Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1879-04-19
THE FELICIANA SENTINEL,
THE ARMY BILL.


any previous bills that Save bee
passed FOR many years. The a,
tention of the country has bee
centred on the section which for
bids the presence Of the army a
the polls, to the exclusion of an
consideration Of the other proyis
ions of the bill, and for this reason
we take advantage of the discussio,
of the measure in the Senate t.
give a general outline of its feat.
ures.
The bill contains but nine sec.
tious in all but as the general an.
propria ton bills, which are about
the largest passed by Congress,
usually contain scarcely more than
three, this may not be regarded as
sufficient indication of the remar-
kable breviety of this bill. The
first section covers ell appropria.
tons. amounting in all to about
$26, 100000. and embraces, SUBJ
stantially, the items recommended
by the conference committee of the
last Congress. The present or.
ganization OF the army is left in
tact-all allowances for servants
quarters are abolished. but the COM
mutation for officers quarters is
raised from $40 to $l2 per month.
and Ben Buffers railroad telegraph
clause is Incorporated, as agreed
upon By tho committee circumference
at the last session.
The second section provides for
a revision of the army regulations,
The third section relates to the
officer detailed in the Office of the |
Secretary of War as examiner of
State claims, and gives him the paw !
o. officer of higher rank. The
fourth section provides for the con-
solidation of the French and Span
ish professioDships at West Point.
The fifth section is one OF more inn
portance than any of the proceed.
ing ones. 1t offers to each member
of the next two graduating classes
at West Point the privilege Of
choosing between an appointment
to brevet lieutenancy in the army, {
to which each graduate is now en- ,
titled, and $3.50 cash and mileage ! q
to bis home. This provision is lin '
tied to two graduating classes, for e
the reason that students already en-. '
tered did not have previous notice y
of the further a!teratinn of the law, y
which provides that graduates shall o
be entered to appointments, not. as d
formerly, by the fact of graduation, k
but only in case OF vacancies oc, l.
curing in the authorized number d
of officers. This alteration of the cj
arrangement is a very ma. b.
terial, and, we think, a very sensi- 70
bic one. The number of officers of d,
the regular army is limited and ap- liz
can be made only to ill pa
vacancies. The indefinite number di
VI young men who graduate yearly N:
It West Point, instead of being dii
hrust into the army and On its pay CO.
oils, whether they are needed or pa
OF, are simply made eligible to I q
ppointment in case Of vacancies. to
he simple fact that they have ev,
raduated from the Military Acad. GU,
ny does not constitute them off. VIII
'rs and pensioners of the govern let,
ent. Ibls we believe to be tiol
cry wise innovation. pic
These FIVE sections were passed wit
ithout discussion, as they came ed
ON the conference committee of piet
Q last Congress. The debate has Giro
been en- the sixth section, which sily
ohibits the presence of the army upoj
the polls, and constitutes one OF wer
three great measures for which spur
; Democrats have been contend wells
:. This short provision, which fere,
IS nothing beyond eliminating tach
N the legal functions of the army must
duty of preserving peace at the men1
Isl embodles one OF the most sa- the ,
I principles OF constitutional cava
eminent, and the fact that it has TT
aroused the American people even
stitutes splendid testimony to more
sturdiness with which they have A SIN
ntalned their devotion to that with
ime faith in the dignity of man powe
/, and the value of individual most
civil liberty which they have stants
rited from their Anglo-Saxon speed
athers. But this section is silver
ly understood by the people, large
has been fully discussed in with
,ress and by the press, and our front
ose in this article is to call at heavy
on to the other features of the stiff.
which have been lost sight of leathe
9 discussion of this. closed
'e seventh section authorizes down