castine.
Lieutenant William j. Moses. cruiser
Raleigh.
PUT ON RETIRED LIST
At TiIEII; OWN REaUES1
Secretary Daniels announced these
officers had heen placed OH the re-
tired list at their own request:
Captain Harrison y. BispaU, navy
yard, philadelphia.
Commander Emmett X. Pollock. bat
tlcship NerEiont.
Comma nder Irwin V. G. Gillis. battle
Commander Raymond Stone, battle
ship -New Jersey.
Commander Simon p. FuIlinwider
bat'leship Connecticut
Comma nder Edwin H. De Lany
y number OF other officers had asked
the applications been accepted the
board would have been relieved of the
necessity of "plucking." The law re-
quircs the creation of forty vacancies
annually. with fifteen compulsory re-
tirc'ncnts If necessary.
Included in the list OF "plucked" this
year are the names of some officers
who have been so prominent I'm naval
circles rs To cause great surprise
among their colleagues ut their re-
urcment.
NOTHING IN RECORDS
fO SHOW OFFICERS UNFIT
Secretary Daniels explained there
was absolutely nothing on the records
OF any OF these officers to show that
they were not fitted for any naval ser
vice in the matter of habit. tempera-
inent and professional ability. He
pointed out that plucking law had
some time ago resulted in the elimi-
nation from the navy OF the officers
who were palpably disqualified. but
nov the naval lists were in such shane
;hat the board was confronted with
the task of determining, not who was
nnht TO be retained in the service
but rather who could best be spared
out OF the list of thoroughly compe
tent officers.