National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-02-15
THE SIGNAL CORPS.
A Breeze About Clerks Parading-The
Remedy for 1t.

10 the Edttor o. The Republican:
The notice attracted to the Signal Corps
by the recent breeze raised about the parade Of
fers an excellent opportunity to call the attention
of the law makers and the public generally TO the
anomalous position of that corps and some fea-
lures of its management that the cause of dis
satisfaction. These causes lie deeper than are at
first seen, and are found in the attempt TO main
tain, as a branch of the War Department ana
under military organization, bureau whose oil au
bers required 10 be Of such grade of character
and intelligence that they justly feel themselves
wronged when they are rated as and made to do
the duties of common soldiers.
NO sOphistries about enlistment contract, and
obeylng superior officers nor buncOmbe about tne
honor of wearing the uniform can befog TINS
point)
The absurdity, in q business aspect, of paying
men the salaries of first class clerks and then en-
ploying them during q considerable portion OF the
time for which they are 50 paid in learning and
practicng the duties of common soldiers, Is mani
fest. A practical instance of this may be seen
every day at present in the hall at No. ll9 Penn
syIvanla avenue, where a hundred men, VINO re-
ceive from the Government $50 and SlG0 month
each, spend an hour day taken from their Iegtl-
lar work in learning right and left wheel and sup
port arms. Taken in connection with me iact
that the Chief Signal Officer year after year has
large enough for the duty required of
il, and asking Congress for all in
crease, what do the tax payers think Of this :?
Suppose the Commissioner of Pensions were 10
take his clerks away from their duties an hour
day TO learn them squad drill, how long would his
official head remain on his shoulders, think you?
The military knowledge thus gained, as well as
that acquired at the expense of TWO or three
months time during the course ofinstruction, is of
no subsequent value whatever in the performance
Of the regular duties required Of the men, except
III few rare instances where knowledge OF Sig
mailing is found of value coast stations, and
simply represents so omuch time and money thrown
away.
One of the principal means by which the late
Chief fSignal Officer incurred and retained control
of this large and important bureau, with which
his legitimate duties had not the remotest connec-
ton, was the assumed necessity of military dlscl-
pline in securing the prompt and faithful perform
ance of the duties required of the men, and this
assumption is yet the present chief Is reported
to have tersely expressed it, " our best holt This
fiction, however vanishes into thin air when 1t Is
found that the means taken 10 maintain that dis
cipline are the very same as obtain in
all the civil bureaus and in any private
corporation-viz., discharge from the service for
misconduct and neglect of duty, courts martial
and arbitrary punishment, which are the only
distinctive means for maintaining military disci-
pllne-being almost unknown i'll the corps except
for purely military offenSes.
The remedy for this will he found in making
the military character of the bureau what ii prop
erly is, purely nominal, is done in the case of
the Adjutant Generals department and the gen.
eral service clerks, Or-and which would be the
more consistent methOd-in transferring 1t to one
OF the civil departments, where it rightly belongs
and where it will eventually rest. TRUTH.