Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-27
PRUNING THE BIG ARMY.
What the Ne,c Banning Bill Proposes
WASHINGTON Post. Feb. 23l

What the Ne,c Banning Bill Proposes.
Washington Post, Feb. %,
The bill for the reorganization of the
army, introduced some time since by Gener-
al Banning and referred to the military COM
mittee, came from that committee remod-
eled, rejuvenated and reformed to such an
extent as to be scarcely recognizable by its
father. Many of the original features have
been retained, but others have been incor-
porated and still others greatly modified.
The bill indicates, by its provisions relative
to the salaries and allowances of officers, that
the recent searching Investigations Of the
'sstaff have not been in vain.
The following is a synopsis of the bill as
favorably reported by General Bragg and
recommended for passage day before yester-
day. Section first fixes the salaries of Off
GERS as follows: General, $4,000: Lieuten-
ant-General, $1,000; Major-General, $4,000;
Brigadier- General, $4,000; Colonel, $500;
Lieutenant-Colonel,$ $4,000; Major, So, 500;
Captain (mounted), $1,000; Captain mot
mounted), $1,000; Adjutant, $1,000: Regi-
mental-Q uartermaster, $1,000; First-Lieu-
tenant (mounted), 81 800: First-Lieutenant
(not mounted), $1,4OO; Second Lieutenant
(mounted), $1,4OO; Second-Leutenant not
mounted), $1,000; Chaplain, 81, 400; Ordi
nance Storekeeper, ST. 800.
Section two provides that forage in kind
may be furnished to the officers by the quar-
termaster's department only for horses kept
and actually used by such officers in the per-
Torrance of their official duties when actually
on military duty with troops in the field as
follows: 10 the general, five horses; lieu
tenant-general, five: major-general, four;
brigadier- general, two: colonel, lieutenant
colonel, major, adjutant, reg imental-quarter-
master and mounted captains and Geuten-
ants, two horses each.
Section third provides for the adjustment
| of all allowances in the shape of quarters,
fuel and all other extras heretofore allowed.
The allowance for longevity of service of ton
per cent. increase of salary for every five
years is also abolished for all offices above
the grade of captain The effect of this will
be to conf1ne officers to the barracks provid
ed Ky the government. That is to say, they
will have to live in quarters or pay their own
house rent and hotel bills.
Section fourth provides that in every Off
cial army register hereafter published, there
| shall be tabulated statement showing
| and allowances to which every officer, of
the army, is entitled by law.
| The Dibrel bill, to fix the pay of certain
enlisted men of the army, which has also
passed the committee and been reported
favorably to the House, provides the ser
geants, majors of cavalry, artillery and in
fantry, shall each be paid 1874 per month:
quartermaster-s argeants of cavalry, artillery
and infantry, 1913 per month; chief trumpet
er of cavalry, 1924; principal musicians of ar
tillery and infantry, 1914: saddler sergeant of
cavalry, 1924; first sergeants of cavalry, artil
lery and infantry, 1913; sergeants of cavalry,
artillery and infantry, 1924; corporals of cav
airy, artillery and infantry, $50.
| It will be observed that these bills provide
for cutting down the salaries of the higher
grades whose duties are chiefly of
the ornamental kind, while those
of the captains, ieutenants and
non commissioned officers who do
the work, are all increased. The best fea-
ture of the bill, and the one that will worry
the Adjutant- Generals department more
perhaps than any other, is the e1plicitness
of the language employed in regard to forage
and other allowances. Should this bill be-
come law, it will put end to the prac-
| tise, disclosed by the recent investigation of
the staff, of keeping horses at government
expense for the benefit of the families of the
gorgeous gentlemen who do and die for their
country in the national capital and other
large cities of the country.