Omaha daily bee., 1883-05-03
fh0 Brass Mounted Dudes at
Washington and Their
Influence.
The Arduous Duties OF the Mill
tary snobs in Leading
Fancy Dances
The Civil Service Reformers Severe.
ly Handled for Appointing
Keim


The strongest, most influential and
audacious lobby that exists at Wash
ington Is composed of the army aud
navy on duty at the CAPT al. The
duties Of many of these officers are
merely nominal, and their service
hsre confers no benefit upon the
army, their lsoors consisting chlefy
In acting as escorts for the female
members of the families of senators,
representatives aud othor prominent
officials OF the government, and In
leading fancy dances during the social
season. Tnese social duties give the
military idlers peculiar opportunities
to iuflusnce legIsls ion, and oil Efforts
to dislodge them and send them to
their respective regiments or t. from
tier posts have been defeated througa
the lsbors of the female butter a %
that constitute what is called Wash
Ing on society.
The army bill, as passed by the hnuas
contained u clsu'e which provided tina
no ofioer should rem .in absent from
his regimen, on duty as aid dc c,mp,
for a period l)oger than three years,
and the sans clause also reduced the
aggregate nj nbsr of aid.ds.camps
from thirty.seven to twenty. The
senate committee on appropriations
extended this Limitation by reporting
the following cause as an amendment
to that f the house.
Provided thai no off ,er shall re
main ab,aut from his regiment on
duty at Washing .on City, or on the
staff of a major z neral or q bcigadIe or
general, for q longer period than three
years ct any one time, but tai, provis
Ion shall not apply to officers on tho
general commanding the army.
This provision, in addition to the
exception named, excepted off GERS OF
the several staff corps, out the militia
~ lobby was sufficiently Influential to
have the proposed amendment strick.
en- out In the senate, and thus the
Coburgers of the army, as these Wash.
ington idlers are known among officers
who perform rea! military duties, are
permitted to study the iatricacles of
terpsichorean figures, and to parade
the broad avenues of the national cap
ital without peri orming any real public
duty whatever.
A noted instance of the influence of
these Coburgers Is furnished by an
officer, who was detailed for clerical
service In the war department In 1865,
and who remained continuously here
for seventeen years. During this
period thi, officer vas several times
ordered to join his regiment In the
west, by diff secretaries Of
war, but In every Instance he wal
able to have the order countermandec
until last simmer, when Secretary
Lincoln resisted all appeals to SON
tinus him In the performance o
duties that any other clerk conlc
perform, and sent him to join ali
regiment. This case Is not singular
There are now IN Washington man,
officers who have been here con
tinuousiy, ranging from four to seven
teen years. Before hts promotion t.
be surgeon general, Gen. Crane wa
here for seventeen years, and Drs
Baxter, Norris and Billings, of tn
medical corps, have escn been her
without interruption for a period G
seventeen years and three months. L
the qusrtermsster's department it ap
pears that Col. Perry has been her
for five years, Maj. Moore for 81
years, and Col. Rockwell for min
years, Maj. Carey, Ct the pay corps
has been in Washington for min
years.
The following engineer officers a,
oaedited with long periods of servic
at Washington: Colonel Casey, fiftee
years; Colonel Parke. seventeen; Oh
onel Poe, thirteen; Captain Wheeler
twelve years; Captain Adams, fol
years; Captain Hoxie, eleven yea
and Captain Green six years. Lie'
tenant Cszdre, Of the Second srti
lery has been dancing around Wssl
ington for three years, and Lieutena,
Kiibourne of the same regiment h,
been doing ~seavice for six wears Tt
Fourth artillery has been fully repre-
sented by several young officers f
many years. Lieutenant Story h.
been here for seven years, Lieutens'
Dunwoody ten years; Lieutenal
Craig nearly twelve years and Lie,
tenant MLcomb six years. Dal
woody and Craig left the militia,
academy In 1866, each of them beir
In the army sixteen years,
which period one has spel
twelve years In Washington and Il
other ten. Macomb has been in II
army eight years, Elk of which ha
been spent In Washington. Car
Davis, of the Fourteenth infantry, b
been here nearly five years, and Lier
Buckannon, othe same regiment ov
six years. Lieut.. Greeley, of ii
Fifth cavalry, has been in the arm
fifteen years, the last ten of whic
except when serving on an expe6isi
to the Arctic ocean, have been spe
at Washington.
This list could be extended by
citing other cases of favoritism, b
those given are sufi silent to show til
there Is urgent necessity for such IL
islation as was proposed by the hot
and senate committee on appropri
tions. There Is also a large numt
of officers of the navy retained
Washington by the same infuen,
that are sc potent In the cases of arl
officers.
Sensitive Reformers.
Washington Special, May:
1t Ia reported that the members