The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-18

required for the defence OF country or the use of Il
! army ia intimately ntectet with the movement.
| and position Of the personnel OF toat army.
The facilities of Accommodation between The deposf
| where these supplies are stored, Can be obtained
AID the points on cur sesbosrd, and northern and
western ffOntieTs, where they may be IeuuiIed are
SO gre ut that, sr these are concerned no change
in tne present arrangements seems necessary.
The CT mmulication with New Mexico though t.
dious and expensive Is lot liable to foreign interru
tion and would not be changed ~ the occurrence OF
war. The case Is somewhat different With regsri 10
Texas sbd essentially 81 With regard to the country
DorderlDg on the Pacific, which, from its wealth Is
the most inviting, and frm Its remoteness u.s. of all
our possessions. the most exposed to the stack of
foreign enemy. In view ct the 20 si DE c0Dtn-
gehcy q war, and the diff ulty Of providing for il
NJ as early period possible, all necessary pre- eau
iioDs Tor Tie security of our distant territory. As
The appropriations for the amount Of fortif ;atous
for The last three years have either been refused
greatly reduced, under the impression that it depend
60 upon the prosecution Of the system Of perma-
neht forhcations," is proper TO rem,rk that this
provision is not dependent upon the extent to which
the system carried but it is indispensable to any
System Of coast defence that may he adopted
The construction Of permanent forti6 cations and
the creation OF arsenas and depots, il necessarily
The work of time, but the armament for the most
important POSTS, both in Texas and on the Pacific
coast, should at The earliest practicable period be
sent to them, and when Ia POSITION temporary works,
sufficient for defence against any saoden attack by
naval force could readily be thrown up by the labor
OF the troops. There should also be sent TO the
Pacific coast, and stored at suitable points, the
ordnance and ordnance stores needed for its Defence
ana to the arseG ais on the Columbia River and on
the Bay of San Francisco, the machinery and other
means needed for the construction, equipment and
repair of sll the mataacl Of war. Dep0ts should
also be form ed OF such other supplies as are not
perishable in their character. With q water trans
lortation OF 200 miles, and land routes impracti.
cable tor the transportation of heavy supplies IL will
pe too late to adopt these measures when the COM
mupicatiOn by sea is liable 20 Interruption aud no
prudent nation should trust, in matters Of such vital
Importance, to the chances Of future that no hui
Il an sagaci,y can folesee.
As many of the supplies proposed to be sent to
Texas aid to the Pacific, are now in depots in the
Atlantic States, no great expense or loss would be
ss aimed ty their transfer, if the necessity for
,htir use should not occur for many years to come
As measure OF prudence and economy in the trans-
portation Of such as may be sent to the Pacific it
suggested that whenever naval vessels are seat to
they can conveniently carry in addition to their own
supplies. The state OF the recruiting service Is
hi,ited by the accompanying report and tables pre-
pare dby the Adjutant General, who il charged with
the details of that service.
Tie demand for labor has been 90 great through
out all parts Of the country during the past ear,
that this service has not been successful as in
former years. In consequence OF this, and the fact
board have been transferred to remote stations"
where, under the authority vested in the President,
by the act approved June II, 1850, the maximum
organization obtains, it is estimated that four thou
ssna Fix hundred recruits will be required fer the
service OF the ensuing year. To Obtain these at the
present rates of pay and in the present prosperous
state f the country, can scarcely be expected and it
j. important that some measures should Immediately
be taken for maintaining the full number OF the rank
and file Of the army authorized by law Il is shown
by an examination of the statistics Of the army from
1926 to the commencement of the war ~ith Mexico.
that the average of the legal the actual
strength Of the army has been, during THIS period,
Is per cent of the latter that the average actual
loss by deseltion has been 124 per cent; by dis
charges for disability ard other causes, per cent
and BY deaths, only per cent; or that the total
loss independent Of discharges by expiration Of
vice. has been 2s2 per cent OF the actual strength Of
the army.
Of the legal over the actual strength has been
nineteen Per cent; the average loss by desertion.
sixteen Ter cert; by discharges for disability and
other causes, eight per cent; by deaths, four per
expiration Of service, OF twenty-eight per cent. A
part of the per centage of assertions s DUE however
TO the excitement on account OF the discovery of gold
in CALIFORNIA; the excess from that cause in one year
Alone being $50 over the average OF the three sue
ceedng years. 1t is found by an analysis OF the de-
sections from 1926 to 1886, that if exclude the
excess due to local and temporary causes in 1882
and 1916 there was as the condition OF the soldier
dim ution in the proportion of assertions, and thal
when the difference between tue pay OF the soldier
and the value Of the correspond ding classes OF labor in
civi! lite was slight they were com aarativey unfre.
quent, being Ut two different periods only seven and
q half and four and half per cent of the actual
strength Of the army, and that they increased in a
direct ratio with the increasing prosp Gritty Of the
eouDtry, reaching, when The dispioportion was
greatest, twenty one per cent.
The same c9uses Influenced, as was to be expected,
the number or Refreshments, the proportion in the
last four years being only seventeen per cent, while
in the three years Immediately pre- ceding the war
fuyan fvn of tha
Der OF discharges by expiration OF service These
results may be traced to two principal causes. First
the disparity between the pay OF the soldier, and the
value OF labor in civil lite. Second, the fact that
rank or privilege. Both these causes are the fruitful
sources Of dissatisfaction and deserton and they pre-
vent the re enlistment of the most valuable men.
There are other causes that have their influence but
Go lot materially affect the general results.
1t may aid in the consideration of these results,
and in the suggestion Of remedial measures to state
some of them IN another form.
Thus, IN any army of 10 600 men, which is about
The actual strength Of military establishment as
at present organized, there will be annually under
existing circumstances OF pay and service, 200 dis"
charges, by5expraicn of enlistment; 726 disch argos
for disability &C.; $50 deaths, and 465 desertons
or 8 81 vacancies annually, OF which only 2l9 are
filed by re-enlistments The actual loss to the
amy, to be supplied by the enlistment OF new men,
will therefore be 1882. Ia other words, more than
one third Of the army must every year be recruited
and transferred from the depots to their regiments
abridging very materially the term Of the soldiers
efficient service. 1t is found that maj rity of the
6ese1tiors, and very large proportion OF the dsa
bllties and Deaths occur in the first year of the
listmeDt
1t will, therefore, be of paramount Importance in
devsing any for keeping the RAM Ks Of the
army full. to ADOPT such as will prevent "a many
assertions, ard induce as many re-ehlistments, as
possible. Every desertion that is prevented, and
every re.enlistment that is induced, saves the ex-
pense Of tie enlistment and transfer of recrait from
Tho place of enlistment to his compaoy-the time
Gotten Of the utmost importance) occupied in this
transfer and the danger OF death and disability in
becoming accimated. The remedial measures that
III me dately suggest themselves are--lst, An in
Of ger cent. OF the present pay OF the sol
oier I'd, An additional increase for each successive
period of five years. long he shall renaia In the
army. Sd, Provision for the promotion to aha lowest
grade of commissioned officers of such Of the non
commissions officers Of the army rs may be found
qualified for, ard by their conduct, character and
services, entitled to- such advancement.
The depreciation in the value OF money, as mea.