The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LO N DON, WEDNESDAY EVEN ING MAlt

the profession, and that that fact was a source of much
evil. But it had also been said that the officer who pur-
chased his commission served almost for nothing, as his
pay was little more than interest for his m ney. That was
the evidence of the Duke of Wellington, who said that.
three-fourths of the British officers had little more reward
than the honour of serving. Now it seemed to him (Lord
Goderich) anything but sound policy that our officers
should serve ter nothing, because under each a system each
officer acquired a vested interest which you could neither
deny nor reject, and which was sure to be ureed when any
innovating alteration was proposed. He could show that be
had not gratuitously inferred the possibility of this dan-
ger, for he held in his hand a document with the appear-
ance of which many members of that house were no doubt
familiar—he meant, the memorial of the Brigade of Guards.
He was not about to enter into the prayer of that me-
morial, although, in his opinion, the course pursued by
the Government in the matter was justifiable, but to
use it as showing that this claim of vested rights
had already been put foward. (The noble lord here read an
extract from the memorial, in which the memorialists urged
their vested rights by purchase of captaincies in the Guards
to celonelcies before the officers of the line, and complained
that the Government warrant involved a'breach of faith.)
Now what he asserted was that is no ether army would
officers be found asserting a breach of faith under such
circumstances. He thought that in thus giving your
officers a pecuniary interest in their commissions you put
yourself in reference to them in a mast undesirableposition,
and which might lead to very serious consequences. Be-
sides, the house should recollect that the system of purchase
involved no saving to the country, the pay being the same,,
purchase or no purchase. Purchase was also a bar to im-
provement in the army, as it precluded the necessity of
educa'ion to a certain extent, so that the introduction of
a sound system of military education would, he be-
lieved, be now a very critical experiment. That the pre-
lint system was defective was proved by the evidence of
Sir Howard Douglas, who had deposed before a committee
of that house that the standard of education for our young
officers was mischievously low, and that the examination
was ridiculously trivial. He had, therefore, the authority
of a distinguished general for saying that the educational
standard in the army was deficient ; and surely, in the
present age, it was of peculiar importance to pay attention
to those questions of military education. If we looked at
foreign countries we found that many were making great
strides ; and at home we should recollect what rapid pro-
gress was being made with the general education of the
people. At a time when the education of those classes of
the people from which private soldiers were chosen was so
rapidly advancing, it would not do to have these who com-
manded them their inferiors in general knowle ige. (Hear.)
Other countries were not so backward in this matter as
we were. In 1851 the King of Prussia issued an ordi-
nance, the preamble of which gave as a reason for a sispis
rior education of the officers the great spread and advance
of education in the great body of the people. The hon.
Under. Secretary of War seemed to think that if they abo-
lished purchase in the army there was no alternative but
seniority ; but ho could assure him that those who advo-
cated the abolition had no notion of substituting a pure
seniority. The present system gave us generals of 70 and
captains of 13 ; but it might be changed so as to give us
commanders iu the vigour of their age. There was one
argument in favour of purchase, and which, he believed,
was the favourite one at The Horse Guards, namely, that
everything should,be done to prevent poor men becoming
officers in the army. Before the committee the hon. member
who was supposed to represent the Horse Guards asked
many questions to show that the army was not fit for a
poor man. On that point the opinion of Sir H. Douglas
was, that the difficulty of living in the army for men of
limited means was no reason why they should be excluded,
if qualified, or whytho country should be deprived of their
talents ; anti that gallant officer asked if that rule wore to
prevail how would it ba with the private soldiers who were
working their way to commissions, under the pledge given
at their enlistment, and who most be still more destitute ?
Sir H. Douglas distinctly stated that it would' be unjust to
adopt any system which weuld exclude officers or privates
from their fair chance of promotion. The noble lord at the
head of the Governeneethad held out hopes that the system
adopted by the right hon. member for Wilts (Mr. S. Her-
bert), when in the War-of se, would be continued; but he
regrettel to say that since that right hon. gentleman lift
the Government, ranch less had been done in that direction
