The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-03-12

The Bin for Grants Retiracy.
-
Judging from the urgency with which
John A. Logan pushes his so-called
Grant relief bill, one might suppose that
Grant was freezing and starvingin some
back alley.
The Logan bin should not become =
law, for the following reasons.
l. The army retired list is, by the
very terms Of its creation. q list for the
use of officers Of the army only; aud
Grant is not an officer of the army.
2. The number OF this list is limited
By law to four hundred. There are now
three hundred and ninety-nine on it, and
unless the terms Of the original bill are
modified it will bar out for the present
all others, however deserving. by grab
bling the last place for Grant.
s. The retired list is limited to per-
sons who. by reason Of age or of wounds
or disease, are deemed unfit for active
service. Grant has not reached the
statute age. has no wounds or disease
acquired in the line of service, and can
not be retired under any of the statute
ry provisions.
4. The act of July Is. 1870. still in
force, prescribes that officers on the re-
tired list ''shall receive seventy five per
centum Of the pay of the rank upon
which they are retired.r The Logan
bill declares that Grant shall have the
full pay of General, in VIC alton Of this
statute, thereby also drawing an unjust
discrimination in Grants favor over ev-
cry other person on the list, and over
officers who have been far longer con-
nected with the army than he was. Gen.
eral Sherman. who has risen to as high
rank as Grant, viii only be retired on
three-fourths pay.
5. The retired list was created for
the purpose of Withdrawing officers who
shall be disabled or superannuated,
from active command The Logan bill,
overriding the whole theory of the re-
tired list, declares THAT at any time
when the President shall consider that
an emergency has arisen requiring the
services Of General Ulysses s. Grant on
active duty, he is hereby authorized TO
assign him to any command common
surate with the rank of General" This
extraordinary misuse of the retired list
is not made subject to the desire or de-
mand of Congress, but to the mere
opinion or will of the President.
6. Congress. considering that the two
highest grades in our standing army
were totally disproportioned to the
number OF troops, declared BY law
still in force that 'swhen q vacancy
occurs in the Office of General or Lieu
tenant General. such Office shall cease.
and all cnactmeDts creating or regula-
ting such Offices shall, respectively, be
held TO be repealed" The Logan bill,
ovcrthrowing this law, creates another
General. and does not permit the office
to necessarily lapse when vacated by its
present incumbent. General w. I.
Sherman.
z. A system of organization and a set
Of military laws have been framed.
based on Title XIV. OF the Revised
Statutes, whose first words declare that
1.-THE army of the United States shall
consist of one General" etc. The Lo-
gan bill brings two Generals into the
army; and, with no attempt 81 first re-
vising military customs and the regula-
tons prescribing the duties, the rights
and the privileges of 'the General"
IS the wording Of the laws now runs,
simply opens way for suddenly, and
in moment of emergency, making the
grade Of General double-headed.
g. Should it be said that there IL no
intent to call Grant into active service,
but that the provision looking to that
end is merely designed to justify the
award Of full pay instead of three
fourfha nav the uS-acadonk hooorooo Il,