Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-01-26

RELATIVE TO THE QUARTERAAS1ER-
GENERAL.
The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was re-
ferred the Presidents message relating to the Qusrter
master Generals Office, have had &he same unoer
consideration and beg leave report: That t1e Con-
grsss of the Provisional Government passed an &C.
organizing the QlNterPlsteFs Department approved
2sh Februsry, 1861, Which provided " that the Quar-
tsrmaster Generals Department shall consist OF ore
Qasrtermaster General with the rank OF colonel; SIX
oaartermasters with the rank Of major and a. many
assistant quartermAsers as msy, from time TO une, DC
required BY the service, may be detailed py tue war
| Department from the subalt srns Of the line
The l4;h Of March, 1861, another act was passed
and apnroyed providing "that the Quartermaster Gen
erals Department shall consist OF one Vuattermsser
General with the rank Of colonel; one Assistlnt guar
termaster General with the rank OF lieutenant colonel
fonr cssstsnt ouartermasers with the rank Of maj
and such other officers in that department a are eeso!
| provided by law, =,
Tho President, under the authority Vested in him by
the Constitution, appointed A. O. Myers Assistant quar-
tsrmater General who, the ofics OF Quartermaster
Genera remained vacant proceeded to organize the de-
partment and exercise the dute, OF Cen
eral The Secretary of War says he was described as
Acting QuartermASler General in the correspondence
Of the department subsequent TO the date of ms ap
/ pointment 18th April, 1851.
| The committee deem it necessary to clear under
sta ndipg Of the question uuder derat on to draw
The attention OF tue Senate 70 mistake or lnsccuIaJ
of the Secretary in stating that u Myers was ap
pointed lieutenant colonel in the Quarermaster GeDe
raP- De6atudentn There no such office established
by law and none such c5ud be filed by tie President
The Office was that OF As stant lartefmlsier General
60 that oce vas attached the rank OF lieutenant colo
ne and BY the eighteenth section OF the act OF tae
Ma ch 1861, for the establishment and Organise.
ton of the army Of the Confederate States OF America
1t WA3 provided "that the pay q the officers OF the
general staff shall be the same as that Of officers oil
| cavalry"
As Assistant Quartermaster General, Lieut.. Colonel
Myers o. gsnzed the Qulrtrmi ster Generals Depart
ment ana discharged the duty OF Qlartermaster Gen
eral, without the rank till the l5th February 1862
4 when he was appointed QuarteTmaster General. In
eoamunict ng this simple Iact to the President the
Secretary fallen into another error OF the same KIND
as before observed Ak corrected lastead oil communi-
eating the iGcl that Assistant lariermaster General
Myers was appointed Quartermaster General he Gays:
"On the l5,n February, 1862 Lieut. Colonel Myers was
recommended by the Secretary of War for miua ion,
as follows "A O. Myers Quartermaster General 10 be
/ Colonel in the Qlartermaster's ID parm9nt" Ho says
further that the nomination was submitted to the Sell
ate as follows "A. Q. Myers, of South Carolina, Quar-
master General to be Colonel to take rank from the
i date Of his Confirmation.
It's very evident thai the Secretary lays stress upon
the peculiar phraseocgy Of this recommendation and
and that he assumes the action of the Pres
deut and Secretary of War of sufficient VALIDITY to war
rant him in dsreg Grdng the plain port oil al at oil
Congress. Toe Secretary recommends that Quarter
Master General Myers be Colonel in the QuareImas-
trs Department. aud the President dominates him TO
| be Colonel generally. Both desigoate him as Quar-
trmaster General before he had been appointed 10 that
Office The office created by law is that of larter
master General The person dlschargny the ou!ies OF
that office was, by law, entitled to the rank OF Colonel
in the general staff and TO the pay OF Colonel OF cav
airy.
The Government established by the Confederate
States is republican in form and its powers distributed
between the legislative executive and judicial depart
ments of which is posed. To toe legislative is
delegated the most important Of these Ga Il IS deyol
we'd the duty Of organ LDg the Other departments and
creating such oees executive and Judicial, as may be,
n its eton necessary TO the complete aud success
ul opeIatol OF the whole L. is especially entrusted
with the organization OF the Amy. In the performance
OF this duty it passed the act already quoted organ
zlng the Qlart rmaser Generals Department. and es-
abshing certain offices In that department. and
ing TO these offices certain rank in the general staff OF
toe army. former Secretary, it seems, mstOok the
rank for the Office and the present Sec etay shows that
the President Ie into the error and then himself
falls into q aver in mist1kng these mistakes for
the law. Ii would have been more TO The purpose had
he quoted th3 sLatu e. He would then have seen that
the office 10 be filed was thai OF Qlartermaser Gene
raj 70 which Office attached the rank of coo2el ia
the general Blsf Of the army with the pay OF colonel
i OF cavalry Toe difference OF opinion between the
Secretary and the committee results, probably from
he ference in the from which tney drew their
in ormAtoa. The former looks 10 the acts oil the Pre-
sdent-the latter to the acts OF Congress- for the law.
The COMM have carefully considered the letter of
the Secretary transmitted by the President 10 the Sen
ats in order 10 ascertain wha. position in their op niOp
A G Myers held in the army when the act OF the 10Th
March, 1863 approved, and what position he holds
now if any. The committee can arrive at no other con
clusion han ta in the opinions Of the Secretary aud
President, A. G. Myers had never been appointed lar
ermaser General; that the odd phraseology adopted
by the former Secretary and President controlled The
express provisions of The statute and that he Ayers)
had become simp coopel in the army, or, at most. in
| the Qlarermisters Department The Secretary first
speaks Of Colonel Myers having been appointed lieu
tenant colOael in the Qlartemasters Depaament," and
of his having given "boud as such" Then he quotes
the nomination 10 be colonel It,, aad adds further
on tina, alter being confirmed he discharged the du-
ties OF QiarlaIm lster General of the army un BIO was
relieved IRON duty, without having gwen any Cher
/ bond The committee are st loss now to argue the
negative Of such propositio Is woul involve the
necessity OF showing the form Of gogerrm Mt established
by the States and the distribution the powers between
the different coordinate DEF artments, which would
| imply an Ignorance the part of the SsIaie to
/ those well known facts Toe statement of the
| position OF the Secretary is its and
| rsiuta.ion. Tho prop sition, when boed TO the
orsn Is that the Executive has the power not only
to fill but 10 cea,e the Cices he fills The Secretary
quotes from an act OF Congress- TO show TO
vast Office A. @. Myers was appointed. H. relies, AID
a. paren y with iencs, upon the iDapt and uncer
a4 language used oy former secretary ana the IRE
) dent in making nomination TO an office which had
no existence n law He that the President had
sde power create ofoe and then quotes his act
1 as evidence Of the fact.
Toe acts Of tae 26th February and Of the l4h March,
for Establishing general stH Tor the army, had Gre
ted tie clice OF Qlartermaser General, and declared
that he s,oGd have The rank Of Colonel The act OF the
Ga March lad divided that a officers OF the genersl
staff should have the pay of officers Of cavalry of the
same grade. A. o. Myers had been nominated 10 the
Povs Oral Congress land not to the Senate the Sec
retary supposes for General the 18th of
/ Feb uary, 1861 ami the nomination bad been confirm
ed de va then the Quare5mas:er General and, be-
CAUSE he was larermaster General he entitled to
the rank OF q, l0ue in the general staff and to the
pay of CoOne of cavalry The Congress OF the Con-
federate States for satisfactory reasons, the 20h of
Aafch 1858, passed "An act to amend act for the
sta emf and organization OF general staff for the