The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-02-26

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given at the department except ordnance men, and the OBJ
ect is TO include them The class of of whom the
senator speaks have had the benefit Of the increased pay
according to the construction of the department but they
have excluded ordnance alone and the object of this
1 section is TO embrace them.
Mr. RUSk. will vote for amendment to appro.
priauon TO include the ordnance men, and that be
easily done without hazarding this bill should prefer
when voting for IT. to say "ordnance mem expressly The
section Is general in its terms and do not know myself
now iar u exends but II is matter which, in my judg
ment ought to be inquired into. agr
Upon the whole cir think the proposed increase of the
pay OF the officers Of the army is moderate and proper
applies TO the lower grade of officers in greater proportion
than to the higher These other matters If they abuses
be very easily remeded without hazarding the passage
.s p s 40 not believe they are abuses think on
are not abuses Why not attack them before They have
existed ever since we have had army The is
evident the who commands post is bound enter
tain travellers and persons in distress and ought to be
allowed rations for that purpose. al
Mr.. CLAY. should be glad to know what the ratons
OF Gen. Scott are am told that he will be entitled, with
out this amendment TO forty raons. If you give him
double rations, he will have eighty. do not suppose
he will ever entertain half that number of at
| time.
Mr.. RUSK. do not know what the rations of General
Scott They not increased at all by this BILL
cep the commutaton price Of them which is increased
Mr. IVERSON. voted against these amendments in the
Committee on Military Affairs, of which member,
and am opposed to their adoption by the Senate think
they ought not TO be adopted first for the present
ed by the senator from Pennsylvania Mr. BRoDHEAD,] as
well as the senator from Texas Mr. Rush, that the adop
ton Of amendment to this bill will undoubtedly
danger its final passage in the House of Representatives
1t is true trivial unimportant amendment might posi-
bly, not be clog to its passage through the other House
but such an amendment as now proposed by the Com
mitee on Military Affairs to abolish the system of double
ratons is called, will undoubtedly engender great
deal of opposition to the passage Of the in the
House of Representatives and WILL in all probability de-
feat ta any rate endanger it, think therefore il it is
necessary and proper trust and believe il is admitted
on all hands, to the pay of army officers we ought
not to put the bill any amendment which will endanger
| it in the other branch of Congress #a
The amendment increasing the pay of the ordnance
corps just and proper in ITSELF and ought to be adopt
if it could be done without risk this BILL which has
other features of much importance than that That
however, as has been suggested by gentlemen be
put on the army-appropration BILL it can be put
the bill increasing the compensation of General Scott
now pending in this body coming from the House OF
Representatives There various propositions which
it may be put 1t is just and proper that the ordnance
corps should have the pay all other enlisted SOL
ders of the army but is not sufficient Importance to
endanger the passage of this bill by inserting it
The other amendment is of more consequence and trust
shall be INDUCED in making few remarks in opposition
to it, think it wrong in principle and it ought not to
be adopted proposes to abolish what called double
ratons to the commanders of military posts What are
the double raons 1t possible that many do
not understand what meant by the system of double ra
tions and may think does the senator from Alabama
Mr. CLAY as infer from his remarks that the double
ratons extend to all the raons which an officer may
be entitled under the law That is not So The double
which the officer is entitled according TO his grade 1t
does not extend to what called the old fogy or ongev
ity ration any other extra rations For instance take
the of captain who is put in command of military
garrison post arsenal By bis grade he is entitled to
tour rations and then commandant of military post
he is entitled to eight rationsfour than his grade
He doubles the four rons but he is entitled twenty
ratons for longevity and length of service he is not en
tied to double all those The doubling applies only the
original number of rations to which the officer is entitled
| according to his grade | |. .."'" .
Now what is the amount of that? The senator from
California has very properly stated that the whole
the double raons allowed to the officers of the army
command OF our military poss does not exceed $4,000
year. There one hundred military posts garrisons,
and arsenasl think one hundred and eight or hun
dred and ten The average quantity of raons allowed to
the officers in command Of them does exceed five day
These the rations OF major and that is about the
average amount of ratons allowed the officers in
mand of those FIVE posts. Five rations day. at twenty
cents ration, would be only dollar day; and at the
increased price of thirty cents would be dollar and half
aday Colonies OF the army get six rations day majors
and lieutenant colonies five, and captains four. y "
Mr. PUGH. And an additional ration for servants.
Mr.. lVERS0N. Those are not double.
Mr. PUGH. Is not the servants ratons doubled If
officer has brevet rank he gets double raons for the
| brevet rank 10. ...-a.
Mr. IVERsoN think not ..
Mr. PUGH General Scott claims them for his brevet
| rank. "
| Mr. IvERSON That is a vexed question General
Scott claims to be entitled them but the Secretary
War has decided that he is not entitled to them he is
not in command of military post That is in my iudg-
| men the proper construction.
What would be the amount Of double ratons at one hun
dred and eight military posts 1t would not exceed thirty
FIVE or forty thousand doars-a bagaele-and this
reform is be begun this bill so important to the pub
lie service think it Is dangerous proceeding and
ought to be adopted by the Senate The whole expense
the government of double raons more than thr-
ty-fve forty thousand dollars year. That is drawn
by officers of the armygentlemen who put in COM
msnd of these posts old wornout veterans in the service
who are certainly entitled to the encouragement and
bounty of the government These posts generally are put
in command of senior ocersrnen who are old and have
great deal of service who have fought the bat
ties Of the country and perhaps SCARED with
wounds received in service Is 1t proper that such men
should receive to some extent the bounty and encourage
ment of the country
Besides, the who in command of military posts
and garrsons bound to entertain strangers and other
officers who to the garrison Their houses houses
of hospitality for all who The double rations are
given for that express purpose and they under obga
tons not only OF honor but OF law to entertain every
who comes to the garrison If an officer visits garr
military post business pleasure by accident
he knows where to go for hospitality he has right 90
the headquarters of the commandan for the purpose of
being entertained Abolish these double rations that
hospitality will be discouraged and off Sir think 1t
the duty OF Congress to encourage the hospitality of
officers in the army and to add to the dignity which they
thus give to their profession 1t is ungenerous and impro
TO cut of the means which Congress has from time i'm
memorial almost placed in their hands for the purpose of
keeping up the dignity and hospitality of the officers of the
army 1t ia wrong that il should be done IL is mere
bagatee at best not exceeding thryve forty thousand
dollars year
The senator from California the chairman Of the Com
mitee on Military Affairs, has stated what presume is
difficult of proof that although this expense only thirty
five or forty thousand dollars it engenders outlay Of
six eight hundred thousand dollars How2 The sena
has not explained and do not think he explain
it. He has intmated that for the purpose of allowing
officers double raons the military posts of the govern