than before. He believed the system of
,purchase inter-
fered materially with recruiting for tho army, and nar-
rowed the circle from whence recruits could be drawn. It
was complained that the class of men who enlisted was not
generally that from whom officers could be selected, and
yet those who made that complaint advocated a system
which prevented men of a superior class entering the army.
To show the necessity of some improvement in the rela-
tions between the officers and men, and in the qualification
of the subalterns, the noble lordreferred to a memorandum
of the late Duke of Wellington, in which he stated that
the duty of the subaltern officer was generally performed
by the sergeant; and that the captain, however gallant in
the field, was seldom able to discipline his company, but
was obliged to rely on the non-commissioned officers.
In the French army one-third of the sub-lieutenancies
were nominated by the commanders of the regiments,
and two-thirds were selected from the students of the mili-
tary schools; and the promotion to the higher ranks went
one half by seniority, and the other half by selection. In
the Sardinian army, which had been reorganised by Gen.
alarinora subsequent to the war with Austria in 1818, no
person could. be admitted to the rank of officer unless he had
served two years, es a lion-commissioned officer, or had
passed an examination. One-third of the sub-lieutenancies
were given upon the nominatien of the commanding officers
and after that the promotions proceeded upon the rule of ,
ens-third by choice and two-thirds by, seniority—all ranks,
however, having to undergo a rigid examination. In Russia
no man could enter the army as an officer unless he had
been a cadet for a certain time inn nailitary school, of which
there was one attached to the head-quarters of every regi-
ment, and passed an examination. It had been urged by
the ajvocates of the system of purchase that those who
would abolish it desired to confiscate the property of those
officers who had bought their commissions. But the ho-
nourable and gallant general hail shown that the whole
value of the commissions in the army was under 8,003,000/.
He (Lord Go.lerich) calculated it at 7,000,0001. and a few
thousands ; but from that must bo deducted the valve of
the commissions which had been given without purchase,
and which might be taken at two millions, which would
reduce the value of the bought commissions to something
between five and six `millions. That would bo the whole
arnoun, involved ; anti that, or even the whole, eight mil-
lions, the country would surely not grudge for the benefit
which it would derive from the ostablishthent of a system
that won!d provide at all times a sufficient body of well-
qualified officers for the army. The hon. Under Secretary
(Mr. Peel) had more than once taunted those who brought
forward propositions like that now under consideration
With having suggested no substitute for the system they
would abolish. He would suggest a system which should
combine seniority and merit, a system similar to that
which prevailed in she Sardinian army, and which should
ensure that every commissioned, officer who entered
the army should be well educated anti fitted for his duties,
which should ensure to him a fair chance of promotion,
anti should encourage instead of discourage si udy. The
noble lord (Palmerston), when a motion was brought for-
ward on this subject on a former occasion, asked,'" What
is merit ?' and replying to his own question said, "Merit
is the opinion which one nein may form of an ether, an
opinion which is sure to be disputed by many o hers, and
denied by every unsuccessful candidata. ' He differed from
the noble lord. He believed that merit was not opinion,
but fact. (Hear.) Ie prom sting for merit it was not ex-
pected that the minister who promoted was to please every-
body—that was impossible; but what wtts required was that
those iu whose hands the selection rested, being, men of
ability and merit themselves, should appoint the fittest
and boat qualified men they could find in every public
situation. If that principle ware pursued honest:y
and fairly by the G,vernment, though they might be
subjected to the anger of disappointed ,mediocrity,
they would be supported by the voice of the coun-
try generally. After referring to the , defects of our
military system as exhibited in the proceedings of the pre-
sent war, he observed that the smallness of-our army made
it the snore necessary to counterbalance the paucity of
numbers by greater efficiency in all ranks. To maintain
-that equality with the great military nations of Europe
which we asserted, we must lay to heart and profit by the
lessons which the war had taught us; we must make our
army efficient, and for !alit purpose we must above all
things provide a hotly of officers not only ready to face any
danger that the call of duty might place before them, but
officers thoroughly educated and trained to the profession,
and devoted to it heart and soul, which they could only
do by making merit the only path to promotion and
honour.

