The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-26
THE ARMY BILL.


THE ARMY BILL.
GENERAL SHERMAN has written letter to
Senator Wilson, Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Military Affairs, on the sub
ject of the Army bill passed recently by the
House of Representatives, in which he criti-
cizes some of its most prominent features
with considerable severity. The reasons
urged by General Sherman against the bill
are certainly weighty, and will commend
themselves to that spirit of justice in the
people of the United States that ought to be
the governing motive in considering ques-
tion of this kind The pretext for the pas
sage of the bill was economy, and the pro-
posed saving to the Government is to be
accomplished by reducing the number of
officers in the higher grades, by abolishing
some of these grades, and by reducing the
pay and allowances of the general officers.
AS an offset to this, the pay of some of the
lower grades is increased; and General Sher-
man contends that instead of saving being
effected, this will increase the expenses over
100000. The object of the bill is certainly
good one, and saving ought to be effected
by reducing the army expenses if it can pos
sibly be done without injustice. But the
officers of the army have rights in this matter
that, for the good of the country, cannot be
set aside, except under circumstances of
urgent necessity, such as do not exist in this
instance. The efficacy and discipline of the
army cannot be maintained unless the officers
are assured of their positions; and, granting
that there are more officers now than the
exigencies of the service during period of
profound peace demand, the country can bet
ter afford to pay the expense than to do q
gross act of injustice by thro wing them
over. Young men who enter the army give
up their opportunities for advancement in
civil life: they qualify themselves for a pro-
fession that requires talents, energy, and u
large proportion of the highest mental and
physical endowments, aud they agree to
take their chances of slow promotion, small
pay, and hard work, holding themselves III
readiness to perform whatever duty is re-
quired of them. The Government, for its
part enters into plainly understood con-
tract with them to retain them in its service
during life or good behavior, and to advance
them to the highest honors of their profess
sion as opportunity may offer or their ser
vices merit How we'll the officers of the
army have fulfilled their obligations every
body knows, and it is but poor reward that
is offered to them in this bill, by which many
of them will be turned adrift when incapa-
citated for any civil employment, and re-
duced to poverty by a niggardly policy that
is no credit to its authors. The army officers
should receive the cordial sympathy and sup
port of the entire public in this matter,
and we hope sincerely that the pressure of
public opinion will induce the Senate to re-
move the most obnoxious features of the bill.
The fact is that in this, as in many other
instances, our Congressman commence to re-
trench at the wrong end. While the House
of Representatives is willing to save money
by rank injustice to class of men who are
the most honest and efficient of the
Government employees, it is in no
haste to reorganize our civil service and to
do away with the disgraceful bartering of
offices that is bringing our whole system of
government into discredit 1t Is in no
haste to reduce the number or the salaries of
the hungry crowd of office-holders and
hangers-on who every year draw millions of
lIOh oAO AtOubuIy WlInOuJ giving
any adequate return by their services. But
these men have political influence, and the
officers of the army have not. The conse-
quence is that the latter must suffer, while
the former are privileged to get all they can
and keep all they can get without serious fear
of any interference with their perquisites.
The Army bill is direct violation of faith
on the part of the Government towards the
,fficers of the army, and with the many op-
rtunities for retrenchment and reform that
resented by the civil service, it will be g
lit to Congress and the country if the
passes it in it's present shape.
hat the order recently issued by the Rus
'ent for the introduction OF the Russian
the Roman Catholic liturgy has pro
different result TO that which had beer
The object OF this measure was to spread