Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-05-17
Revival of the Grade of General.

The creation, or rather the revival OF
the grade of General in our army, and
mainly for the purpose Of comforting the
honor upon ULYssus S. GRANT, by act
OF Congress, although it has not greatly
excited the country, has nevertheless
received that calm, solid approval
which all acts based on practi-
cal common sense commands from
the popular heart. If anything that
Congress could do, beyond the Or
binary and necessary legislation for
maintaining and carrying on the gov
eminent, would seem to be decorous and
just, and in accord with our ideas of pa
triotism, it would certainly be the con-
ferring of some national and permanent
testimonial upon the leader OF our arm
les through those perilous conflicts
which saved the nations life, and i'm
pressed all the great nations of Europe
with just ideas of the strength Of our
government, and the solidity and dura-
bility Of our Republican institutions.
The bill creating this grade passed the
House by vote of ll6 yeas to II nays.
Mr.. Morrill, Of this State being with the
small minority against creating and
comforting this honor. We mention this,
not with any view to find fault with Mr.
Morrill's vote for we believe in full
liberation for differences of opinion in
matters of this kind but more to call
attention to the fact that some Of our
friends fail to comprehend either the
motive or purpose Of the leading men
who have been active in securing the
passage of the bill The editor of the
Montpelier Watchman and Journal, who
has had Congressional experience, seems
to regard the affair as a sort of political
trick to make party capital. Some of
the present members Of Congress may
look upon it in this like, and may have
even voted for the bill with no higher
motive than to secure some mere parti-
san advantage, fancied or real. But if
there are such, they are to be pitied.
The bill as amended and as we believe
it passed the House, creates the grade of
General as permanent part of the mil
itary establishment of the country. 1t
provides for the Generals allowances,
his emoluments, and his pay, and the
allowances are precisely those that are
given to Lieutenant General. The pay
proper, or the. money pay, is $500 a
month, while that Of Lieutenant Gen
eral is only 1910 month. The monthly
receipts of the General under this bill,
from alleources, will be 81 ,470, or ST.
640 a year, while the annual receipts,
from all sources, Of the Lieutenant
General are $4,000.
That our readers may see the prece-
dents for creating this grade, both in
this and other countries-that they
may enjoy with ourselves a brief but
graphic allusion to the history of ma
tions in this matter, and that such of
our friends who take such views of it as
our Montpelier contemporary does, may
have an opportunity to enlarge their
vision, we make liberal extracts from a
speech made in Congress by Mr.. DEM
ing of Hartford, Ct, who was once
democrat, but who has been throughout
the war and is now one of the most
thorough Union men in the country.
We quote, with appropriate sub-head-
ings, as follows:
AMERICAN LEGISLATION.
In the second session of the Fifth Con-
gress, the first under John Adams, in |
consequence of our dissensions with |
the French Republic, provisional army |
was authorized, and the grade of Lieu
tenant General was for the first time in |
our history created for it's commander,
and conferred upon Gen. Washington.
II was accepted by him upon the ex-
press stipulation that he should not be
called into service until the exigency
for which the Office was made, an inva-
sion of the United States by France,
should actually occur. During the re-
cess which followed the adjournment it
was understood that Gen. Washington
was not entirely pleased with his new
rank, because in his opinion, it was in
ferior to that which he had held in the
revolutionary war as General and Com
nander-in Chief. In Difference to these
scruples, when the same Congress held
its third session, it authorized the Presi-
dent TO appoint and commission an off,
Ger who should be styled General of
the armies Of the United States" l
have not been able to discover that the
appointment under this power was ever
made, and presumption is RAISED that
it was not by return from the War De-
partRent in 1900, where Gen. Washing
ton is still registered as Lieutenant Gen.
eral, with the mournful affix dead" q
mere formal entry, but wildly sugset-
Dg, in connection with name so illus
trious, that
THE Satas OF glory lead bnt 20 the grave"
had rested on this conviction until
his morning, when happening to take
lp the Annals of Congress for 1901, |
'ound in the resolves passed by Congress
IN the Aaath Of Waahipufnp Uhieh m |