Mr. MICE (Coventry) hoped the house would be
cautious iu taking any step upon this question, at the
sate time that he thought they ought not to refuse the in-
quiry, 'considering the feelin7 that was abroad upon this
subject. The money part of the question was the least
part of the difficulty ; for if the. nation were once fully
satisfied that the abolition of the system of purchase was
injurious, they would not grudge any amount of money
that might be required to abolish it.

Sir J. FITZGERALD supported the existing system.
Mr. PEEL said that however much the consideration
for and against the proposal male for the abolition of pur-
chase in the army appeared to be balanced in the mind of
the bon, member (llr. Ellice), he had admitted the ques-
was one on which much might be said on both sides, and
it was because he was.of opinion that mach might be said
against the present proposal; he trusted-the• herase would
give him a bearing. It appeared to him that the gallant
general who had moved for the committee bad made one
suggestion which he (Mr. Peel) thought was hardly worthy
of him, and that was his appeal to a right hon. gentle-
man who was not in the house, and to his party, to
give him their support, on the ground that it might be
beneficial to them at a future election ; but he (Mr.
Peel) hal no doubt that this question would be discus e
and disposed of without any regard to such selfish and in-
dividual considerations, and accordiug to their sober view
and judgment of what was best both for the public interests
of the country and the army also. He did not mean to
urge that the system of purchase in the army was a system
which, in theory, could be regarded as free from objec-
tion. Ho admitted that if a new corps were to be esta-
blished the system of purchase would form no part of its
arrangement, but that its regimental appointments would
be like those of the Land Transport Corps without pur-
chase, and when called upon to resign they would have to
do so without receiving an equivalent. (Hear.) And if
the army could be disbanded to-day and reorganised to-
morrow, no doubt it would make its reappearance without
the aid of the purchase system. (Hear, hear:) It must,
however, be borne in mind that the army had now been
established for 150 years, and the purchase system had been
co-existent with it, and ho did not believe that such
a system could have existed so long without having to
a considerable extent caused the service generally to ac-
commolate itself to its existence, so as not to be so easily
displaced as sonic gentlemen imagined; and, furthermore,
that it could not have existed for so long a time without
bringing to light certain advantages that would bo found
more than sufficient to counterbalance any disadvantages
or drawbacks that had been alleged against it. Those who
came forward with a desire to upset the present system
ought to be able to prove, first, that there were evils in it,
and next, to he able to submit to the consideration of the
house and country a remedy as plausible and prima facie
acceptelele as would jnstify it being submitted to the consi-
deration of a committee of that house. The noble lord who
seconded the motion had endeavoured to show that the pre-
sent system was injurious to those officers of the army who
purchased their cornine\sions, and that they were in no
better position than those who were deprived of the inte-
rest of money with which to invest in such commission.
That undoubtedly was the case for a man who entered the
army with a do-ire of becoming as speedily as possible a
colonel, or a general officer, and thereby obtain responsibi-
lity greater and quicker than he could obtain in private
life, or follow ing any of the civil professions of the count ry,
but it was not so with regent to purchasers generally. The
heartbnrnings and disippointments that were spoken of as
existing new would exist under the system proposed, from
persons being passed over the heads of others, onaccouut of
the officer so passed over folipg jealous at )41 talents and

