The daily gazette., 1877-07-20
THE BRIGADIER IN WAITING.
HOW BADEAU BEDECK ED HIMSELF
TO DINE WITH THE DUKE.
To the Editor of the World


TO DINE WITH THE DUKE.
To the Editor of the World.
STR:--Your comments on that arrant
scrub, Captain and Brevet Brigade Gen
eral Adam Bedeau, in your yesterdays
World, have greatly amused this garrison.
BY reference TO the top of page 2l2 of the
Army Register for this year you will
there find recorded the military history of
this unmitigated military and civil snob.
be is. yea, verilyl Captain and Brevet
rigadier-Geheral on the retired list Of
the United States Army, and entitled 20
draw three-fourths of the full pay of
captain of infantry as long as he lives
(unless Congress should muster h m out)
which amounts to $3.50 per aunum-
enough 10 keep him from starving when
holding no other Government Office
Why, or for what reason, he was placed
on The retired list, and for what service
he wss brevetted four times [frsm Cap
tain to BriGadier- Gereral] will forever be
unknown. This retirement of officers
like Badeau is fruitful theme of abuse
and injustice, and ought to be overhauled
by Congress. The organization of the
entire army needs overhauling, but alas
members of Congress are N ore intent on
securing their reelection than serving
their country. Would we had more men
like "Hickory Jackson" Eaton of the
Senate, and "Live Oak' Randall Of the
House. (That's Presidential ticket for
you.) The army IS not too large, not
large enough, but the staff is entirely too
large, and the pay ditto. Look at Gene
raj Sherman's pay and allowances-S16,-
GOO per annum! The Secretary of War,
whose orders he must obey, gers but S.
600 per apnum And Sherman's office
is for life !; Secretary of Wars for four
years. Don't you think the salaries of
these two officials should be transposed
But there are many other glarirg detects
and abuses. Politics and pa:Ciality,-fa-
the advent of Grant aud his indented
crew of relatives.
Those who could and should have cor
rected these things have been hushed by
Grants dictum and imperiousness. Look
at the faVoritism shown in the stations of
staff Off rs! Take one Sc of the pay
department for example: Alexander
Sharp, a cousin or brother-in-law of
Grants was United States Marshal of the
Distsict of Columbia till Grant went out
and was then appointed by Grant a pay
master in the army. He is now stationed
in Washington paying The aicers there,
when he ought to be on the frontier, as
is the rule and clstom of thePay Depart
ment. But The present venerable Pay
master-General was Grants Captain dui-
ing the Mexican war, and was appointed
Paymaster General by Grant against the
wishes of many disting dished officers and
influential civilians. Hence his station
ing Sharp in Washington, where he has
no right. and from which place his sense
of delicacy should prompt him to be re-
lieved.
If the Pay Department were abolished
as it should be, leaving the captains of
companies to pay their men every month
as is the case in the English and other
foreign services, it would be an immense,
saving to the Government, and be rele
eating 70 civil life several paymasters
who should never have been appointed.
~ OFFICER.
Fort Columbus, New York Harbor,
July Is. ra nr t.r.,