New Orleans Republican., 1877-05-16
.aast. frss.at a9a Ea.ats b oar ArnyZ.


to provide for the support of the army
after June, so, 1877, and the refusal Of.
President Hayes to call an extra session
OF the Forty-htth Congress to supply che
wants Of thatarmy until October, bring
us face to face with very painful prob
lem. This problem is to measure the
exact amount Of suffering and privation
that win be felt by the officers and men
of the army, and to find out what classes
will suffer most. For the information of
general readers a brief summary Of the
way in which the army appropriation
proper is divided may not be here out of
place, and will help us to understand the
question.
The total army appropriation every
year is about S2i,000,000. 1t is esti-
mated to pay all expenses up to June 80,
the end of each fiscal year. Of this
amount, $l2, $40, 269 goes for pay of Off
GERS and men; about 81, 500, 600 for the
purchase of stores, provisions and am
munition; 50, 100000 for the repair and
construction of forts under the direction
of engineers; $3.50, 900 for the signal ser
vice, and 81, 1000, 600 more for transporta-
ton. These estimates are placed in round
numbers from the annual appropriation
estimates, all but the pay, which is exact.
OF the whole sum nominally for ''army
use" " it will thus be seen that only about
one-half is paid to the officers and men,
and that this sum only lasts each year till
June 80. In cast of failure to raise this
sum, it may be asked: Why not stop the
Notifications, use up old stores and apply
the savings in money to pay the army its
wages till Congress meetsP The answer
to this question is decisive. Such a
course would be illegal, and would sub
iect the Secretary of War, the President
| and all concerned to impeachment,
should the House prove hostile on reas-
sembly. Nothing is more certain than
this: After June 80 there is no legal way
for the government to pay the army. If
private parties, bankers and others,
choose to advance the money for the pay
of the intervening months, either to the
President, Secretary of War, Paymaster
General, Secretary of the Treasury or any
other person, including army officers and
men, such parties will have to do it on
their own private risks as loans to private
citizens, the government having no obi
| cation, other than a moral one, to pay the
sums advanced.
On whom then will the greatest distress
fall? There are several classes TO be con-
sidered in the matter: 1. Officers in SER
vice. 2. Enlisted men in service. 8. Re-
| tired officers. 4. Officers mustered out
after June 80. 5. Enlisted men dis
charged after June 80.
The first and second classes will suffer
| in an equal degree. The officers, who
have to buy all their subsistence will have
| to live very close on credit, paying their
| NTH khoir ouipnJ nr callintf THAR
pay accounts to the brokers in Washing
ton, who make specially of that sort of
| business. There are very few of these
brokers, all of them in Washington, and
most of them do business on very safe
margins of prsfit even when there is no
risk. In the present case, with three
months certain to wait, and Congress of
uncertain temper to vote at the end of that
time on the question Of paying army
at all, the least probable ''shave" will be
three per cent a month, more probably
five or six. AS the demand for money,
even on such terms, will be general and
the capital for such a risky business UNI
certain, it is clear tha4 all officers must
suffer, married men much more than sin
gle. Their only hope of avoiding posi-
tive want of food will be in running up
heavy bills at the post traders and COM
missaries, and even the last resourse will
be limited to the stores on hand June 80.
The enlisted men on duty will not suffer
80 much, as they need but little money
and have their food and clothing secure.
The delay Of pay will doubtless cause
grumbling and some desertions, but not
to any serious extent. 1t will be apt to
turn u good many enlisted Democrats into
Republicans by the most powerful OF
agents, the contrast between an empty
pocket and the memory of happier times,
with the responsibility for scarcity
charged, as the army always charges it, or
Congress. One class of enlisted men, how.
ever, will suffer very severely, and for them
there appears to be no remedy whatever
This class is composed of the men who
will be regularly discharged between JUNE
80 and the passage ofa supply bill. Will
all thess men the government will be sb
solutely forced to break faith. There viii
, be 10 way whatever by which they can b.
paid off, not only their last month or two
but all their retained pay, clothing bal
ance, and the other matters left open $50
, final statements" The number will b.
over thousand, and they will have o per
| feet right to call the United States gov
ernment league of swindlers, for it will
, clearly have committed breach of con
tract with them and forfeited the nationa
faith, solemnly pledged when they en-
listed. They will be utterly unable to sci
their pay claims, for no broker would bu
them on account of the risk. To an Off
Ger or man in service a broker will ad
: vance money, for he knows where to fin
his debtor. To an officer or man out c
, service no broker would advance cent
The risk would be too great, for such me
are no longer rresponsiblst to the goVernme1
5 and they could not be brought forwar
i three months after date, in case of troubl
: with their accounts, to testify to thei
correctness. Officers discharged in tn
! same time will fare equally badly, and th
worst feature Of the whole ease IS shat III
, failure Of the appropriations put the gov
ernment in the position of an open repu
1 diator of its obligations.
The only remaining class to be cor
sidered is the retired officers, men wh
having served their country well an
faithfully have been retired from actiy
, duty on account of disability contracte
in service These officers receive frol
, forty to seventy-fve per cent of the pay {
! their rank, and their salaries depend o
the same appropriations as those of th
rest of the army. They are almost a
married, with families dependent on the
pay, and one Of the features of their cor
ditieH that will be particularly hard
that they are not allowed by law to tal
any State or government position withor
forfeiting their pay, and if they engage
| civil life. orsa olxva EahIa - ho cvS,.,