Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1920-10-22
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Nr. II. i. Werntz Takes Exception To
4 statement Quoted From The
4ToMson Ieff4rsonEans Regarding
Mr.. 0. +. Weller.

| beg leave 10 request suisie3eHt
space iii your columns to dispraYe the
statements contained in an article
lta; appeared u your issue " October
18Th, quoted from another paper, as
follows
70 f Weller tie Republican can
diaate FOR The United States senate.
ii all of his political advertisements
brags about the fact that he Was elu
Gated a the s. Naval Academy
gratis but hositafes 10 state that ne
did not serve day IN the Navy He
studied four years and then played
he part OF a gutter Towson Jef-
fersonisn.
/ cannot imagine that the editor Of
he Evening Capital could be unfair
snougll. II he were acquainted with
he facts, 10 publish such a wrong
statement regarding Mr. Weller. even
or the purpose Of ssccompli fishing par
isan benefit and L goes without say
.ng that The only reason tire said ar
icle originally appeared was for that
purpose
As a matter Of fact. the writer of
his letter was a student Al the Naval
Academy st the same time air Weller
WAS pursuing his course there
know Of The eifieient and honorable
record he made there and also
kaow Of tie great esteem ii which
was. held by his own classmates
lie. other classmoa, and ~ tho Of
leers and Faculty of the Academy
] have before me a Navy publication
which states that Oyington +, Weller
entered the Naval Academy from
Maryland lii 1877 graduated IN 1891
With ali honorable record, served II
sea for two years. and was honorably
discharged on June 90, 1855
Reing familiar With that honorable
discharge ] wish 70 SAY that ii iSS2.
Congress passed i Law reducing the
number OF commissioned officers Of
he Navy That Is. that law Intended
hat vacancies resulting from dea h
or retirement in the higher grades
should noi be filled hy promotion of
juniors until the number of officers
ii each particular grade had fallen
% certain limits For instance, If the
number Of Captains in The Navy mad
been set ty that act al fifty, and the
list Of Captains contained sixty at tire
time the act was passed, no promotion
of Commander was made to the grade
Of Captain until the number OF Cap
aims had fallen to fifty
William r. Chandler was Secretary
u Navy ia 1888 ana when Mi Vel
Ter. after having served wo full wears
al sea. came ug for promotions Mr.
handler took be ground that the
aw os 1881 noi having mentioned ths
grade ot midshipman intended 70 siSo
hem no consideration whatever, did
not class hem as officers. and there
fore ne had nothing else % do than "a
discharge the class honorably'
;rom the service
When the members of that class en-
tered he Naval Academy they signed
contract with The Government 10
serve ii the Navy after graduating
The eontrae period had not lapsod
0hen AIR Chandler 'honorably dis
eharged the class. and It's alembers
brought suit in the United state
Courts for restoration 10 the Navy Oh
,he ground that the secretary of the
Navy had violated the Government s
contract
Litigation ii the Federal Courts is
SLOW and decision was moi reached
until 1885 The Government case VA
st,sbhosnly contested hy lis able at
oreeys. bur the lower Court gave
pms Judgment far the midship
al,a The Government attorneys
ahe} carried the case 70 the United
States supreme Court and the lower
Sourt decision was affirmed thers
unanimously and a mandate was is
sued = the Navy Department I'd place
III graduates OF 1881 on the Navy
asts
Fhree wears had elapsed since their
gradua lien and other classes had
come ~; Of the Academy and taken
tHStIs iuHtBGES III tkfG CsNf4llSSiDn4E
grades The Navy Department mad
aofhing else to do THAN 10 place the
Graduates Of 1851 beneath and below
he three 81 four classes that had
graduated during the period of litiga-
ton and had been placed upon the
Navy iisl by operation Of Law.
The Department also. in its resent
mont al its defeat in the Courts,
stubbornly resisted taking further
action until legislation had been pass
ed in Congress correcting this si;ua-
Siosi so unfortunate ior the class o
1881 There fore. the members ef tina
class were compelled tn introduce a
bill III Congress correeting iho iuius
tiee 70 nifing from the Secretary 81
saYys erroneous original acton
Legislation is likewise SLOW and sew
eral years more went by before Con
gress passed 4 law proYiding
remedy
IT the meantime, the members OF
AIR. Weller's class could not sit down
and wsit four OF five years to be re-