The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-02-27

are referred TO the tune of General Jackson Why sir the
country has doubled since the days OF General jackson
the extent occupied by your military posts has doubled But
than that the necessary expense has trebed and
quadruped In consequence of the expense OF Transports
the nature of which has been very properly explained
fcuy that the necessary sent 10 the posts
that established and must be established for the
protection of the country and 1t that circumstance which
has occasoned the immense under which the coun
try now labors.
Iagree that il would be better in some respects that
fixed salary should be given to military men but we
have tried the experiment five six times since have been
10 the Senate and before that time and has met with in
superable difficulty and most assuredy not going
to do l. at this session The present system was the early
1t began with the establishment of army, and
has come down to this day and you find the pay of Of
cers of the army under separate heads Of appropriations
II is part now of our military system There may be
advantages and would be undoubtedly advantages
apparently in giving fixed that every could see
what IT but it is very easy TO calculate and without
much danger of any great error the amount received by
every officer OF the army repeat you notnow going
TO change your system. do not say you will never do IL
hereafter but when you do come to make the change,
you will find great difficulties as they have been found
heretofore.
Now speaking about the higher officers of the army, and
the bearing of this the lower Ones after all
have but three or four general officers You have some
breves occasionally but they cannot exercise the duty OF
their breve ranks unless assigned to II by the President
You have only major general and three brgadlers IN
the line Of the army and all OF them are old men Two OF
them certainly have passed their who
their way position and distinction by the highest
services to their country. do not want to regulate
acy what they ought to receive do not it should
be dollar less, for do not know; but am will
ling give them such allowances the law fairly gives
and would not hesitate about this BILL which gives re
lief to ninetynne out of hundred officers because 1T
might happen give something to those three gene
raj officers than otherwise would give
Mr. PUGH My friend has forgotten the fact that there
probably eight brevet brigader and major
erals and that these officers assigned to their brevet
rank and they derive pay.
Mr.. CASS said before there were only three briga-
diergeneras except what assigned by brevets do
say there not many breveis. opposed to
the whole system of brevets would not have single
breyet officer in the army, if had my way But repeat
after ALL the number of officers of high position who receive
the benefits of this bill is very small compared with the
advantages to the others.
Now with respect the double rations, free to
confess there is change in crcumsan connected
with them Originally they undoubtedly given in
of officers commanding at posts where there
settlements and when officer was passing he
called on the commanding officer to entertain him as q
part of his duty II does not exist to the extent
is emoumsn bat ID really of the few prizes OF
the of the posts that officer after long service
can attan---tbat is all it is. aEa.
The honorable senator from California will pardon me
for saying that he has greatly overesmaed the expense Of
double raons under any possible view and the senator
from Kentucky correct in the main calculation The
senator says there hundred and nine
one hundred and ten 9oube-raton posts. Now allowing
every officer draw $500 year. that multiplied by yaur
posts, will not give 100000 You cannot get up oSl0o
900.
Mr. TYERSON End that the posts are nnety-four and
the aggregate amount of double ratons 1885 co. This
is authentic information from the War Department
you add cents to the ratior will give about foryx
| thousand dollars.
Mr. CASS thought understood the senator from Cal
ornia say that il had been stated at six or seven hun
| dred thousand dollars.
Mr. WELLER II seems that have been singuarly I'M
fortunate in making myself understood said the direct
expense of double raons $4,000; but said the in
cdenta expenses of the double raton in consequence OF
the military posts had been estimated high six
hundred thousand dollars That of covered
expense of transportation to those posts and the
strucon of necessary buildings to keep the there
desire to get rid of large number of these military posts
We have many military posts between here and Cali
fornia-some seyeny-fve hundred men stationed
eachnot sufficient number 10 give protection to the
settlers but just enough provoke the attacks of the In
dans would abolish that system; would march reg
inn mt overland to and from the Pacific every year and
that regiment in my Judgment would inspire more fear
among the Indians and give protection to the settlers
than this multitude of small posts.
Mr.. CASS shall not enter into consideration of the
best system OF employing the army whether stationary
movable think there circumstances under which
both plans would work. But how the honorable senator
from California calculates the double ration to have any
thing to do with the establishment retention of posts
cannot possibly make out Who establishes posts Who
retains posts :? Not the officers entitled to command in
them, but the commanding officer of the district alone,
subject the orders of the War Department command
ing officer cannot retain post TO have his double raons
He eVacuates his post when directed and the command
ing officer of the district should direct him to do 1t when
the post is not required presume man occupying so
high position would hesitate moment TO
post because ii would deprive an officer of double
He would be unfit for his place If he could be governed by
any such consideration.
repeat do not see how the question of the establish
ment or retention OF posts affects the question of double
ratons at ALL The honorable senator to suppose
but he does not) that post is established
make double ratons and when there the officer retains the
post in order to have double ratons say again. the
mandDg officer of the district under the War Department
has the right alone determine where posts shall be per-
manenty established and when they shall be evacuated 1t
has nothing to do with the double-ration system.
The great to which the honorable senator refers
in respect to the establishment posts in California and
the large buildings there not for doube-raton pur
poses and they are not retained for that purpose If they
the officer who does that should be complained of and
broken nsantaneousy 1t is serious charge against the
honor of any high officer that he establishes post for the
sake OF double rations retains post with view
tain the double ration for himself or some favorite
Mr.. President this bill may give to Of the high off,
hardly been increased since the revolutionary war have
made inquiry at the War Department and learn that the
lower officers resgning almost every day. There is
stimulus to remain there is future there Is pros
pect before and unless you de something to render
their position better the probability is that you will wipe
GERS in our army How very few Of them remain in this
part of the country Very few indeed They almost
all west of the Missssppi they almost all upon the
Indian frontier they almost all engaged in constant
Indian hosilitic constantly watching and following
the Indians, which s equivalent to hostility. You order
they ordered five hundred miles off, and
to CO. too at their expense Everything they trans
port and their families go at their expenses they only
get their mileage Many time in the course of an Off
GERS service he is compelled to break up his
to sacrifice what little he has and move off thousand
provision for living where he going to. That is part of
the difficulty and expense incident to his position which