New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-10-04
OUR ARMY ARISTOCRAOY.
THE EVILS OF MILITARY FAvoRTrTsM

FOR ORIGINAL MEASURES so As TO DIsCRIM-
MATE AGAINST vOLUNTEERs-THE ARMY
PETS AND THEIR PRINcELY PAY.
| IRON AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIB TRBUSBl
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27.-The Hon. Henry
Wilson pumes himself upon the services he has rendered
to the volunteer soldiers OF the country in his capacity
OF Chairman OF tho Military Committee OF the senate
He tries TO make tho soldiers believe that they 20
him all tho generous legislation of Congress, granting
them increased pay and large bounties during the
and additional bounes and special privileges upon the
public lands since the return OF These professions
of the asp for the vcePresidency are as hypoer
| cal as many others the Senator has made They have
imposed upon Of both PARTIES however, because no
familiar with the facts Of his Congress has
taken the pains 20 prick this bubble OF reputation which
he has assidnously blown for himself Mr. Wilson has
always endcavored TO arrogate himself credi,
the military legislation OF Congress.
ESTABLISHING REPUTATION ON OTHER MEMS WORKS
Soon after the close Of the he prepared book
rather his clerk prepared It for him. in which he gar
bled distorted aud altered the record OF the proceed
ings OF Congress 10 make himself figure the author
Of measures OF which he wrote line. In fact,
the represented him parent nearly every
law passed ar citing tho from 1901 10 1906 This
work he styled Military Legislation Of the War"
have a copy OF IL, but well remember the
rage a distinguished member Of the House was In when
he found measures upon which he had spent weeks OF
hard work, and the passage OF which had been due
almost solely HIS exeTtions, cooly appropriated
by the Massachusetts Senator. and appearing In his book
as introduced by Mr.. Wilson" Some Of the tricks
Wilson to resort 20 in order to get his name
upon q bill ridiculous as they were
contemplate. They so transparent that they
usually gave rise to amusement than anger among
the whose ideas he IN the habit OF stealing and
whose carefully prepared bills be often ched bodily,
with the change Of few words only. His custom
to watch the military bills or red the House, and
whenever he found one that had good points aud Yas
likely to pass that body, he would change q line or
word here and there, and perhaps add unimporant
section and would then offer IL in the Senate orig
lnal bill OF his II the House passed it, bill first,
Wilson would refuse TO consider II In his Committee, and
would insist upon passing his own bill through the Gen
ate. The matter usually went finally ~ Conference
Committee and when the bill got INTO the shape OF law
Wilson failed to have IL mentioned 10 the papers
as WILSON'S BILL" especially II it "a likely
to popular with the soldiers In Instances he
kept important House bills In his possession for weeks
and when pressed to pass them he sent to the House.
not the bills amended as is the custom when one House
makes changes in bills originating In the other, bat new
bills OF his covering Identical ground-his purpose
beng to get the credit Of originating them.
GROSS INJUSTICE TO VOLUNTEERS.
Every member OF Congress who has served sincc the
war, and who is at all familiar with the history Of the
legislation affecting the army and the discharged yolnn
teer soldiers that Wilson'S boast Of having been
tho champion Of the interests OF the volunteers sheer
old regular army in the Senate aud where any conflict
arose between the interests n tho regulars and the
volunteers the former has invariably had his support
1t long ago to be well understood In the Military
Committees Of both Houses that biz could get Wilson's
countenance until he hal taken it an the Adjutant-
Generals office, aud found whether IL met with the
Endorsement OF that antlquatod ar.toeratc, redape
loving Institution. II 1t did not, he would smother
it, unless the pressure for its passage became
too strong to be resisted in which ease no
would It docored up by the officers at the War
Department that the soldiers would get but small part
of the benefit they expected from 1t. The Bounty bill
passed in the XXXIXth Congress Is an example OF VIII
sons performances in this direction. There WERE
every soldier knows, grossly unjust inequalities In the
amounts paid to volunteers bounty money. Some
served three years and got but 500 bounty
ALL while others got 500 for few months weeks or
service. The House passed bill prepared By Gen.
schenc TO equslize these bounes as lar as possible.
Wilson substituted for It measure which only rendered
the inequality than before IL slcO to soldiers
who had received already $780, but made no provision
for thousands OF deserving soldiers who received
cent Of bounty. This substitute tackled upon an ap
preparation bill by Wilson and the House forced e.
accept II. The House in subsequent Congresses made
many attempts TO effect fair equalization OF bounties,
but they ali failed by of Wilson's covert oppos
ton in the Senate. The bills for this purpose which the
House passed never got out Of the pgeonhoes Of h.
committee room.
HENRY WILSON'S RESPONSIBILITY.
Senator Wilson, with the power given him by the
charrnanship which he holds, has controlled all
military legislation In the Senate for ten years
Acting always as the organ OF the regular army,
or rather Of that Oppressive and arrogant bureau
ocracy in the regular service that has grown up
In tho War parment he has secured the passage OF
many laws which make unjust Determinations against
the volunteers against the regulars who do the hard
field service the frontiers in favor of tho carpet
knights" who their large salaries sitting 10 easy
cushioned chairs in the War Office, and brave no peru
save having their rod in the press at the
fashionable receptions where they shine respondent Ia
untarnished buttons and gold lace IL is owing TO tho
legislation Wilson got through that staff officer
live at a fashionable hotel in Washington and drive his
own establishment the avenue. while line officer Of
the same rank, fighting Indians in Arizona, barely
gets pay enough TO feed and cothe his family. He Il
responsible too for abuses in the retirement OF
officers. long list OF officers drawing the retired
pay OF major-generals and brgadiergeneras who
only captains, majors colonies when retired Under
the provisions Of law Wilson slipped through officers
are receiving salaries of g. for doing ao-
soutey nothing who glad 10 get s. 900 or $500
when active service. propose into this matter
little in detail, because the law is recognized by the
whole army a outrageous piece OF injustice and
because the share Senator Wilson took In Its passage
shows hollow his pretenons Of affection for the
volunteers On the 9th OF july 1885, when the bill to re-
organize the regular army under consideration tho
following amendment was offered by Senator Howard:
That officers OF the regular army entitled 10 be retired
in battle may be retired upon the full rank the
held Them whether 10 the regular or volunteer
service at the time the wounds were received
Senator Wilson had undoubtedly got Howard TO offer
this he Immediately jumped up himself TO explain IT,
The following colloquy ensuedi
Mr. wilson-That proposition, I take II, means simply
this: large number OF officers OF the regular army
were made officers OF volunteers Some OF these officers,
rhan. q