National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-05
PRonoTToNs IN TIE ARMY

7
The action of the Senate in refusing to
incumber the bill, passed on Thursday last,
fixing the number of paymasters in the
United States army at fifty, with restric-
tons as to whom the President should or
should not appoint to fill the vacancies that
may be created by the bill or occur here
after, is commendable one. During the
debate that occurred while the bill was
under consideration, Senator Logan de-
clared that he ''did not believe in combining
1.-The President to any particular class from
(which to make the appointments. He was
mot afraid to trust the President. and that
sentiment will be re-echoed by the army
and those who are interested in its thorough
organization.
Another measure now before the Senate,
which has been reported on favorably by
the Military Committee, meets with the ap-
proval of those who have the welfare of the
army at heart. We refer to the bill to open to
appointment and promotion the lower grades
in the Medical and Ordnance Departments.
In the Medical Department the number of
officers has decreased to such an extent as
to seriously injure the service and to inter-
fere materially with the wants of soldiers
suffering from disease or wounds. To sup
ply this deficiency, to certain extent, the
Surgeon Generals Office has been com
PEELED to employ medical men to attend to
the wants Of the sick and rate them as act
ing assistant surgeons, but they are not re-
sponsiBle to the Government, and, not being
regularly commissioned officers, do not, in
great many instances, pay that attention
to the wants of the Medical Department
that regular surgeon would.
In the Ordnance Department a similar
deficiency Of officers exists, and the best in
terests of that branch of the service suffer
from its effects.
mall well-regulated Governments the first
duty should be to keep up with the i'm
provements of the age In every respect, and
to be prepared for any emergency that may
arise No department under our Govern
ment needs more encouragement than that
whose duty it is 'tin time of peace to pre-.
s'pare for war" How can officers who are
debarred from just promotion be expected
to show the same zeal in the performance Of
their duties that they would if allowed to
obtain higher rank when it was deserved?
1t is now over five years since the law stop
ping promotions in the staff was passed.
The bill recently reported from the House
Military Committee entitled "a bill to pro
"vide for the gradual reduction of the
army" does not seem to meet with much
favor. The first section of the bill provides,
"That in the cavalry, artillery and infantry
regiments there shall be no new commits
"sions, no promotions nor any enlistment
"until the number of cavalry regiments
"shall be reduced to nine, the artillery t.
"four and the infantry to twenty"
Whether, in view of the fact that the In
dian has not reached that degree of civil
cation that it would be safe to trust him
alone with the settler, and the aspect of pc.
| litical affairs In two or three of the Statei
being rather stormy, the reduction of thu
army at the present time would be judi
cious act on the part of Congress, is a mat
ter that will admit of serious doubt. Should
the bill pass in its present form, it viii de
bar the President from issuing commission
to the young men who may be graduated a
the Military Academy next June, and whom
the Government has been at the expense o
educating and it viii prevent the re-enlist
ment when their time expires, Of men WHIT
have been in the service from five to invent.
years, and who are well drilled and con
J versant with the duties of o soldier. An
other section Of the same bill provides ''tha
whenever vacancy shall occur In an,
department or corps of the staff, it shal
! "be filled by detail, &c. This section
Objectionable to the majority of the me
who periled their lives in the country's de
I fence during the war on account of its ez
: elusive provisions, and it hampers the Pres
ident in making appointments in the sta
corps.
i The ''army bill, approved July %, 1866
uroyided that when vacancies occurred i
! certain departments Of the staff, they coul
. be filed from among the volunteer officer
} and soldiers, surgeons or quartermaster
as the case may be. who have rendere
( meritorious service during the late wa
: Thepresent bill gives no such latitude. and
is unfair and unjust to shut out brave me
: who have risked their lives In defence
. the Government, or compel them to re-ent'
: the service again on the lowest step OF u
Q military ladder. and go up with mere boy
Q who never served the country an hou
9 until they attain the rank sufficient to wa
: rant their detail on the staff IS the bill pr