Daily Kennebec Journal

THE NAVY YARDS.

Secretary Whitney Restores Seven Discharged Veterans to the Offices from Which they were Removed.

New York, Oct. 4.

The Veteran Rights Union on the 16th of July last wrote a letter to Secretary Whitney, taking up the case of seven veterans who had been discharged from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, claiming that the ward politicians' demands forced the veterans out of the service, and saying: Can we not ask that you will issue an order to reach every branch of the Navy Department covering the preference which has been promised by law since 1865, and never, even partially, enforced until this organization became a necessity. To the above appeal the following letter has been received:

Navy Department,
Washington, D. C., Sept. 22, 1885.

Gentlemen—Your letter of recent date requesting that due attention be given to the claims of honorably discharged soldiers and sailors for employment and retention in the navy department and yards under its control has been received. In reply I have to say that it will give me pleasure at all times to give preference to those honorably discharged from the military and naval services of the United States either for appointments or to retention in office as the case may be, if equally competent and deserving. The efforts of the Grand Army of the Republic to maintain, in this way, a premium on the patriotism displayed by those honorably discharged soldiers and sailors are commendable and shall have my co-operation. You may rest assured that the fact that a man who is an honorably discharged soldier will not militate against his obtaining employment in any of the establishments under the control of the navy department, but on the contrary the fact will be, as it has been heretofore, considered by me as a recommendation in favor of the applicant for the employment he seeks. I should be glad to have my attention called to any violation of the law with reference to this subject.

Yours respectfully,
W. C. WHITNEY,
Secretary of the Navy.

Secretary Whitney's letter was at once shown to Commodore Chandler, and the seven veterans were immediately reinstated.