The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-02
THE AMERICAN ARMY.



shat has been expended in efforts to reduce or
reorganise the Regular Army during the
last four or i've years, It must be said that the
results are meagre. It seems to have become
. sort Of rule that no session Of Congress is
complete without one or more bills for the re-
organisation Of
OUR MILITARY EsTABLIsHMENT;
and to this rule the present session has de-
ferred In the shape OF bulky volume of pub
10 pnlnt covering 2o4 pages. embracing 7M
'sectiooe and bearing the title Of Senate Bill
No. 140l," 70 accompany "Joint Report No.
555." As this bulky tome represented the
labors Of solemn commission, beginning with
Burnside and embracing Banning. specially
charged with the duty Of reorganIzing the
army, received the copy kindly forwarded
to me with feelings Of the fondest anticipa-
tion; for that expected It to be complete
and conclusive. read the bill through twice
attentively to Catch It's spirit as WHOLE and
then ! perused II section by section. to OBJ
serve it, execution In detail. 1T would be un-
fair to cay that the bill will not bear examine
tion. On the other band It will bear an Inn
mense amount Of examination. and ought to
be subjected to not only that, but great deal
Of revision before It becomes the law Of the
land.
Before going into the merits OF the subject
of army reorganization, 1t Is proper to sum
marize tn . paragraph or two the proposed
operation Of the bill as reported.
To begin with. 1t perpetuates
THE PRxsnsT ADMINISTRATIVE MILITARY
s!SI1M
10 spirt ma u Iact Win mere ana there
vhioh shall discuse further on.
Next e crmaoliiatea our oraaant cava,rv
NoAs - 4. - ~ q - oAvaily
ostaOnsnmens .! ~ r0siments OF ~ troops
each mtg regiments, each having four bat
tali0ne Of four troops each on maximum a.
tablishment, and two full four troODt 6attai.
ions with two four troop cndre hnffsIinna ~,
the minimum. The infantE1< aefabIlehmenf
y consolidated y 81 analogous manner from
bodi@sns q ~ q ycss9 0oF sOE e 5es s
i6) Is main{sipxd. But the n rerimegnts1 % III nrranis
zatio0 y changed from that 81 twelve line
SSshs s2te@ EN- bsttsriss q " ths rscinenf Soi1ass
fhese Establishments embody the prirci-
|p3G 81 noxibility 81 footing % meet tha re-
|6nlremonte Of occasion. Ia which the present
eRfanEemnt u detective; and so iar the biil
the rishf dlrection. But fhe charses made
are simply alterations of surface; 4 substitu-
ton Of the new German Tor th6 CID EnrIish
Y -1odel, which, TO my mind, does not touch the
real core Of the difficulty at ell. The army
sion ~ WITH al IL superficial merits. efrfk-
in0 exemplifiCafiOn 81 the rrlIe iIstaad N ~,
exception to 1.-THE army tinkers have stead
iIy Wasted their time n the effort g remodel
- opsor,rrr ,s norrrpv ~ ,-''S =
,..,,,o,, ,,.., -, -. .s...4-.N
when WHEN never nad any congruity with our in
sus9sions; 9. ~ never ever vas adapted 70 our peculiar
dsv ~ l hean drsir ~ ~. 70 sne present
tne sa countly: ogE q aii proportion TO the bene
~ s.s e ~ 49, hsstles = need not go back
1r h = ~ ~, " ine country 70 ascertain
~ hST IS @ 49, - snssranc army Z 1as proven e
y iase M rspeliion g aa instance We Observe that
~ nts,.t 4s tD0uI LOU; as many omcers and
Sa1t ago1t tnfeo LINES as much military
Ss,snc S7rsls - oesaruction Of the
n "a snrvev sfs os,ere tt<s.asl @saol, Wnlits
war, We shall discover tIas tiss afsa .sfs6v kse
been potent engine for theuppSRssi0a end
where ite influence should hasS {<xss x, -
fy, harraeetng where its mission should ksve
been to rostrsin. md. n fine renarailv satI9rs,
to uphold tie interests Of the people Is var
IND them "a peace, = S'-1 - =
Originally modelled as to its adniniatratfve
plan aftor the re0imenfal avstem oS En1isrS ~
during the last century, and from time to
time infused With the tactical Ideas Of the
bin under discussion' fo he ~ .,.e rso
vampod into 8 bastard imifation n fho a.
man system. This Is simply seekinc to res-
tfy two mistakes by making a third. What
this county wants Y neither an English
with German tactics: but an American mil.
kary system adapted to the peculiar sitrafjon