The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-12

maiady Hig Votes m the senaIe so far show that
ne has neither forgeten NJ. iorelven Tue ICES o. ms
all others as administration Senator's. But VII.
son and the army are not less the objects OF
favorite topic OF speech an action. His Army bill
Is his specially, and 1t has enabled him 10 tickle the
popular ear and perhaps t., pave the way for some
necessary reforms. In the grave. gifted and cuiIi
valed body to which he now belongs ne cannot
House, and 10 lose any part OF his dearly priced
notoriety would be 10 lose Ill chance oil attaining TO
mol know everything but lie believes ne has great
dea OF knowledge concer ming army matters. He
has been in the campand The held as well as in the
military councils OF the rational Legislature He
courage to decline unusual honors accorded TO other
he IS not a duliard. Wilson cannot but regard his
presence in the Senate Military Committee as a
source OF danger. and tho ugh the Western Senator
his new position, 1t ID certain that he vial
opeey cps n bs M is astendea to
as the strategic c0uIteGpoint to ms ambitious
designs and levelling propensities. The double.
headed arstOcracy may be successful; and yet, II
General Logan Is half as discreet as ne 10 gallant,
he Will manage to make some ugly thrusts and be
waning popularity OF Wilson and some military
legislation desired by the administration, to which
VIII make his task all the more easy and may bring
him nearer TO the realization OF his ambitious hopes
than oven his most sanguinc friends anticipate.
THE HYDRA-uEADED MONsTEK-wHAT Is NEEDED.
Anything like full conception Of the immensely
OF the task General Logan has before him can only
be formed after o complete survey OF that hydra
headed monster, the army, us history, numbers,
organization. distribution. duties, uses and abuses.
II General Logan mad made himself compete mas
ter OF all these points, and had set them forth with
half the fervor hedisplayed IN his celebrated speech
In contrasting our forces with the forces OF Euro.
pean Powers, only to have his comparisons picked
to pieces. he would have put himself IN much
more impregnaDe position. This mas never been
done in q manner at once accurate, minute and
popular, and General Logan's bill fell as Tar short
Of being real panacea for the Ills OF which he
COmDlQlQeu o
statement or the grounds OF MS complaint Fyro-
Of III w aud e want ' Of
comprehenSiveness III reform. especially IN army
REFORM Is generally worse than the Ills OF an esab-
llshment winch has grown up with the wants. or
apparent wants. of tho country. Ii General Logan
intends going no further than the passage OF bill
ferred this letter. all criticisms as to the neces-
SHY and usefulness OF which can be at least pausl.
bly, cOntroverted, he might as well not attempt any
| measure at all What Ii needed Is a complete re-
! organization upon system so thorough ana SO
1nas az, tne ~ he as satSacon ~
the country. This may or may not be what General
Logan Intends but II Is scarcely to be expected that
he nas yet matured plan so unanswerable, SO
comprehensive and so beneficial as to meet all the
requirements OF the CASE
Such a bill as the General Supply bill, which II Is
understood General Logan Is to champion In the
Senate this winter, or one like his Army Reform bill
OF last year, would only revive the ancient anlmosl-
ties Of the line against the stair and while 1t might
lop away few Onicers 1t is doubtful H. under the
existing organization, 1t can be made OF any prac-
tical value. glance at the working Of q single
section Of the law passed last winter illustrates the
danger OF tinkerlng at army legislation. General
Logan's pay schedule, or whatever else we may
choose to call It, Is an anomaly which, Instead OF
saving money TO the government, has increased the
expenses OF the War department. IN the matter or
pay alone nearly two million dollars. The table OF
pay, subsistence servants allowances, &c, allowed
passage or this act was, somewhat complicated
document and 1t Is given here in q form as much
simpIfed as possible IL must be understood that
all these figures apply to officers on duty as In the
cases OF major and brgadier generals not COM
handing divisions or departments the allowances
not quite as large. The following Is The table
under the old system or the
OF THE ARMY.