ability being considered interier to the officer premeted.
But the gustiest was, whether or not the system of pur-
I chase now adopted was mores(' vantageons for proinotien
i those who purchased than to those who did not prireheee.
He contended that this Rptent indirectly benefited
the non-pureheetng blisee because when a commission
exchanged hands, and another succeeded to it, the officer
who went out, went oat probably at the top of the list,
whilst the officer coming is, instead of stepping into
• the shoes of the retiring officer, had to go to the but' um
• of the list, and consequently that pushed every officer
above him, including the non-purchasing offieer, on a step.
He aid not think that by abolishing the present system
that any advantage would be gained, nor would they change
„the class of, men who composed the officers of the line. lie
thought it an advantage to the army that gentlemanly tone
of feeling which was given to it by the commission being
filled by members of the aristocracy and the wealthy classes
of the country—(hear, hear)—and in proof of this asser-
tion, that were they to abolish promotion by purchase the
commissions in the army would continue to be held mostly
. by the same class as at present, ho referred to the Ord-
, fleece Corps, where promotion was by seniority and merit.
(Hear, hear.) An hon. gentleman had said that the teem-
( bars of the Ordnance Corps were a better military educated
class of men than most of the line, which probably was the,
case, and which arose from the education necessary they
should possess in order that they might pass their exarni-
nationsprevious to obtaining theirappeintmente, and which
he considered entailed as much expense upon the officers
of that corps as did the purchase of a commission in the
line. (Hear.) Complaints had been made that the Go-
, vernment had not carried out the suggestions of the right
hen. gentleman the member for Wiltshire, with reference
to the management of the army. Had the noble lord who
made that complaint examined the estimates that had been
laid upon the table he would have seen that the expense of
outfits had been included in them for the promotion of 150
non-commissioned officers in the line during the year 1855,
in addition to those in the Artillery, the Land Transport
Corps, -and the Turkish Contingent, at present in the pay
of this country. The noble lord had also considered that
a certain amount of military education should be necessary
before a gentleman should be allowed to purchase a com-
mission. At present that was provided against as much as
possible, because no one could become a captain until after
two years' service, or a field officer until after six years'
service, and which was so arLitrarily acted up to that in
no case was it allowed to be set aside. Hon. gentlemen
had spoken a great deal on 'the new method of promotion
which they recommended, but the most important ques-
tion for consideration was what was to be the system for
retirement. The army was different from other profes-
sions. It was not a profession into 'which any person could
enter, but it was is close profession, into which me man
could not enter until another had retired, so that retire-
ment was the moans of outlet, and which had to be pro-
vided for. Re thought the most important part of the
question was the system of retirement. In the Ordnance
Corps the system of promotion was by seniority, and al-
though the effect of a long peace was to encumber the
ranks with a large number of old officers, a state of war
soon brought about a different result. At the breaking out
of the French war the number of mon in the artillery was
9,000, and the, offi tars were old seen ' • during the course
of that war the number had been raised to 26,000 men, a
number efenew appointments were given away, and to-
wards the close of the war the age of the lieut.-colonels did
not average more than forty years. When the Ordnance
Corps was reduced, when the officers were placed on half-
pay, when it was necessary by the system of promotion to
bring in men from half-pay, the result was, as was stated
by the commission of le4o, that the officers were nearly
superannuated. To get rid of those old officers the retired
list was instituted, and what was the result? The number
of the array was about 200,00) man,
thst of the Ordnance
corps 20,000. The retired full-pay list of the Ordnance
corps amounted to eight times as much as that of the whole
of the reetainder of the army. If the system of purchase
were done away with it would be necessary to have a full-
nay retired list for the infantry of the line at a cost of not
less than half a million oeyear. Then, again, if an infantry
officer desired to return after a few years' service, he did
so by the sale of his commission, without any expense to
the country ; while, in many cases, an artillery officer had
to receive permission to retire on half-pay after only six
or seven years' sh•vice. He beloved that some miscon-
ception existed with regard to the system of purchase in
the army. It was, in reality, co tfined to a much
more limited extent than was generally supposed, and did
not materially affect the advaecenent of deserving officers
to positions of trust and responsibility. Up be the rank of
elatain regimental commissions might be obtained, but
beyond that rank the sestem of purchsse might be practi-
celly disregarded its retar Hug further advancement., while
beyond the rank of lieutenant-colonel porch Ise did not
exist. Then on the sear a mointments were given for no
money consideration whatever ; they were given upon
grounds ef merit. (Cries of " Oh, oh," and laughter.)
There were three systems of promotion —viz., by purchase,
by seniority, and by distinction. He cart duly did nut
give the preference to prometiou by seniority ; he knew
the &feet th t it wo ild have on the line. There would be
officers 20 years older than they were then, were the system
of I-eyelet. aoolished ; and he believed that when officers
arrived at the rank of colonels they would have an average
of 45 years to show. He woulo Venture to say, with refe-
rence to staff appointments, that he did not think that,
during the two years the army had been in the Crimea
the Horse Guards had filled up a single staff appointment
by favour. He thought the advantages of the system of
purchase more than counterbalanced the disadvantages ;
the money value of commissions amounted to between 7
and S millions, and he should consider it a wasteful ex-
penditure of the public money to apply this large amount
to abolishing a system which, in his opinion, would be re
placed by something inferior. • He thought the nature of
the purchase of a commission had not been clearly kept in
view ; it was in point of fact nothing more than an invest-
ment made when an officer entered the service, and which
he withdrew when he quitted that service ; it was merely a
species of caution money. There had been a large increase
in the numberof commissionsgranted withoutpurchasesince
the commencement of the present war, in consequence of 50
regiments having been placed on the war establishment,
and because, in all the newly-organised corps, the system
of purchase had not been recognised. As a consequence,
when those corps were reduced, the officers would be
obliged to retire without affecting officers whose commis-
sions had been perch-iced. The noble lord who seconded
the motion had stated that the system of purchase had
broken down, He (Hr. F. Peel) could assure him this was
not the case—they had had mere applications for commis-
sions since the war broke out than they had vecancies to
fill up. There was not a single commission by purchase
which was not filled up. He did not think, therefore,
that the house should adopt the proposition of the hoe.
and gallant general for an inquiry into that question.
Lord STANLEY supported the propriety of instituting
an inquiry. The feelings of the public were in favour of a
complete reform in all matters connected with the army.
If that occasion, when the glory and distresses of the late
war wore fresh iu the memory of all, was allowed to pass
the events in the Crimea would bo quetod as precedeets
for the future, as those of the Peninsular war had been,
and would be given as reasons for maintaining the systemic
intact. What was the testimony of all other nations with
respect to the system of purchase in the army ? Was there
a single civilised country in the world in which it wa
practised ? Not ode. There was a kindred abuse in- thi

