New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-20
GOVERNMENT NEWS.
ARMY OFFICERS SURPRISED.

ARMY
| coDlrYING THE REGULATIONs-FALUKE or AN
EFFORT TO RELIEVE THE SECRETARY OF WAX
OF SOME OF HIS DUTIES.
IBY TELEGRAPH THE TRTBUSE.l
WAsuISGToN. Aug. 10.-The Secretary of war
has brought to sudden end plan to secure i'm
nortant changes in the Army regulations without
legislation by Congress. After the failure OF the
Burnside bill. in which many OF the
most important powers exercised by the
Secretary of War were taken from MN
and vested in the General OF the
Army. plan was formed by those who have long
been working to restore the regulations OF 1917 so
far as they treated of the relative duties of the Sec
retary of War and the General of the Army to ac-
complish the desired end without action by Con-
gress. This plan was to secure authority from
Congress to prepare and issue new codihcaton OF
regulations and existing orders These after approval
by the President were TO be published to the Army
and thus become without further legislation, the
regulations governing the ARMY.
The matter was very adroitly managed. The
section of the Army bill which authorized the new
coudificalion was on its face very harmless and
proper thing 1t passed unchallengcd although u
would have been impossible to have carried 1t
through if il had been supposed that 1T was
intended to make it cover overthrow of the most
important powers of the Secretary OF war Inc
las, codfcation, that of 1868, was published with
the order of the Secretary of War setting forth that
the President approved them, and thereafter they
would be the sole and standing authority upon
the matter therein contained"
In spite of this plain order. codiiicaton was IN
dertaken and completed in the Acknowledgements
office, the character of which was unknown in the
| office of the Secretary of War until few days
since which accomplished nearly all that has been
attempted by those IN the Army who nave heih the
postiop that the General of the Army should prop
| erlv possess much of the power and authority now
| exercised by the Secretary of War
| The curiOus reasoning by which authority was
| found for such n compilation was that whiie me
| regulations of 1868 made the sole authority
unon thc matter therein contained tins dld not pro-
| hibt a codfication which should include other
| matter The plan has been 10 complete
| this new work aud obtain the approval
| Of the President and publish 1t before
| the meeting of Congress- and thus secure, py u
| codifcaton, what could not be obtained Dy open
| and direct legislation by Congress-.
| The whole plan has, however, been defeated Dv
letter of the Secretary of War to the Board called to
| examine aud pass upon the codfcation. This, TOO
was done by tIo Secretary without his having !ne
! main 1uestiOn for which the codlncatiol
was attempted before hun. A member ol
tne Board noticed that the cOdfed regulations fol
the Medical Department contained many Things no'
IN the present regulations or orders, ana cailcu tne
attent ion of the Secretary to It, aud asked II tne ne"
| codi6cation could 60 outside OF the present reguia
tions. The Secretary replied that the law Was eM
| pIjcit and thai nothing should be allowed 10 have
| Mac. IN the new cOdiicatlOn not already ehprIcen
| IN those now in force and the orders puOll5het
|