The New York herald., 1876-02-22
HERALD TUESDAY % SHEET


not also buy and beans and beef and bread for the
men, II is fact that At nearly all the important mil
itary posts in the country lieutenant performs the
combined duty Of quartermaser and commissary, and
makes purchases and issues in both departments, and
the duties OF both departments done well Az all
the different headquarters there is stationed an ohcer
OF high rank from each department. the Commissary
and Quartermaster'a One could perform the duty OF
both, and in such not only to to the
government the amount required to pay the salary,
cost OF fuel quarters forage &C. OF the other but as
the quartermaster has TO provide transportation for
the supplies purchased by the commssary the latter
often buys from parties and localities remote from
the place at which the supplies are needed that the
additional and unnecessary cost Of transportation adds
largely to the total expense Of the government This
additional expense could be avoided II the purchasing
ocer and the to provide transportation were one
and the same.
The Surgeon Generals Department, II overhauled by
energetic Congressional committee, would reveal
much that Is costly and useless. Thousands upon thou
sands OF dollars OF public money is annually thrown
away under the direction Of the Surgeon General in the
publication Of books that Of more value or bene
nt to tho army than so much blank paper. Take the
Medical and Surgical History Of the War; useful work
doubt In its way and for special class of people,
but OF apparent probable value to the army or 10
any but medical students II the government Is going
to set itself up as medical and surgical college and
provide its text books II is all very WELL but the
records show that not less than $50 900 has been placed
in the hands of the Surgeon General by former Con-
crosses to defray the expenses OF publication Of
single book The tendency is observable in tho
Surgeon Generals Department as in the Quarter
masters and Commissary departments-the herding
together at comfortable stations in the large cities
of an m mher of a oh
while the harder and moro dangerous duty upon tho
frontier Is performed largely by unlimited number
OF hired civilian DOCTORS These latter receive about
the pay and emouments of second lieutenant yet the
number who may be appointed is not restricted by any
law, nor are they required to possess any particular
qualification ability In order to the appoint
ment A proper distribution OF the medical ofhcers
now authorized by law would do away with the great
expense incurred by the employment Of civilian
doctors The Surgeon General has authority to appoint
as many hospital stewards he sees A. The conse-
quence is there enough hospital stewards scattered
over the country hidden away in the Surgeon
Generals office, as clerks messengers &C. TO supply an
army of $50 900 Yet these hospital stewards
among the highest rank and most expensive OF the
non commissioned officers OF the army many Of them
being located where the government has to hire
expensive rooms for their use as quarters
II the Congressional OF reduction, even utter
abolishment is fall upon either OF the ssaf corps
the whose considerable curtailment complete
blotting from existence would be followed with the
least regret 10 the misnamed Bureau OF Military JUS
tce. which, until recently, presided over by Holt
II the justice pedded out by this bureau is military
justice let pray hereafter to receive justice OF
unmiltary kind. When the army was formerly main
tanned at strength but little inferior TO the present
force officer, with the rank Of major was found
capable of discharging the entire duty distributed
among one brigadier general and eight majors Con-
gress has already provided by law that when the
Der OF judge advocates became reduced to four that
number shall be maintained the future strength Of
the bureau II the present Congress would study the
wants Of the service It would make still further
duct,on. The decisions Of Hot's bureau have done
more defeat military justice, interpreted the
army than any other single The trouble has
been that the bureau loaded down with such in
different lawyers, men who, probably, could not
coed in the practice OF law In civil life that In review
ing tried by military courts the object seemed to
be not TO punish offenders but TO make weak display
Of legal knowledge by qubbling some unimpor-
tant technically by which loophole would be dis
covered resulting In the escape Of denquents from
deserved punishment The rolls OF the army to-day
show the names OF officers who, by verdict Of their
peers and the laws and customs OF the service,
pronounced guilty OF conduct unbecoming officer
and gentleman, the penalty Of which is disgraceful
DISMISSAL yet these offenders have been enabled to
escape through echnicalities to which the army was
formerly stranger Il will not do, however to re
quirc the Bureau Of Military Justice it is called to
bear the responsibility OF all these unworthy restora
tiena There is in point Of ex-oicer Of the
army, resident Of this city, who brought before
the famous Benzine Board, years ago, and expelled
from the service account OF drunkenness and gen.
era ine1icency His rank then that Of captain In
the line It was universally admitted then and never
contradcted since, that his expulsion from the army
was q proper and commendable act; but through
political and family influence this man, who
was thus deemed unworthy to hold the
rank Of captain, has succeeded obtaining
simply his restoration to his former rank his
appointment 10 a grade higher than he would have
attained had his conduct and record been unim-
peachaole tha. OF Major and Paymaster Of the Cned
States Army. The who could not be intrusted
with simple duties and responsibilities of cap
tain in the line is now appointed 70 place where
millions Of tho public funds pass through his hands
No wonder we occasionally have Paymaster Hodge
affair." Fortunately the appointment OF this hangs
fire in the Senate, and may be that the sober
OF that body may the service the humiliation OF
numbering It's list 30 unworthy a name
While the reforms promised already by the house
Committee greatly to be desired, looping OF as
they do needless expenses on the army without i'm
pairing reducing its strength It is to bo feared that
they may encounter serious opposition In the Senate
Logan s the chairman of the Military Committee there
and dislikes to see any measure affecting the army
prevail in the preparation Of which Logan did not
have hand or, TO use the words Of Babcock, ''You
know what sensitive Logan is" But OF this
moro hereafter
HUSBAND RUCHRED.