Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-04-24

in addition thereto during the period for wich they NAV
remain in service thereafter This will make the pay Of
private soldier of artillery and infantry who has served
faithfully for ten years and though he may not have
been so fortunate to gain promotion ten dollars per
month Cavalry priyates would receive eleven dollars
The increased pay would not materially increase the
penses of the army and whatever increase there may be
will only be in proportion To the Of the pan in
tanning experienced and valuable soldiers in service If
the proposed not secured the plan will not only
cost nothing but be actual saving Of bounties allow
ed by law Moreover with the present increase of money
SO much greater than the proportional increase in popu
aton labor in every civil department of life must rise in
value The pay of the soldier should rise also, and the
best and most proper way Of increasing appears to be
with the length Of faithful service.
II is believed that provisions such those proposed for
the promotion Of deserving officers and
soldiers under such restrictions will secure proper
ectons the gradual and steady increase in the pay and
consideration OF faithful and well men, together with
the advantages Of the Military Asylum, authorized
by law securing retreat and home soldiers the de-
cline OF life cannot fail to elevate the character of the en-
listed of army and be Of the greatest benefit to
the service and the country.
ing the army, officers commanding army actually in the
field the commanders Of geographical divisions and de-
parments and the commanders Of permanent posts gar
risoned by troops entitled to and receive double the
number Of ratons allowed to their grades The effect Of
this allowance is to give officer commanding division
or department. or garrison, who is living in quarters
drawing the money Communication Of their quarters and
fuel from $24 to 1876, 1872 500 per month than
an olcer OF the same grade serving in the field against
enemy unless that officer happens to be In command of
separate army The number Of armies must always be
small and the number of departments and garsons COM
paratyey large The allowance of double rations there
fore, appears to be only inducemen far it goes
to officers to remain in garrison rather than take the
field and should be abolished.
For series of there have been many disputes and
much difficulty in the service relative to the rights and
privileges conferred by brevet rank See memorials Of
officers of the army from Corpus Christi and other places
now before the Military Committee Of the House Of Repre-
sentatives) Decisions have been made and reiterated
upon the meaning of the 61st article of and accord
ing the orders of President Jackson repeated by Pre-
sident Polk it gives precedence except upon courts
martial, when such courts composed of officers of
different corps and upon deachments composed of differ
ent corps especially sent out from the main body of
army to be absent for limited time This restricts the
exercise Of it, and prevents interference with the rank
and command conferred and enoned by commissions in
the line of the army But it may be feared that the pro-
visions of law granting officers holding commissions by
brevet when commanding force equal in strength to the
command of similar grade in the line the pay of such
grade open the door to abuses of magnitude Com
mands be formed for the express purpose Of giving
officers holding such commissions the positions and pay Of
their brevet grades As the rank has been lavshy be-
slowed upon officers only for services in the
for services in the bureaux the expenses Of the army
this account might be far beyond any thing
templated by the law. To these might be added the
penses OF the movement of troops to make up the
mands.
1t may be urged that exist why officers holding
commissions by breyet should be employed rather than
their seniors of the disability Of the latter
retired list believed would at do away with such
necessity and with it the claim of brevet rank any
thing more than the honor and distinction which it
confers.
The amount drawn officers of the army during the year
ending July 1st 1851 account Of double ratons
$3.50 3d. and account of breve pay above the pay
to which officers entitled by virtue of their commits
sons in the line of the army 1926 IL This latter
amount appears by the wording of the report to be excu
sve Of the amount drawn account of breyet pay by
officers of the staff, and is therefore small by that
amount to show the which would be saved by the
abolition Of the allowance The total Of the two is
6lO96 The greater part of this sum- for both items
is drawn by officers of the line who with the exception Of
the cavalry and light artillery receive less pay than off,
Of like grades of the staff and in respects the
allowances appear be only justice and the allowance Of
an equivalent In respect TO the pay proper Of officers of
the army it is believed that the present provisions Of law
unequal and that they tend to produce i'll feeling and
dissenson in the service An officer of the staff stationed
in city, drawing Communication for fuel and quarters and
forage for horses receives greater pay proper than
officer of similar grade in the infantry artillery who
may be living under canvass in the field and serving
against an enemy. This is unequal and equivalent is
provided to the greater number of officers who OBJ
tain the command of posts may be possessed Of
brevet rank Moreover if they could these advantages
would be contingent and woud not do away with the in
equality except in particular and temporarily and
the allowances are subject to the objections which have
been mentioned.
In view of all these considerations it is proposed to in
crease the pay proper of several grades Of the army in
order to raise that of the line to that Of the staff leaving
the distinction between mounted and foot officers that of
the expense of their horses alone and to abolish the al
lowances Of double ratons TO commanding officers with
the exception Of the general commanding the army or
separate army in the field and all allowances Of pay
account of breyet rank
The amount Of the retrenchment effected will
rally differ from the Of the increased expenditure
and it is believed that this application OF it will be
just to the officers and beneficial to the service.
The committee also feel it be their duty TO
mend that certificates of merit be granted to noncomms
stoned officers Of which they have been inadvertently de-
prived by oversight in past egsston and that such
construction be placed upon the law in relation TO this
subject to carry out the original intention of the Lee
gsature
LEGISLATION WANTED-The recent decision in the u s..
District Court the Of the brothers Of Capt Dxey
and ptuan who yere Yeceiyinc The money