Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-18
plnY posf-BfELILGEgCER


ukILY kUNI.lNI bAAlub0U0o
oenpuHsoRY ARMY RET1RE1kNT.
4. interesting debate was in progress
IN thu SENATE several days upon the
oompulsory retirement clause OF the
Army Appropriation bill. Senator io-
o.n. Who advocated the proposition
With ths fsevor which be always dis-
n,.vs in . auso that interests him'
ahailsoesd senator Bayard TO name
a0susr,i Who had distinguished nim
IN - attaining the 49, ofs2. M.
n.,.,a s.epondsd with the name OF
49,. 10 vss horn in 1900, and con-
.sus6nsN vssos when tho Austrian war
s,..de him famous, and hsd attained the
eoriptural three-score years ana ven
~h.n be triumphed over Napoleon III.
eanator Logan responded that Won
Mo,tks u IN organizsr Of armies and
not a-6eld eommandsr, and consequen-
tlv vas mot : case in point This ans
yer = hardly sufficient 70 save the gen.
sr.re 60 sonsidseed - IN argument
for oempulsssy rstirsmsnt at the ago OF
62. besauss n ths higher gfudss OF our
army sood organizers are As necessary
a. aood fisld comnandsrs, and perhaps
more %. NGthsr viii it be admitted
without dispute that Won Aolske IS a
man oeeanizsg Of armies; the general
beltoe = that hs il at least a. eminent
n : taee;oian and stra4sgist in the OPP
srstions ef actual warfare. However
the case need not b rested on the SIN
ID sxamp,s Of Won Moltke, for he u far
from, bsing the only soldier who won
fame when above three SCORE years OF
aes-indsed history is full Of them.
Going back to classical times, We might
poiut TO Marius putting down the great
Marsic insureotiou in Italy and saving
Rome from ono Of her most imminent
uerils whom be was 81. A contemporary
of Marius and one Of the most formid-
able enemies Rome ever had. the indom-
table Nithridates, died at 70 and was
To- 10 b feared up to his Last year. In
more modern times We can instance
Turenns, Who won for France some OF
IL greatest victories after he had passed
his sixtisth year. He wished to retire
from his country's service whom no was
eld and fall Of honors, but he was the
only commander the King had who was
capable Of coping with Montecuculi,
and he could not b spared. This old
man vas killed on the eve of what
promised to b one of his greatest VIC
tories, and 20 weakened did tho army
teal that thsy retired in the face Of tho
snsmy rspulssd and discouraged.
Suvaro2, the Russian, a. Commander
in-Chisf OF tho armies Of his own coun-
try and Of Austria, won his highest fame
and performed his greatest achieve
msnts whom he was 10. Then there was
old B1uohsr, Who, next to Wellington,
oontributsd most 70 the ruin Of the
great Napoleon. Bluohsr never held an
independent command till he was II
years Of age, and hs was 70 when he
helped fght the battle Of Waterloo.
We oan find examples in our own coun-
try, however. Had the proposed COM
palsory retirement been in force forty
ysazs ago, tho United States, in the war
with Mexico, would have been deprived
Of the services Of Zachary, Taylor, who
Vas 62 whom no crossed tho Rio Grande
In 18l8 and 63 when be won his greatest
victory ct Buena Vista in 1S47. Scott,
TOO, would have barely escaped, for, be-
ing born in l7S6 hs was 81 when he be-
gan Tho campaign that rendered his
name immortal.
An inquiry into the facts Of military
history will show that the great major.
ity Of able Generals have demonstrated
their capacity before they reached tho
ags Of sixty, and indeed, the same is
true in regard to all other avenues of
distinction In life. But q military gen.
los no more loses his usefulness after
h reaches the ago Of sixty than does
statesman. For the lower grades of
the service in which activity and abil-
lily 70 endure fatigues and hardships are
the chief reqisitss, young mon are Of
course necessary, but the master mind
that directs the scheme Of q campaign
may - we'll b that Of . veteran of sey-
snty - Of . younRster. The truth
d0ubSlsos = that compulsory retirement
shsuld b limited 70 the lower and mid.
die grades Of the service. or, at least,
that IN sxosption should b made in
favor Of the half-dozsn men now at the
head Of the Army who are not the
mere paper Generals that arc produced
By long peaes. but men who fought
their way up In . desperate. civil var.
There y IN instructive dependence on
experience in military affairs which
would pesmpt the Government to call
On The old vstsrans in . time Of danger,
svsn Il they had all bean retired. When
n. 1797 war between the United States
and France vas imminent. Washington
was made Oommandsr-iu- Chief. al
thoueh b vas. then sixty-six years OF
60 and had retired to private life. as no
dearly hoped. mover to leave it. So il
~ retire 0haEman. Sheridan and Han
ooek IN ~ eearN Of the nsxt few years,
and . var thsn breaks out, We shall bs
quisk enough 70 call them back again in
~ aesviaa, GAovina that our real de-
pendenes = "a thsir proved ability.
Such being the eass, Il would bs unfai Z
- deprive them of the honor Il they are
eKpeeted 70 bear The burden. -.atso
Ths Chicago. Builington and Quincy
Company began the conatrnction Of
their nsv Denver extension on the 18th
Il An9ust lesl, and completed Il on the
18Th q Nay, l0o2. Tho distance Il 66S
miles. and the work 1t bailding vas Ill
49, n 80 S2nuu - A~sA ->-h 4.