Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-11-08

NIT to oyerwork; but now, says
Gen. Sherman, they appeal for relief, and it is
recommended that congress repeal that clause
of the existing law which limits the eolisted
force of the army to $4,000. Considerable
space is devoted to the discussion Of the sub
iect of officers servants, Gen. Sherman main
tanning that no soldiers should ever be COM
PEELED 10 do menial labor without cOmpensa-
tion or without his consent, and he recon-
mends that the existing law be repealed or
modified to secure this end. Referring to
West Point, he says it has been and must con-
tinue to be the fountain of military education
in time of peace. In his judgment, the mill
tary academy at West Point fulfills its use
and can safely be entrusted to prepare boys to
become soldiers of the future.
There are in the army 430 companies, neces-
sarily widely scattered over our vast domain,
to guard property, and prevent, as far as fore
sight can, complications and troubles OF
every variety and kind, at one time protecting
settlers against Indians and Indians against
settlers. 1t is always called suddenly, and re-
Inducements have to be hurried forward from
agencies; and always at heavy cost for trans
portation of horses, wagons and sup
plies. The cost in the aggregate
Will, in my judgment, be more than sufficient
to supply an increase of 20 per cent, all l
would ask for at this time, because believe
this increase will add little, if any to the actual
cost of the army, yet give great relief to our
over-taxed soldiers. In the last ten years our
frontier has been so extended, under the pro-
lection sof our army, as to add a thousand
million dollars to the taxable wealth of the
nation, has enabled emigrants to settle up in
remote parts of the country, and is the prin-
cipal cause of the great prosperity which is
felt throughout all parts of the country.
When the national treasury was poor, and
loaded with debt, the army endeavored
gracefully to submit to over:
work, but they now appeal
for relief, and do most earnestly ask the hon.
orable secretary of war to apply to congress
to repeal that clause of the existing law which
limits the enlisted force of the army to 25, 900
men, ard to enact that each and every compa-
ny in the army may be enlisted to at least
fifty prlvates, making sixty-two enlisted men
and three officers to each of the 430 compa-
nies, thus increasing the army proper to &c.
go enlisted men, which number in practice
will probably never exceed %, 900. This should
form the combatant force, and as experience
and universal practice have demonstrated the
necessity for another or noncombatant force,
l further urge that special provision be made
by law for each of the following separate and
distinct purposes, viz: Engineer battalion,
200; permanent recruiting companies
and parties, 1850; enlisted men
detailed on general service, as clerks
400; ordinance department, laborers and me-
chanics, 400; West Point detachments, military
academy, 292; prison guards at Fort Leaven-
worth, special, 80; hospital stewards, IT'S; Or
dinance sergeants, $50; Indian scouts,
800; signal detachment, 500; total 81
7S9, which number added to the
26,660 before explained, will make
the total interested force of every nature and
kind, 30,449.
Gen. Sherman submits statement of the
actual enlisted men in the regular army Oct.
10: Cavalry, 6,SS2; artillery, 2,403; infantry,
1850; total cembatants, 1855. Non-com-
batants-engineer battalion, ordinance de-
partment, recruiting service, sig
nal corps, 3,7S1; total enlisted
force of the army 1856. Nearly every gen.
eral officer cNnmandIng troops on the frontier
asks for larger increase than l have herein
indicated, but this may be better accomplished
by giving to the president the right to increase,
at his discretion, companies most exposed
to danger to any number of privates,
not exceeding 100, limited always in
practice by actual appropriations of money,
rather than by a fixed number of men. The
general asks for an increase of nine majors in
the inspectors corps, and recommends that
the whole question of coast defense be SUBJ
mitted to board of high officers, while a
similar board should consider the matter of
obsolete. These recommendations are
with a view to the relief of the
army from the care Of useless forts, posts and
stations. Some old forts, Gen. Sherman ad-
mits, are worth retaining, and IN order that
these may be properly taken care OF, he recon-
mends that the president be authorized to
transfer out of the class of enlisted
men who have served for twenty
five years or more, nnmber not to
evaanA SQl iuo11rdiny Or1po r..
112, and establish a veteran corps to be
stationed at these old forts, with the rank and
pay they held at the close of their active
career in the army service, to be subject to
the rules and articles of war, but only
to be used for guarding public
property. One or two officers of the retired
class, and half dozen of these old soldiers,
would compose good garrison for an aban-
doned post or fort. By granting retired off,
GERS thus detailed fuel and quarters we would
provide homes for worthy veterans, who
would be most honorable and charitable to
them and advantageous to the government
General Sherman in his address on West
Point, says the board of visitors substantially
recommended that the superintendent of the
military academy should be a colonel of en-
gineers. Twill cOncede to the engineers all
they wish, but when war comes the engineer
naturally takes the maneuvering aad para
pcto, Wuclcdo tue luldulIN. cavalry ana ar
tilery must go in and do the fighting. It
was SO In 1912, '46, 81 and 'e5.
West Point is intended to make Soldiers
not professional engineers The word "sol-
dier" embraces everything in war; If an en-
gineer be better soldier than an infantry Of
f1cer then let him in war and peace have all the
honors and emoluments. But our recent ex.
perience does not fulfill the assertion.
Gen. Sherman takes direct issue also with
other recommendations of the board of visit
ors
IMORTANT DECISIONS
A decision of some Importance to banks, in
surancs companies, and all corporations which
employ agents, was rendered in the supreme
court to-day in the case of the Central Ma.
tional bank of Baltimore against the Connect
icut Mutual Life Insurance company. The
litigation grew out of the deposit of about
S11 900 made in the bank above named by A.
II. Dillon, Jr., general agent of the Connecti-
cut Mutual Life Insurance company, and
standing on the books of said bank in the
name of said Dillon as such
agent. 1t appears, from the evidence,
that Dillon was in the habit Of depositing in
the bank to the credit of his agency account,
money belonging to him personally, as we'll
as money collected for and belonging to the
insurance company, and he drew checks
against this agency account for his own per-
sonal use as well as for remittauces which
he made the company, whose agent he was