The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1878-02-22

The following are the principal provisions
of Gen. Banning's bill for the reorganiza-
tion of the army:
The number of enlisted men is reduced
to 10000. The cavalry regiments are re-
duced from ten to six the artillery regi-
ments from five to three, and the infantry
regiments from twenty-five to fifteen. The
infantry regiments will consist of three bat
talions of four companies each, of which
two battalions shall constitute the peace
establishment. The Adjutant- General S
and Inspectors Generals departments are
reduced and reorganlzed, and certain of
| the grades are to be filled by details from
the line of the army. The Bureau of Mill
tary justice is abolished, and an officer,
with the rank of colonel, is to be detailed
as Judge Advocate. The Quartermaster' s
and Subsistence Departments are to be
consolidated into one department., to be
styled the department of Supplies" in
which the different grades are to be filled
by details from the line of the army. The
Medical Department, for the present, re-
mains unchanged, but the Secretary of War
is required to report to the next session Of
Congress what reductions can be made in
that department. The Paymaster-G General
is to be colonel /; the grade of Deputy Pay
master-General is abolished, and the num-
Der of paymastsrs reduced from ffty-two to
twenty-five. A board, consisting of the
three brigadIer-generals, provided for in
the bill, is to report plan for the reorgan-
ization of the Engineer Corps and she Ord
nance Department. The number of major
generals and brigadier- generals is reduced
to one of the former and three of the latter.
AS vacancies occur in these grades, general
officers are allowed the following aids:
General, three (no limit to rank) Major
General, two (not above rank Of Major)
Lieutenant General, two (not above rank
of Major); Brigadier-General two (from
first or second Lieutenants). The officers
detailed shall receive no increase Of rank or
pay on account of such detail, and shall
have served at least five years with their
commands and no detail is to be for more
than FIVE years. No officer below the rank
of Colonel is to be promoted without first
having passed an examination, and if he
fail to pass he shall be suspended for one
year, and then be re-examinea. All ap--
polntments to, and vacancies in, the grade
of second lieutenant shall be filed by grad
yates Of West Point and non-csmmissioned
officers of the army. The headquarters of
the army in time of peace shall be in Wash
ington, and all orders are to be issued
through the General of the army. Details
of officers as presidents of colleges, ETC..
shall only be made from those on the re-
tired list. Officers are to be retired at the
age IF sixty two, OR after they have served
forty five years; but officers having received
a vote of thanks from Congress may be re-
tanned until they have served tifty-five
years. Recruiting is localized, and may
be done by details of officers from each reg
iment. Extra lieuteaants, as adjutants
and quartermasters are abolished, and such |
Offices are to be filled hereafter by regimen |
tai detail of some rank. The President is |
aWt R0flZed TO HdRG icy ulatto1s Ioi s2C /
army, provided that the chiefs of staff de- |
partments, in matters of accountability and |
shall be under the secreta-
sary of War, and, in matters connected with
military operations, shall be chiefs of staff
TO the General of the army. Hereafter no
civilians are to be professors at the Military
Academy, but professorships shall be filed
by details from the army. Whenever Con-
gress shall fail to make the necessary appro-
priations for the support of the army, it
shall be disbanded at tho expiration of the
sscal year for which such appropriations
have been made.
Should this bill and the pay bill intro
iuced by Gen. Banning become law, it is
sstimated that an annual saving of at least
s6, 000, 600 will be made in the expenses OF
he army, while the fighting strength will
sot be materially reduced.