Washington sentinel., 1854-06-03
From the Springfield (Massachusetts) Post.
The Military Superintendence.

| Some of the ablest whig journals in the coun
try are adopting right views upon this impor.
tant question. The Providence Journal, the
organ of its party in Rhode Island and the
editor of which has been governor of the State,
thus speaks of the policy which has obtained
within few years, Of crowding the officers OF
the army into all the places under the govern
ment
1T is policy as unreasonable as il would be
TO place mechanics and merchants at the head o.
military companies, and is in direct opposition TO
the true spirit of institutions, which REQUIRES
that the military should be in strict subordnation
TO the civil power To place military men over
mechanics, engaged in mechanical pursuits, is an
insult to the mechanical ability of the country, and
| an injury TO the public service"
In another article Of greater length, the Jour-
nal speaks as follows:
! "The very general sentiment of ahe people
seems 10 be that the national armores should be
| placed under civil superintendence This is com.
mon sense. The officers cfihe army are all needed
| in their proper places; the exposed state Of the
frontier, the extended borders Of the republic and
the exigences of the service, have made an atidi-
| ton 10 the army necessary, and yet, at this time
! some OF the most valuable officers are placed in
positions where they Just as useful as first
| rate mechanic would be at the head of a reci-
ment. ,. 3
Ut is not necessary 10 go behind the fact that
| all the officers in commission are needed in the
army for which they were educated and TO which
they belong It is not necessary to go behind the
fact that, in the very nature Of the case mechanics
| must be as much better than soldiers in me.
chanlcs shop, as soldiers are better than me-
chanics in the field But if both of them fail then
we fall back upon the manifest impropriety Of the
policy OF eXatng the military and depressing the
/ civil service, of adding TO the consideration and
| Importance OF military men, and of crowdng them
into SO many places of honor and trust The
| temptations TO enter the army are already suffi-
ciently great the influence of the army upon The
government is quite sufficient for its usefulness or
| its subordnation. The reasons which make il
| unsafe TO maintain a large standing army render il
equally impoltic TO increase the Influence and to
multiply the employments Of the officers. If they
are wise, they must see this if they are not wise
enough TO see II, they wi | certainly be made 10
feel it. if they suffer themselves 10 be crowded
into the places that belong to citizens jealousy
| OF military influence will be awakened which
| however wholesome 10 the country will be any.
thing but comfortable 10 those against whom il
| is directed
The promulgation Of such sentiments by one
of the ablest whig journals in the country,
affords gratifying evidence that the principle
Of democratic equality so fagrantly violated by
the whig national administration of lS4l, in
foisting military officers over civilians of dis
tinguished merit, is beginning to find extern
sive support among wings as well as demo-
Gratis. Though it was a whig president that
inflicted this great wrong upon the mechanics
| OF the country, and though we look to demo.
cratic administration to restore the former
condition of things, the cooperation Of all
honest men among our political opponents will
he greatly apDrecated