The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-01
A mieerabIe Surrender to lAtrn,ngnr ee.

A Misorable Surrender to ENtrnvsgn1 &c.
The bill reported TO the House FOR tho
noxt years support Of the army is marvel
OF irrcsouton aud timdity. Rarely HAS
bill been at once 50 sounding in promise and
20 sorry in performance. When general
opinion stamped the BvRSsIpE scheme as
failure at birth, the House Appropriation
Committee FASTENED 90 provide substitute
which should ut least rctrcnch II 10 did not
much rcorganizc It's first draft began by
forbidding any appointment or promotion
whatever to any grade Of general or uom-
missioncd officer, in any corps, department,
Or arm Of the army, until the number In that
grade should fail below the standard vsl.ch
It proceeded TO prescribe
II rcduced tho three majOr-gencras toVlc.
and the eight brigadicrs To six, the Adju-
tant-Gcncrars Department, from seventeen
officers 10 thirteen; the Inspcctor-Gcncral
from sW'cn 10 four; tho Judge Advocate n.
from eight to four; the Quartermaster e.
from 81 Go 4G; the Subsistence, from % to ~,
the Medical, from 1872 10 l5i; the Pay, from
IS to ~; the Ordnance from 81 to AZ. This
made u total reduction in the staff Of eight
coloncls eight observation-disclosures, thirty
two majors. twcnty-soven captains and
fourteen lieutcnants-in all, ~ ofllccra
Other oxcisons brought this number 90 lGi
Turning to the line, IT cut the forty rcgi-
mcnts down TO thirty-two, abolishngas su
pcrfuous Sc company organizations the ra-
suit being, in brief, 10 reduce the cavalry 10y
&c officers. the artillery by 90, and the in
fantry by total, 9i7; this, added to the
staff reductions. made an aggregate Of i2l
Sush n il4a spitf xtsffI ,sfi,f d.,
mittcc bcgaE. II could have done better; it
could have reduced the brgadicr-gcncra
TO three instead Of 10 six, and the regiments
10 sixteen or twenty instead Of to thirty-two;
II could have merged half dozen staff de-
partmcnts inc two. and brought down the
rank in them grade for each officer. from
highest to lowest But at least it aimed to
do something. and as has been said. It re-
duccd the numbcro; officers ON the active
list by l2i While the BURSsIDE bill, despite
It's elaborate jueelcry Of n reserved corps
reduced them only 10y 333.
l'ut when we examine the House Commit
toes bill a. actually reported, we find every
trace Of this boosted reduction gone. Not a
syllable is left regarding tho decrease Of
regiments or bureaus or numbers OF officers
the whole project has vanished in smoke
Were this all, there would bc pitiful con
trast between the effort at economy and the
execution; but thr ease is worse. We find
this Committee, which last year made a
stand om reducing the &rmy To- 20.COOcnli-ted
men, now going ont Of IL way to authorize
40 for the signal lee, making total OF
2645o. There shall he no more" adds the
bill gravely. "in the army nj any one time
unless otherwise authorized by law"
In its supposed pursuit Of economy. we
find the Appropriation Committee next pro-
viding that &" the rate Of communication shall
hereafter be 81 per room per month for Off
eers' quarters. In lieu Of SO. as now provided
by law This little favor cannot bc traced
To any rise In rents since last year Despite
last years law, which removes department
headquarters TO forts or buildings owned by
the Government. the item for communication
of officers quarters lat places where there
are no public quarters" is put in the cur
rent bill at tho liberal sum Of $4,000.
After the entire pay corps OF the army all
Of whose duties could be performed by
quartcrmsstcrs and line officers, IL fully re-
muncrated for its services from the briga-
dicr-gcneral down, there is still required for
the pay OF hfty-four "paymastcrs' clerks"
s'TfofNf ii lbl messengers 10 pa MINISTER'S.
$4,000. After the army is paid according to
agreement, there is required for extra
duty pay 10 enlisted men" $4,000: for adj
ditiOnal pay to enlisted men, $4,000; for
"oxtra-duty pay to engineer soldiers en-
gagged in skilled labor and ordinary repairs"
$4,000; and for extraordinary pay for en-
listed men detailed for special ordnance ser
vice" $4,000; while paying soldiers for
clothing not drawn requires $4,000
After providing money for everything that
can be- thought Of, and after avoiding the
hlnRerof saving anything by declaring That
nay surplus in some items may be applied.
with the written consent Of Mr.. McCRARY.
10 alleged wants in other items, $4,000 for
contingent military expenses " is furnished
to that gentleman
To the provision Of this bill for throwing
down the bars Of the retired list, and per-
suading or compelling scores Of officers 10
enter It, at three-iuurths pay, with littlo or
no service, we referred at an earlier stage
Of the bills history; as also to its offer of
$3.50 10 each member Of the next two gradu-
atmg classes at West Point who will con
sent not to enter the army for at least two
years. \ third bit Of legislation, tit To-
match these two. now appears In the pro-
vision that amy officer who will voluntarily
resign from the active list before Jan. /, 1850.
shall be- presented with three years full pay.
This bill gives 10 Gen. SHERIDAN three
aids, whore even the Burnside bill found
two To be sufficient, and two aids 10 each
biigadler whore the BURNSIDE bill found
one to be- sufficient
The first fruits Of this march away from
economy are seen in the fact that last years
army appropriations were S25,77s, 1918; but
the sum recommended this year by the
same Committee is S2G,7l7 3OO-ncarly a mil
lion dollars, TO start with on the wrong side.
Sound Platform.
1t has not been our fortune to agree with
MI HILL Of Georgia in much OF his public
course, but he certainly exhibited good