The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-03-15
VOL. XVIII, .,.
IN ). n. ~ ...i.- p y
Logan's Bin and the Army Ring,

NIG0b ChOAtS az 0SAuk5 AA4aIS w ohAAy
officers at Washington to defeat General
LoGAN's army bill in the Senate. Wcarc
aware that the army ring is the most conf
pact and powerful ring at Washington,
and TINT the Senate asa whole cannot be
depended on 70 lcgislate IN hyor Of real
economy on lis merits: still at seems
scarcely credible that anything could &C.
riorsly cndangcr the passage Of that meas.
urc through tho Senate, in substance at
least Us it passed the House. No one
measure of equal merit has yet passed eitll'
or House of Congress. .|!.
There Is no combination represented al
Washington exercises an influence SO in
lmical to the simplicity and economy ol
genuine ep1blicaniEm in the Government,
as what may bc accurately described as
tho regular army ring; which finds a,sort
Of head at West Point, but flourlShes in
all its might and glory at Washington.
There Is none that exercises so much pow
or in moulding affairs at the National Capt.
tal, nor one that asserts itself more con-
stantly and imperiously.
The attempt to bring to account for
mGladmihishation of lils office The present
Chief OF Ordnance, md the failure to do
so, was u single instance Of the power
Of .,thib ring of which Sws.!. hap.
pen 10 know something from per.
sOnal observation. Every army off,
Ger in Washington, from SHERMAN
down, interested himself rin screening
DYER from exposure and Justice; and
Gen. SHERMAN went 50 far rs to write an
offensive and impertinent letter to Senator
HOWARD, denouncing the investigation by
the Joint committee whereof Mr.. HOWARD
was chairman !as an .inquisition. Those
prosecuting the, investigation were civil
ians; md although the Testimony TAX
en- by the Committee exposed damn
ing corruption in tho Ordnance Bureau
the President saw no reason for removing
the head of the bureau, and tho military
court nothing even to be ccnSured. The
whole army ring, from centre to circum'
ference, cxerted its influence to sustain
DYER and discredit his accusers. Why :
was it out Of mere iclannishness or
sympathy, or because if the detences ol
the ring were once invaded and investtga-
tion once begun, no one felt safe, for no
one could loresce where It would end?
Nowhere In the Government as In the
War and Navy Departments have such
l.vaAt appropriations been spent with SO
little restraint or responsibility on those
ilisburstng them. 1t has been the custom
on the part of the heads in these depart
ments to make their demands, and OF
Congress to comply with them without
question. Lattcrly there has been dis
position to inquire little moro into the
necessity Tor the sums required IN this
quarter but still nobody ventures to sup
pose that my investigation into tho opera
lions of these departments Of the Govern
mcnt for few years past would be tolera'
ted. IN y.tsn&ri
We like Gen. IIogaGs hill for several
reasons. 1t Is q measure Of economy. II
proposes to save about three million dol
lars year, now squandercd on martinets
l.of the army uselcssly. We, DO not under
rate at all.thO services rendered BY some
Of these men during tho war; but q. great
many of them earned their stars and
laurels in Washington, while tho volunteer
solliCry, fltly represented in Logan him
sell, were in tho front doing, tho real fight
iRE Ii the volmteeE retire when the
war Is over and rc.cnter the civil walks Of
life, why not retire d few Of these super
tluous brigadicrs, who drew iat salaries
during tue war, who have received finish
cd education at the expense Of tho Gov
crnment and who If their education Is
worth anything could succeed in almost
any vocation Of lIfeG It's well to keep up
whatever army We need. 1t is not well
to support, in addition, horde Of elu'
Gated men on large pay, at Government
expense, with nothing to do, except
loaf at tho sent Of Government and cor
rupt the stream of republican institutions
ut the fountain head, by combining and
plotting to maintain military aristocracyr
and to make tho Government and Its
treasury subs@vient to their purpose. VIC
| like LoaAN's bill because It strikes at this
military caste and dlmiuishes itS re-
sources and power I ..,. .|I,<
We like It further because it not only
reduces thc salaries of the General and
Lieutenant General to more reason
able figure, but because 1t terminates
those grades Of office with the death Of
the incumbents. These grades Of rank
were created out Of compliment to two
men whose services wcro thought SC
eminent as To-, merit that distinction
When GRANT ceased to he General, tho
grade should have died. Tho compliment
paid him by creating the rank was dc,
stroyod by comforting 1t on another; and
so with reference to the Lieutenant Gen
eralcy and SHERMAN. But II Is no moro
titles like these that embaIm these men
or others who have done grratservice, in