The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-08-29
SERBIAN,
Reeween Him and
A C''l ssoretary Lincoln.
.,sr CRUSHED N The ICE
first Briti.h Grain
,vul Resign ,.orLangston Wants
Tr'a' al. Back Salary


August . some tliiie
vaa l,..asnt TVS was telegraphed from
agq l # a conflict Of authority had
thie{ s. Eve secretary Endi ,,oo t Ina
arien n general Sheridan also -. .nn'
lieli e. . M had occurred between
z.Ss,tEe,sa.sy, Of the Army. II was
enlBt'ieiss.ttSs. the ex-Secretary wrote
sI,oAaiaa la SaeSn era Sheridan, defining
etier 70 ~ both. All OF these as
taeauioon.! denied s by army officers.
.sfOns are uUn. Lincoln did COM
That eI-Seci .;tb General Sheridan IS
nuncate G sta following letter, dated
.aosn .,, y nth last. which VIII pe S Suo
;J.nad L-So.,-5rroT by the 1f"'y ana -N@'s
jrsneI ,bout a month ago I had
Genera. - ask ask your consideration OF
Ocaslon :: -, " os 10 whether, in issuing
rhe q1e."..,,' The h acknowledgement
81 order :. ocrrsr1ooked some consIdera-
tols s y ~ = the overlooking OF Wnicn ~
I manu- u "a ca.e Of an officer Of MS 1epan r
ma ID SSa a1I ON the stait OF Aalor-
nsnt aei mock. you had sharply
se !l;ls5 the the 0uarterma ster-general. /
crtlciseu '--T SEQ no reason to dissent
aid men .,..,orl;s made by your dlrec-.
ION ihe ~ 80 a., ore not two channels OF
c ,,y,' in the stan. an oidJ9 % Inc
os vita troops, one through q at itnr
a General officers, ana sne 5,o go
u .b., Sol' .bs chief OF their stan dcPar,-
,l,ots IN 81 - lar, at least, as the com
mem r d 10. or would interfere WIN
.lil ah.t mot, The transaction OF any Dusi-
y. ~ o'S rbicb by the late regulation or or
1e.s} W. - committed to the officers
IN ra ,ll in +6e comm nd OF troops. But
wish to invite your consideration as "
rbether. in making the order OF OcVo-
bs- % 1854 70 the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
~ INSTEAD of recommending TO the
S,S,, law Of War the action by him,
~ baye not overlooked something.
'c he ,0irartermaster-General has not
con and could not be, detached from
no stafft0 use military phrasel OF
Tho Secretary OF War and authorized TO
o i,e fbeorders Of any officer of the army
wb6msoerer without the abandonment
by tbe Secretary OF War of the duties
specifically imposed upon him by law.
II, and tie subordinate officers OF ms
Ien9rtment are not detailed TO settle
Under the commanding officers, and
are necessarily under the same Director
as tbe Secretary of War. Not having
besrd from YOU to the contrary, sup
Do,ed you had acquiesced in my yleV
hat the Observation-Disclosures ana IN
officers Of his department were not or
Tered by the Secretary OF War to repor
for duty to the military commanders
not subject to orders of the Lieutenant
General and the same principle apple
10 all the staff departments wHose mead
are the chiefs.of bureau - the war Ge
plrtment excepting the In spsI. sor-.' -
grH and Adiutant- General. Recently
the Commissary General of subsistence
having, in communication to me, takel
exception to receiving orders from tn
Lieutenant General, you remarks
t creupon as follows:
y we no further remark to max
On the disrespectful attitude assume
by he Commissary General of subsls
eAce. It does not admit of an argr
ment in regard to the relation he beal
70 the Commanding General OF th
army Of the United States, and that th
. President placed me in command OF til
,rmy by an order dated, War Depar
ment, Washington, October Is, 1883.
deem it my duty to point out to yO
thalin my opinion your claim to Il
command OF every officer in the arm
IS IN army is described in section l09
ReTised Statutes, under the tern
OF assignment to the duty und
which you are now acting, !
not tenable, and that if it were tenab
1t would be the imperative duty on q
part OF the Secretary of War to recoi
mend to the President such a change
terms IN your assignment to that du
IS would prevent the possibility OF SUI
Claim. The claim made is, so far as
am advised, without precedent In o
history. / do not find on the statut
any definition of the duties of Lieutt
Ant-GeneraL or indeed. any gener
officer other than the chiefs of bureau
who have by law the rank of gene
OhcerS. There is, of course, perfec
established understanding as to
duties which may appropriately be
signed to them, and the present org
EATON OF the military commands su
mat the arrangement IS approprl
lader which all Brigadier Ger
ais mot chiefs of bureaus)
aRder the command of Major-Gener'
and all major-generals under comma
u ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, now the hlgI
oincer in the service. The Secret
quotes at length from precedentS
general orders, showing that the CHI
Oh stan, corps, departments and 5ure
were considered as Withdrawn from
orders OF the general commander oil
army. He considers that the Secret
ol War Is, by law charged with
matters, OF which principly relate
the river and harbor works; also
many matters growing out OF the
rebellion, general fiscal administra
TeAting to the army through
bureaus of the War Department,
we chiefs of those bureaus and
s1o0rdinates must necessarily be u
que conclusive orders OF the Secre
% War. AS to the duties of the (
handing general, Mr.. Lincoln
slderS that the officer is the
'iser OF the Secretary OF Wa
multitude of matters IN which.
ever, the final action must be upor
responsibility of the Secretary. 81
eloses memorandum list Of o.
winch he considers as having be-
regularly issued by the Commar
General, and concludes: II hav
wish to aggrandize my own excl
functions or diminish your conn