The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-04-15

This table includes all the European nations with one
exception, which have earned any military reputa-
ton. 1t appears that the average number Of men
mandcd by officer in the European service forty
In infantry service in time Of peace have
officer for fourteen men, with authority given to the
President to increase the number Of privatcs in each
regiment serving on the frontiers so az to make, in
establishments, officer for every twenty-five
II is obvious that have got an army of officers
almost exclusively hence in measure, tho great
expense attending our army We have got officers
enough and the true way of nciean. the army would
have been by adding to the number of prvaes in each
company. as F''F tsf -
remarked that there was an exception, and re-
errcd to the army of Great Britain have not been
able to obtain information in reference to that but i'm
sgnc system il copied from England. In England
they may have to an officer than have
here. But whyl Simply because in England the only
way of providing for the younger OF the nobility aud
aristocracy is to give them commissions in the army
and hence there is always pressure Of inuencc to i-
crease the number Of officers. And we in this repub-
democracy, from different motive, following in
the footsteps OF aristocatc England in order TO give
public and to public officers opportunity of pro-
viding for their friends. aaF El 6ttA Hsfsta} a
Mr. CURTIS. Win the gentleman allow me to correct
him iiaI5A "a aaa EHa sast saaas sa 4as4g +
Mr. BRANCH Not now, sir the gentleman can make
a note, and 4 will give him opportunity hereafter
There is another for these large expenditures
to which / desire to call attention. No gentleman
who has served in Congress, or has been much about
Washington city, can have failed to discover that this
IA
bureaus and clerks have noticed that irresponsible
bureau officers are allowed to make estimates to
Congress and Congress is called upon by the admin
istration to provide for those estimates. On that
point wish to read very sensible remarks Of the
present very able Secretary of War in his annual re
port In speaking of Of the in our service
he says:
Of The separate independent
character OF our Ha corps This them from their
positions aids assistants the constitutes them
and thus change ndvnnccmcp h,ges nm
accumulation precocn, and prercpauyc at with e pin
ciplc Of military ornizIothc nvable authority
ton OF should govern them, not theirs him @ ~ q
That is very sensible remark and the only mat
ter of surprise is that that very Secretary about the
very time that he wrote that able document should
have allowed the quartermaster general to send estimates
TO Congress for three, four, five million dollars
without his sanction; for such is the fact Gentlemen
by looking at the miscellaneous documents will find that
there are estimates provided for IN this bill for three
four million dollars for which have not the recon-
incubation of any other officer than the qarternastcr
general OF the army We have not the of holding
rcsponsibea officer of the government for the quar-
tcrmaster general is responsible to his military COM
mandcr, and not to Congress- 49, ~
As remarked before, some Of the causes Of this
| enormous increase in the expenditures Of the War
Department are remedabe by Congress, Some are
abuses that have grown up from year 10 year until it
is ,iifcult 10 them have confidence, however,
that the present administration will them far
as il practicable TO do i feel satisfied that
they will exert themselves and that they have already
commenced exert Themselves t bring about reform
and that this is not nm administration that is going
take advantage OF all the bad prcceents that hive been
set, and set good for its SUCCESSORS know the
material OF which il IL composed and from, my knowl
edge OF that material feel entire conviction that
OF these abuses will be reformed far de-
pendent upon the executive department of the govern
ment But In addition 10 that Congress has got TO re-
form abuses also and the first thing that ought