The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-01-03

received in battle As however the claims Of indivdu
ais must always bs subservent to the public good 10
tor which they have become disqualified.
When age wounds other casualties OF service have
statOn which ia earlier life he adorned JUS consids
ration for his fame and due re ara tor the public
welfare demand that he should give place to whose
mental and physical activity equal to the station and
who, imulated by early promotion, would fail to
emulate the honorable fame Of him whom he succeeds.
As enc Of the recommendations intimately connected
with this subject, have to renew that made in my
former reports for increase Of the compensation Of
army officers and revision Of the laws respecting their
allowances.
That this has failed heretofore to secure the
attention which Is in my opinion, due to it. attribute
OF the pay, and the emoluments OF great majority of
ocers in active service In the present condition Of
the laws regulating the pay and allowances Of officers
larger allowances than others, and indeed, than
the nature Of the service usihes and these which
but exceptional cases. have given rise to general i'm
preston tLat the pensstion of the officers Is much
higher than it actually is. Perhaps the error would
ton is made up of many items which vary according
circumstances, and render 1t difficult to compute the
amount in all cases with certainty but whenever the
confident, show that the Off ,ers of the army the
average less literally compensated than those who pur
sue any other occupation demanding equal capacity and
also renew the Recommendation that the provisions
Of the act of August A. 1854 increasing tbs pay Of the
rank file of the army extended all enlisted men,
ONE few Of whom are by the military Specification Of
fits that probably intended for all who come under
military Obligations by enlistment.
commend TO consideration the representations OF the
Surgeon General respecting the necessity for increase
of the medicsrcorps Su h increase is required in
quence OF the subdivision OF troops; and the want
citizen physcisns often at higher compensation than
that Of surgeon OF the army the new appointments
would be attended with additional expense there
fore recommend the adoption OF the measure.
concur with the Quarternaster General In recon-
mending the addition of five military store
keepers 10 his department At present there
is but single depot of yclOtbing. camp, and gar
rison equipage, aud as the supplies for the whole
army have be despatched therefrom each company
the dis ribucn only be made at long Intervals and
consequently in large quantities. that the companies
barsssed in their movements and the expense of
transportation is increased by the large amounts OF
stores which they have to take with them. With FIVE
depos properly located the distribution could be made
more fIequenily and in small quantities. the troops
would be less with baggage and the expense
of their movements would be diminished
several acts for the establishment and regulation
Of the Treasury War, and Navy Departments approvei
May ], 1890 It is provided that no land shan De
under law authorizing such purchase Although
the steady progress Of our frontier westward, and
the advance of our military posts with it, has rem
dered it frequently necessary to abandon old sites and
occupy ones, the prohibition to purchase land
has not until recently been the OF much embarass
ment, since the troops operating in territories
where nearly all the land already the property of the
government In Texas however the case il different:
there this government owns no land except such as it
may have acquired by purchase for specific Objects and
the greater number of military posts stand upon the
property of private OF the State. Embar
ments have arisen from this and have therefore
70 recommend that the act above cited be amended
to permit this Department under such limitations as
Congress deem proper purchase such land may
be required for the sites Of military posts.
have again to ask attention to the necessity of egis
ation to horize this department to sell useless mill
tary sites Two statutes have been enacted for this pur
pose but neither according to the conemporaneous con-
suction given them applicable to the la gest class of
cases that now embarrass the department. Ac
co,dlng to that con struction the act CT March
the possession Of the Grited States and tina. Of April
2S 1898 a Stat 264 applies only to LAND conveye1to
e pnSe
cnlied military sites the Sd of March l8l9 Owing
to this omission when the troops find necessary to
abandon port OF this description the department
not sell the land upon which the buildings an improve
mens of the abandoned post located but only
the price obtained bears proportion TO their
value hope that authority wi be given the Depart
ment IN such cases TO sell portion OF the land with me
Few posts in such advanced positions may be neces
saIy Tor the troops to occupy
In transmitting the ann al report of the Board OF
Comnis toner's Ct the Military Asylum the past year.
take occasion to transmit also their reports for three
Ierrmen pursuant to regulations bat which have not
been heretofore forwarded.
The view which these reports give Of the results of the
institution does not fulfil the antcipafions which
ENTERTAINED at the time of its esta nent, al
though early means we're taken to give notice OF their
orders published to the army and by the handbi sent
to every post Office In the United States ye. the agRre
asylum at the dates Of the respective annual
ports co. 49, a. and 81 in addition to the last number
six men, having families, receiving relief without
being quareIed at the asylum. In the meantime the
TIessurer's accounts show tina, the receipts
$3.50 40 IL that the cost of ties building furniture
stock, &C., was 75 and that the amount of cur
penses Of the several branches there be added the in
terest on the cost Of building Sc, the cost Of
MT ntnn ofa Ia S,ttnA
an expense great to indicate the proprey of GEEK
ing some proper mode Of eYecting reduction.
The buildings the site Washington City, with
the addition thereto far advanced towards Pile
ton will probably afford accommodations for one
hundred and fifty men, number greater than that
which judging from the past of increase, will
seek admission into the asylum for many years to
The branch hich essb he'd in 1852, at East Pas
caeoula Mississippi has been already disc ntinued and
the same measure is deemed advisable with regard to
thst at Harroesburg, Kentucky This branch
tour ded upon heavy charge upon the Asylum fund.- and
is maintained at expense much exceeliag the ad-
vsntages con erred upon the disabled soldier but 1t
was established in consequence e the provisions of law
contained in the Army Appropriation Act Of Aug 81 1852
section 49, and Ct March B. 1853 section H. propre.y
Of declaratoIy legislation in the case is suggested
would again call attention 10 the fropriety Of adj
onal legislation which shall place the widows and
phsns OF The officers and soldieis Of the army
equality with those of tLe officers and sailors the
psvy.
also again invite attention to the necessity of
legislative provisi, for the prompt settlement Of
the accounts Of discussing officers, by en,rustng 10
gle accoua'ing officer the audit Of the whole instead
If requil ing sbursng officers TO render accounts
auditors, at PRESENT The confusion and enbarrass
ment consequent the division Of duties, involving
injurious delays nal etement have heret lfore been
brought 10 the stention Of Congress, and is hoped
that tie evils represented viii not be suffered to exist much
longer.
Under the appropriation made at the last session for
the importation If csmes officer Of the army and
the navy have been d ected proceed the East to
obtain animals Of the different breeds most likely be
ul in climate. BY the sirdness Ct the Secretary
of the Navy soreshp destined for the Mediterranean
with naval supplies was placed at the disposal Of this
Del ar n.ent to brig in return cargo OF and
dromedares and from the last report received from the
officer charged wi the execution Of the commission IL
is expected that many of those animals the vessel
will transport will be shipped for the United States In
February next. Recent inquiries gecting the of
these animals in the Cmea confirm in belief that
they will be found highly valuable in the military
vice in country.
Academy, refer to the reports of the Chief En9i.
neer, ard Of the Board OF Visiters, herewith trans.