Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-05-11
seDuc,sa TINE ARMY.

REDUCING TINE ARMY.
The >kel-son 20 l,e R~.Sk~lctI,~A aud Pay
Cut Down.
Washington, May The subcommittee
Of which Mr.. Hewitt, of New York, is
chairman. having the army bill in charge,
have agreed upon bill, which they will re-
port to the full committee tomorrow. 1t
reduces the number o. enlisted men, which,
includes the entire rank and file, from twen-
ty-fite thousand to twenty thousand, but by
ito changes in reducing the number Of Off
GERS it makes reduction of privates from
eeventeen thousand TO fifteen thousand in |
round numbers. The bill proposes to re-
duce the number Of regiments from forty to
twenty-aix by cutting down the infantry reg
iments from twenty five TO fifteen, and the
cavalry from ten TO six, leaving the number
Of artillery regiments unchanged.
The proposed consolidation of certain
staff depar ,ments, and the reduction Of
others, is referred by the bill to a board con.
sisting Of three major generals. This covers
the consolidation of the subsistence and the
quartermasters' departments, and the reduc-
ton of the pay and medical departments.
The rank held BY the chief Of one Of these
departments is reduced 10 colonel. but with
out affecting the rank Of the present COM
mander. The changes in the re 1imental or
ganization, as we'll Is sundry changes in staff.
rank, the number Of aids, and other ques-
tions of detail, are adopted without change
from the army organization bill prepared
BY Banning. The reduction in the number
of regimcnte, as we'll as other changes pro-
posed by the bill, will largely lessen the
number of officer. now needed. This surplus
| IN IN, I>n Iofs s,&% Arv of
fcer whose services are no longer needed
can resign, receiving pay and allowances for
one or more years up to four, in proportion
to his term Of service. The board already
mentioned, made up of three major gener-
ais Of the army, will receive and pass upon
reports from the department commanders
giving officers incompetent to perform their
duties and will decide in each case whether
a discharge shall be ordered. The officers
remaining will be placed upon a supcrnu.
merary list, drawing full pay and allowance,
from whom all new appointments In the
future are to be made, to the exclusion Of
all selections from evil life While await
ing these vacancies these snpernumerary
officers may be detailed by the Or. sident to
discharge the duties of any civil officer un.
der the government. As somewhat care.
full calculation shows there will not be more
Than one hundred sud fifty to two hundred
supernumerary officers, it is believed by the
sub committee that employment can be
economically found for them ALL The pres
ident is given power to discharge any o.
these officers, provision deemed wise tt
secure the execution Of such duties as they
be detailed To. In detailing with the pay
of the army, Mr. Hewitt has taken diff
erent course from ;hat adopted by Bragg. The
latter's reductions, varying from 43 to Is
i per cent, were heavy in the higher grades,
where the officers were few, and for the
most part !, ss in the lower grades, where
the Officers are numerous, leaving untouch
ed the pay proper as fixed by Logan's army
bill. Mr.. Hewitt proposes to make re
duction Of 20 per cent. on the entire sun
received by each officer, through a reduc
tion of the allowances.
The allowance for rooms, for instance, i
reduced from Sls to 50 per room, the mum
Der of rooms oeing left unchanged. Th
salutary form proposd by Bragg of allowin
forage only for horses in active service i
retained. The bill, compared with pre-
vious bills, is much the most consistent an
carefully considered scheme for army re
form brought before congress for years past
It'is the only bill for reducing the arm
and cutting down its load of officers whc
has now the least chance Of passing this cor
gress.