The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-05-15

known, that when the army was reduced in 1921, a
large number Of officers, in proportion to the rank
and hle, was retained for the express purpose Of
maintaining basis for future enlargement in case Of
emergency. IL was, in this respect, If he might 30
style II, skeleton army. But subsequently large
number OF officers had been selected and detached
nom The line OF the army, so that the proportion Of
3heers performing duty in the line did not exceed
the proper proportion for a war establishment. Ii
Is true there were attached to the different regiments
about fifty brevet lieutenants awaiting vacancies
but me ofhcers Withdrawn from the line for staff and
special duty, were far more numerous Mr.. CAss
here said, los They were, then, about double
AT all events he could say there were no supernu-
merares actually performing duty in the line of the
army; ana II the new regiment were TO be Differed
from the existing establishment, it would be neces-
sary to NIL up the vacancies, in order to make the
proportion OF officers TO men what it ought
TO be. This proportion, he supposed ought 10
be one to about twenty Now, Congress had
few days before passed bill authorizing the Pres
den; TO increase the number Of priyates in compa-
ny 10 one hundred men. This was the war establish
ment; and if the authority should be exercised the
proportion Of officers would fall far below the proper
standard He believed in no organization of the army
IN which the proportion of officers of the line to pr-
Yates, had fallen short Of one to twenty-five; and il
had often exceeded it, In General Washington's
tIme as early, he believed 1885, cadets were at
tdCHeu W hItlIeTy companies, IN ADDITION 10 the
usual quota Of company officers making a very large
proporton for the number of prvates in those com
panies was exceedingly limited, though he did not
recollect precisely what II On the whole,
therefore, he did not believe that any augmentation
| of the rank and file could be made-not merely to
100 pryates, but even TO Ga or S0-wIthout render
ing necessary proportionate increase Of officers of
the line. The senator from Virginia had stated that
this was question between the claims Of the Off
GERS Of the army and individuals in private life He
could not concur with the senator. He was quite
sure the officers of the army did not so regard He
had conVersed with several Of them, and they all
concurred in the opinion that so far as the
general interests Of the service was concerned,
the proposed restriction was mex pedient. He
believed If the question left TO them they
would not decide in favor Of restriction at yari-
| ance with the usual practice. In conclusion, Mr..
ID. said he would only add that under any view he
could take, he deemed the course Of the Senate a
plain one-to concur with the recommendation OF
the Committee on Military Affairs, not to concur
in the amendment of the House and leave the pow.
er Of selection unrestricted.
Mr.. CRITTENDEN said he took a somewh hat
different view from that of the majority Of the com
mittee, who had dssented from the amendment OF
the House The House proposed that the officers
Of these two regiments should be appointed from the
army. The Senate, by its bill, insisted that the
should be appointed from the mass of the people
er they would limit the appointment Of these officers
to the present line Of the army, or not He would
not pretend 10 90 into discussion of the constitu-
tlonal question on this subject to the power OF
the Senate of the United States in the organization
Of these new regiments. The organic law of the
army-whlch undoubtedly they had a right TO pass
confined the President of the United States TO a
regular order Of promotion. When vacancy &C.
CURED in the army by death resignation, or other
wise, the President could not 90 at large into the
country, and take any he pleased fill the va
| cant Office. And why Because the organic law
| which they had established as a necessary part OF
| the discipline and efficiency of the army required
that vacancy to be filled according to a regular and
prescribed order Of succession; and they insisted on
its sCrupulous observance in all the nominations
made before them; and instances occurred every
day in which this limitation was enforced upon the
President, and deviation from il was in any case
permitted And yet they were now to be told
that the power Of the President arbitrary abso-
late and unregulated and that Congress exercise
no voice in carrying out its own policy, prescribe
any rules for the organization of its own army
Surely not. His friend from Virginia referred to
various instances in which such appointments had
been made and in all cases the President had been
| obliged to make them from the line Of the army.
So il with the quartermaster s department the to-
biographical engineers and also with several of the
naval bureaus He took it that the power of Con.
gress in that respect was settled and established. II
II were not, 1t would be grave question indeed and
deserve much consideration. He took it for grant
ed then, that the question now was entirely one of
expediency, which might be as we'll determined
without any argument. He had heard with some
surprise the assertion of the honorable gentleman
from New York, Mr.. DIX, that the officers of the
army did not approve of combining the appointments
to the officers of the army. 1t would be very
strange if they approved Of that, when their own
promotlon-ther own rank-always dear to the
.lI Il.
vision Of the bill. There might be here and
there an eccentric officer of strange and pecu-
ar opinions upon the subject, but he was conf
dent that the general opinion of the army was diff
fered from that represented by the senator
But he (Mr. c. did not go upon the ground of
what the army wished or what it did not wish He
went upon another consideration: what was best for
the public servce?-and what most likely to rem
der these reg ments efficient He went upon the con-
slderatlon, whether 1t was best to give uneduca-
ted troops uneducated officers or the reverse He
was also surprised to learn that the army did not
furnish a superabundance Of officers sufficient to
supply the vacancies. And yet the senator told
them OF a skeleton army as regarded privates
and an army of officers And yet there was not
superiuity of officers sufficient to supply single
regiment That was strange indeed.
Mr. DIX xpained, that large number Of Off
GERS had been withdrawn from the line for special
service
WI Uni SLNDEN w ell the actual number
of brevet lleuenants is sixty or seventy.
Mr. DIX stated that the number had been reduced
since last January
Mr.. CRITTENDEN. Well, they nigh, rise and
fall according to circumstances; but he supposed
that that number might be calculated on or more as
they would remain IN the service fa fair prospect of
promotion and employment was afforded them.
Say that they would have fifty brevet lieu
tenants, and that, with the redundant staff, gave
an army Of officers. He did not exactly ap-
prove of the amendment of the House, which
confined these new appointments to the line
Of the army; which, according to its technical
construction, he understood included the staff, the
commlsiariat department, the quarermaster's de-
partment, and the typographical engineers-in the
latter Of which departments, there was such a
superabundance of officers that they were ready to
go anywhere, and assist private enterprise in rail-
roads and canals, and everything else of the sort
Indeed, they actually had at that moment colonel
of typographical engineers, seated upon the banks
of the Ohio river to overlook snags, and superin-
tend that dangerous navigation And he most
excellent officer, too-a most excellent officer; and
yet in the face of all this the skeleton army was to be
left and new officers chosen from the ranks IF the