The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-17
REDUCTION OF THE ARMY.

FROM the NJ Y. Times.
Promptly on its reassembling, Congress
has taken up the question of another reduo-
ton of the army The problem presented is
the difficult one of diminishing numbers
without impairing efficiency; or that of steer
ing between the Scylla and Charybdis of Grip
pling on the one hand and crowding on the
other. Retrenchment of expenses is the clear
demand of the hour; but wise legislation will
not push the process beyond the military
needs of the country.
The two main bills in the House on this
question are the War Departments measure
and General Logans modification; the lead
ing bill in the Senate is Senator Wilson's in
reference to Off GERS awaiting orders. IL is O
gratifying omen that thus far the various
measures introduced are not so widely op-
posed to those of last winter-as the bills, for
example, of Generals Garfield and Butler.
Speaking by way of general criticism, or,
rather, description, the army projects of
Messrs. Logan, Butler, Schenck, Window, and
Congressman of that school have been, in
years past, marked by a peculiar prejudice
against the Military Academy which, of
course, is to be taken into account in review
ing their schemes. On the other hand, the
measures originated at the War Department
look commonly at the official estimate of the
needs of the service, rather than the poverty
of the Treasury-ab the force we ought to
have under any circumstances rather than at
the force we can afford to have under the
present financial exigeucies of the country
But General Grants public interest is
larger than his military INTEREST," his admnis-
tration, pledged to economy, is fulhlling its
pledges; and his singular felicity in reducing
military expenses, as shown during his brief
occupancy of the War Office, now comes in
play in this effort to keep down the cost of
the army. Perhaps this is one source of the
comparative harmony of view existing at the
present time. That is to say, the President,
the General of the Army, the War Secretary,
the Secretary of the Interior, the head of the
Indian Bureau, the five division commanders,
and all the department and district command
ers, are agreed regarding what can and what
cannot be afforded in the matter of army eco
| nomy.
However, there are certain grave differ
ences between the bills of Generals Sher-
man, Logan, and Wilson. The former-for
the General-in-chief is the reputed author of
the Headquarters bill just laid before the
| Military Committee of the House-provides
we believe, for the absorption Of some of the
officers now doing nothing, and on "await.
ing orders" pay, by adding two companies to
each infantry regiment, thereby giving to
| the regiments in this arm the same organiza-
tion in this respect, as the cavalry and artil
lery have The effect would be to furnish
each regiment in the three arms with the
same number of officers, and to provide en-
ployment for something above 200 officers
among those now awaiting orders.
We do not regard this feature of the Head
quarters or War Department bill as one likely
to be sanctioned by Congress. 1t will be
urged, and with truth, that its effect is sim
ply to increase the army by so many extri
companies, aud that, however desirable suci
an increase may be on general grounds, th
is not the time, nor are Congress and the
people in the mood, to authorize any increas'
in the military establishment. Decrease, no
increase, is the watchword of the hour eco
nomy, not enlargement, the army policy o
Congress- Now, in the department reports
and in the division reports, which accompa
MED the late report of General Belknap, ant
even in the report of General Sherman himsel
there was no call for an increase eff the army
On the contrary, while all these reports tool
strong and convincing ground in favor O
maintaining the present strength of rank an
file, leaving all reductions to be made anon
officers, they showed that the work of tn
army at the South, among the Indians, o
the Pacific, in Alaska, and among the coas
wise garrisons of the Atlantic and the Gull
was we'll performed. With peace now prevs
! lent, thanks to the temperate policy of th
administration, both at the South and on th
Plains, and our English and Spanish outloo
, by no means stormy, there surely need be u
f increase of the military force. If it be sal
i that these accretions to the infantry fort
5 only provide places for officers already in en-
t ploy, it may properly be answered that v
must not create places which are not needle
and that the true remedy is to relieve fro
8 service.
1 THE COOKE CASE AGAIN
| from The ~ " World