National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-06-25
ARMY FORAGE.
Important DecisIon BY the Secretary of
Wharf.-The Officers to be BENEFITED.

At the last session of Congress an i'm
portant clause was inserted in the army appropri-
alton bill relative to the removal of the discrimi-
nation between officers east and west of the
Mississippi River as to forage. The law, as it ex-
isted allowed forage only to officers west of the
Mississippi. The new law reads as follows:
Provided That there shall be.no discrimination in
the issue of forage against officers serving east of the
Mississippi River provided they required by law
to be mounted and actually keep and own their own
horses
There was some doubt as the effect of this clause,
as has been printed in THE REPUBLICAN, and
whether it superseded the old law, which limited
the issue of forage only to officers when
on duty in the field" The question was
brought to the attention of the Secretary
of War; and he has decided that the new clause
supersedes the old, and not only removes the DIS
elimination between officers east and west of the
Mississippi but also does awaywih the restrictions
of the former enactment; so that the Secretary is
not compelled to designate the posts where forage
can be granted, nor are the officers in receipt of
forage compelled to be active duty in the field.
The forage, however, must be ain kind" as the
system of communication has been done away with.
This decision will be very welcome one to the
army officers living East, the item of forage is
quite large one in their personal expenses. 1t
will enable large number that have not hereto
fore been able to keep horses TO set up their own
equipages. The officers allowed TO keep horses
are specified by law, and are as follows:
The General, five horses; Lieutenant General four
horses; major general, three horses; brigader-
general three horses; colonel. two horses; lieu
tenant colonel two horses; major, two horses; cap
tain (mounted), two horses; lieutenant (mounted),
two horses; adjutant, two horses regimental quar-
termaster, two horses The officers living in this
city that come under the provisions of this law
constitute quite a large number. Very many of
them already keep horses but the large majority
do not The following are the officers on duty here
entitled to keep horses and receive forage. Gen
eral Sherman, Colonel Dodge, General Tidball,
Colonel Morrow, Colonel TourtellOtte, Colonel Ba-
con, General Poe, Colonel Barr General Drum
General McKeever, General Ruggles, Major Nick
erson, Colonel Corbin, General Sacket.' General
Baird. General Meigs, General Holabird, Colonel
Chandler, Colonel Moore, General Card, Gen.
eral Macfeeley, General Haines, Colonel Gilman,
Major Bell, General Barnes, General Crane, Col
onel Woodward, Colonel Billings, Colonel Baxter,
Colonel Norris General Brown, Colonel Mcclure,
Colonel Febiger, Colonel Casey, Major Smith,
Major Candee, Major Wright Major Parke, Major
Elliott, Colonel Farquhar, Colonel Rockwell,
General Benet, Colonel Whittemore, GEN
eral Swaine, Colonel Winthrop, Colonel Cur
tbs, Colonel Goodfellow, and General Hazen. The
number of horses to which each of these officers
is entitled is given above. As the same number
are allowed to a major and brigadier general and
a colonel and a lieutenant-colonel these titles
not specified. The law goes into effect at once
and now that what has been regarded as an I'M
just discrimination between officers east and
west of the Mississippi River is removed there will
be greater number of horses and far more horse
riding in army circles. The same privilege is of
course extended to officers at the different stations
throughout the East.