country, viz., the system of purchasing livings in the
Church, which unfortunately mild not be so easily dealt
with as the army abuse, because the presentations were
mostly in private families. The system of purchase in tlif
army was condemned by the example of the civil service
and by that of the navy. It was essentially an anomaly,
departure from that rule which was acknowledged to be
binding in every other cas.), that entrance to promotion iv
the public service should be contingent on ability au,
merit. He could only remember one parallel case that hail
existed in France before the Revolution, when ju,lioh,
offices wore disposed of on the purchase system. tie die
think that the evils which seemed to be apprehended on a
change of thie system would take •place. With respect
to th difficulty of getting lid of old 'officers, to which
the honourable gentleman the Under Secretary for
War had alluded, he (Lord Stanley) could not see
any moire difficulty than of dispesing of old servants in
the civil service ? Was not the system of superannuatich
appliceble to the army? There was a system adopted ii
some of the continental armies which very effectively put
a stop to the active lists being occupied by veterans. If an
officer did not, obtain a certain military rank by a certaie
ago, he was not eligible to fill that rank of retaining tn,
gra le which he occupied, but his ch Ince of promo ion was
ended. The rule might appear a little harsh, but if there
must ba a choice made between two systems,
it, was better
to ta,les th it which operated fairly between man and man
than to continue one that based promotion on the most
unsuitable and most invidious of all grounds, that of per
sonal wealth. The army might be'efficient, but that wa.,
no reason why it should not be reformed ; the same argu-
ment was used in every similar case; it has been used iu
relation, to university reform and to law reform, still both
those reforms were carried. If they were to take the
opinion of the working of the army, of the men who had
had the best opportunity of judging of whet wore the re-
quirements of the service, he believed that they would
unite with the general public in condemning the system
of purchase as an excrescence on the militag of the 4:01111-
. . . _

try which ought to be got rid of. He firmly believed that
if a committee of inquiry were appointed, and the opinion
of the ablest officers taken and acted on, that in five years
the purchase system would cease to exist.
Mr. RICH would support the motion of the hon. and
gallant general: He thought a system which hail been re.-
.pudiated by all kreigu natious, and by ourselves in every
other ewe, could not require much argument to be proved
unsound.

Colonel LINDSAX complained that the supporters of
the motion had offered no practical substitute for the sys-
tem of purchase; consistent with the efficiency of the army.
He h,•id that the present system led to officers obtaining
field rank more r,pidly, and also that it prevented jobbery
or obtaining promotion by interest. As to promotion from
the ranks, he was much iu favour of it, but he believed it,
was not very popular with the non-commissioned officers ;
and the reason was plain—that the pay was not sufficient
for their .support. He would oppose the motion, because
he was satisfied that, the present system gave physical effi-
ciency, and with proper precaution, ho thought, it would
secure mental efficiency, too.

Mr. HEADLIIII referred to the promise made by the
Government laat year, that officers should have the option
of leaving their families the value of their commission,. if
they fell in action, or the usual pension. For a long Utile
this promise wan not kept at all, and now that something
had been done, the regulations required the fa,milies of
officers, before they could take advantage of them, to go
through a process so humiliating that hundreds would
rather want the boon altogether.
Colonel NORTH also complained of the regulations of
the warrant, which he considered little better than a de-

lusion upon the otficerq.
Mr. M. MILNES was favourable to inquiry ; but be
did not think a co►nmittee of this house was the proper
tribunal. He would suggest, as a preferable alternative,
that a commission composed of civil and military men
should be appointed for the purpose. He did not believe
that the abolition of purchase would make the army less
aristocratic than at present, except that it would exclude
a number of young men who at present entered the army
without any view to a profession. But the same result, he
believed, would be effected by a strict system of exami-
natim.

Colonel S. ADAIR was also in favour of the principle of
the motion, though he preferred a commission rather than
a select committee.'

Mr. S. HERBERT said he felt the difficulties of this
question not less than the hon. member for Coventry, pro-
bably from the same reason, that he had much connection
with the question. (Hear.) One benefit of inpAry would
bo to remove some delusions from the public mind, one of
which was that an officer of wealth had nothing to do but
purchaF,o his way. The fact was that an officer did not
rise slower because he could not purchase, though an officer
who was able to purchase rose more quickly. He would tal e
the. three senior captains of a regiment, whom he would
call Captains Brown, Smith, and Johnson. (A laugh.)
One might lee able to purchase, and- the others not. lie did
so; but the result was not worse for those who could not

—their promotion was not the slower. If they did away