The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-13
THE NEW ARMY BILL.
WHY GENERALS SHERMAN AND sCHoFIELD SUP
PORT IT.


There has been rumor prevailing to the effect that
when Senator Burnside's bill printed General
Sherman sent copies of it to many prominent army
officers asking their opinions of it's merits and that
he afterward published such as were favorable to the
bill and suppressed those which were not so. 1t is
fair to say that General Sherman denies this, and
probably the rumors arose from the very limited
number of letters which the General has been able to
publish in favor of the bill. Certain it is that
have seen but four in all-namely. his own to Burn
side and those of Generals Schofeld, Hancock and
Upton to sherman.
Will you allow me in one brief sentence to state
that these gentlemen thus publicly signify their APP
proval of the new Army bill with the full knowledge
that it is a bad measure. but willing to swallow it
whole for the sake OF sops it contains. trusting
to future legislation to eradicate the many serious
evils of the bill it stands? And will you allow me-
briefly possible to explain the probable motive
for this action?
Passing General Uptons letter, because the
only merit he appears able to discover in the bill is
that it will give to General Sherman unlimited
power to reward" his pets, come to
General Hancock's letter. II think says this
General, 'that the bill has good things
in it," which is at all unlikely, it
is volume OF 800 pages, three-fourths of it being
being made up of the very excellent present revised
statutes and regulations General Hancock also re-
fers las if to fact admitting dspute to the sen
croachment and greed of the staff for power" and
states that the staff and line of the army hos
tile array to each other" These among the few
dishonest words which General Hancock has
uttered it is certainly the only nonsense which
have ever seen from his pen. Finally General Han
cock comes to the conclusion that there will not be
much harm done il the staff suffer some by the Burn
side bill" The frankness OF this statement is
worthy of the man. although its motive is not credit
able. In his testimony before the Banning
Committee two years since General Hancock
had no complaint to make about the staff and did
not see that any reduction in the strength OF the
various departments could be properly made. Why
this sudden change OF opinion? for. by the pending
bill it is not proposed to make the staff "sufer
some, but to arbitrarily dismiss from their positions
than one-haf of the trained officers of six staff
departments nen i'll the prime of life having from
five to twenty-five years OF experience). to set them
aside on starving pittance three years, if
driven from the service in the meantime Nor is it
pretended that their services are unnecessary;
the contrary captains and lieutenants OF the line
commanding general or commanding influence for
the purpose of filling the places vacated in
detailed every three years, to get smattering Of
technical knowledge, OF no benefit to them or the
service and of great cost to the governmentand all
for what As General Upton says. in order that
may reward the meritorious is If an officer
show himself an efficient captain i'll command of
troops put him foS three years at ordnance fabrca
ton If another distinguish himself "bold
sabreur" make him temporary dispenser of pork
and beans and il another is strong in relatives and
brave in intrigue. make him an agent OF Transports
ton a judge advocate.
But was to have explained possible reason for
this sudden change OF view on the part OF General
Hancock, and must confess that at loss to do
So unless il may be found in recent triangular
small arsenal from the Ordnance Department. under
the Secretary Of War; to the military headquarters i'll
New York.
There is not the slightest difficulty however, in ac-
counting for General Shermans appreciation of the
bill the active interest Of General Schoheld.
manifested by their letters. Both of these gentle
m q n
creased power for the future.
civil officer the Secretary of War; under another
civil officer 1.-THE President, commander chiet
by wise provision of existing laws, controls the
disbursing and administrative branches of tho
army-that is. the staff corps in other words, the
property and purse strings OF the army. This con-
troll is direct and need not BIO exercised through the
General OF the Army, whose functions are purely
military. There is not time to discuss this point at
length Suffice it to say that it is by many regarded
as efectual bulwark against military die
tatorship, whether pronounced sugar coated
Doubtless as a people, VIC are too wise, too
good, too patriotic, united and viruous to contem-
plate however remotely such a contingency. just as
we too united and patriotic ever to get up a
civil war. Yet there are men with regulations as
statesmen who are perverse enough to think that IAN
ounce of prevention is worth pound of care, and
that the existing laws ON this subject are wisely
framed
Carry your memory back few years. Mr.. Editor,
and you will call to mind the quarrel between Sec
rotary Rawlins and General sherman, the angry
removal to St. Louis of sherman because the Presi-
dent found II impossible to sustain him and
General Schofed in their mutual and friendly agree
ment to prostitute the Office of Secretary OF War;
held temporarily by the latter. Then cast your eye
over the following correspondence and the revelation
is complete But first allow Inc to quote few pun
gent words from an opponent OF this bill. although
special friend of the army
General Grant. who won his chief command in a
that obiterated most of the safeguards of civil
power for the common safety never asked for
sumed the powers so obstinately contended for by
General Sherman. and he was twice compelled to
sustain his civil officer of the War Department in
reyoking the usurpng orders of General
Sherman-just the orders which now, with
additions proposed Tor the sanction of Congress
by the new Army bill. This is the vital issue pre-
sentcd by the sections have referred and when
they interpreted by General Shermans repeated
attempts to attain the same authority without law.
and by his recent insolen utterance at West Point.
threatening to solve . civil dispute by the sword
should the title Of the President be lawfully ques-
in preserving the absolute subordination of the mill
tary to the civil powers of the Republic
The correspondence to which We have referred is
as follows:-
B direction Of the Ma2 sher
man will assume command of the Army of the United
The chiefs of staff corps departments and bureaus viii
20 and act under the immediate ORDERS OF the Gen
Ali Official business which by regulations requires
submitted by the General OF the Army the Secretary of
and 70 M M srr o s ns Of s
he transmitted through the General Of tho Army.
BY command Of the General Of the Army
+. d. TOWNSEND, Assistant AdJutant General.
u
general order from the Headquarters OF the Army
transferring the heads of staff bureaus and with
them money and property accountability of over
500 from the control of the Secretary of War
to his staff as follows:-
GENERAL ORDERS. No. ~.
HEADQUARTERS or ruE Army, 4
ApJurASI GKSkR.Ls OFFICE,
WASHINGTON, March =. lsta.
BY direction of the President Of the United States the
undersigned hereby command of the Army of the
United Siates. His general staff will boz
Breyet Major General r. d. Townsend. Adjuant General
Brevet Mayor General K D. Marcy. Inspector General
Brevet Major General NJ e. Meigs Quartermaster Gen
eral.
Brevct Major General A. B. Eaton Commsssry General
Subsistence.
Brcvet Major General J. n. Barnes, Surgeon General
Bfcvet Major General W. Briee. Paymastcr General
Brcset Major General Joseph iio Judge Advocate Cen
cral.
Breyet Major General A. A. Humphreys, Chief OF En-
ginecrs
Brevet Major General A. H. Dyer, Chief Of Ordnance.
Brevet Brgadier General D. Myer Chief signal Officer
tA orders and general instructions to the troops
to the stan officers serving IN the military departments
must from the Headquarters of the through the
Adiutant Generals office aud through the generals
handing military divisions aud which