Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-30

- w AODLh OOs
THE ARMY AND IT'S NEEDS.
Report OF Adjutaut General Drum.
DEsKRTIoNs-MILTrARY EDUCATION PROMO
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Adjutant General r. c. Drum In his annual
report TO the lieutenant general states that the
numoer OF enlisted men now in the service who
are drawing increased pay under the act of Con-
gress Oh august a, 1854, is 6,515; the number
OF tnoSe VINO will become entitled to increased
pay under the act of May Is, 1872 during
the nscal year ending June 80, 1887, is
1l,294, and the number Of enlisted men in ser
vice wHose terms will expire during the same
nscal year Is 3,949. The report states that the
numoer OF assertions from the army during the
past year has sensibly decreased, being 745 less
than tne number stated in the last report The
real ana principal causes leading to the COM
mission N tnls crime are summarized as fol-
lows General worthlessness: disappointment
At the realities of military life; uneasiness un-
from an insufficiency of moral sense: Inequality
IN AWARDS OF punishment and the contamna-
ton o, young or inexperienced men by con-
hnement ior minor ofenses in the same room
| IN the guard-house with hardened and reckless
Characters; and lack of uniformity in COM
pany administration.
The great care and vigilance exacted of re.
cTnIi,ns 4ncers in looking closely into the
quallncatlons and fitness for service of all APP
| has been gradually but surely working out a
remedy ior the first cause stated. For the others
that the shortening of the first term of service
from 1ve 10 three years; the adoption OF a care
| fully -digested code OF punshments for all mill.
ight prison for the temporary confinement of
| minor oHenders; and the authorization ofCon-
| gress for the purchase of discharge by men of
N ho Saryyioo
In good faith, lack all the elements that tend to
max "a g9od soldier are measures which, If
duce desertion to a minimum.
EDUCATION IN THE Army.
An examination of the official reports ON this
subject fails TO remove the conviction that
while the present system has not been entirely
unproductive of good, it remains, as whole, a
partial failure, owing to the inherent defects in
| the scheme. The elementary instruction inn
parted in an army school should be largely of a
| form part of the military duties OF q soldier
| ana, therefore, compulsory; teachers, for obvi-
GUS reasons, should not form part OF the COM
| pany organization, must be specially fitted for
their important position, and their selection
| should depend not only the amount Of
requisite knowledge they possess, but because
they have the somewhat rare gift-capacity to
| impart 1t.
| On the subject of
| PROMOTION TO THE RANK OF FIELD OFFICER,
the adjutant general says that the present sys-
| tenn which requires that vacancy in any one
| regiment of the line shall be filled by the pro.
| motion Of the senior officer of the lower grade,
ana the officer promoted be commissioned in
( the particular regiment in which the vacancy
exists, Is open to grave objections. 1t happens
| OF the colonel of a regiment through sickness or
other cause when the command, of necessity,
devolves OH either of the other field officers,
| the latter lack the elements required for the
successful discharge of the duties of regi-
mental commander, and in such case the regi-
| md off aio fno
| company commanders may be. suffers loss in
discipline and high tone. To remedy this evil,
sequences, Gen. Drum suggests change in
the method of promotion to the rank OF field
omcer; IN the happening OF vacancy the Off
stoned as "major OF Infantry" "lieutenant-col-
onel OF artillery, &c, as the case may be, instead
infantry" &c. The effect OF the proposed
change will be to enable the lieutenant general
of the army to assign officers of the line to the
particular regiment of the same arm in which
| their services may be of the greatest benefit,
looking to the highest efficiency OF the regi-
ment. This, it is believed, would eradicate an
evll which ut any time may, through disgust or
despair, threaten the decentralization of a regi-
| ment otherwise possessed of material able and
willing to sustain its reputation.
ENLISTMENT AND RECRUITING.
Throughout the year the number of appli-
cants for enlistment was large, and during the
greater part OF the time recruiting officers had
| instructions to select from those presenting
themselves only the very best men for accept
| a short time, to confine recruiting almost en-.
tirely to establishments of soldiers with good
records, lest the legal strength of the army
The total number of enIistments and re-enlist.
ments In the army (exclusive Of the signal
corps, during the year was 8, 1857. OF the 7,1S4
| accepted recruits 4, DOB were native born, and
2,942 of foreign birth; 6,5s7 were white and
by recruiting officers on account of mental or
physical disqualifcatiOns.
Since December, 1884, the plan has been fol-
| lowed of retaining all newly-enlisted recruits of
| the general and mounted services at the gene
raj depots for four monts before assignment to
regiments, that they may be instructed thor
oughly in military duties. This course has
already been productive OF the best results.
| NON-COMMIssIoNED OFFICERS AT THE DEPoTs.
General Drum recommends that application
| be made to Congress for authority to appoint
from the enlisted men one sergeant major, one
| chief musician and four first sergeants at each
| of the three general recruiting depots. The du-
| ties of these non-cOmnlissfoned officers at
depOts are more arduOus than those usually
performed by the sergeant majors and princi-
| pal musicians of regiments and the first ser.
| geants of companies. Under the present Org,a-
nization Of the depots these responsible posi-
tiOns are filled by enlisted men detailed to act
| in the capacities named, but without the pay
that should attach to the positions. 1t is earn
estly hoped That this important subject will re-
ceive the early and favorable consideration OF
| Congress.
| MESSING
| Inc report advocates the establishment OF q
| depot mess at each Of the three general depots
of the recruiting service, supplying all enlisted
men at the depot with the same food and at the
same time. The recruits, during their short
stay at the depot, cannot be expected to be per-
fected In their training, and it is not necessary
| that all should receive a perfnnctory education
in cooking and messing while there are SO many
| other important duties to be learned. To each
mess one cook should be assigned as chief re-
| ceiving mechanics extra duty pay, one
assistant cook for every one hundred men
| to receive iaborers' extra duty pay, the number
of assistant cooks in no instance to exceed
| three. 1t Is certain that 100 or more men can
| live better on the army ration than q lesser
| number, because this Is one of the PRINCIPLES
| which governed in appOrtioning the amount of
| each OF the component parts Of the ration.
The Prospect I'm Virginia.
REPRESENTATIVE M'MILLIN THINKS THE
| ELECTION OF LEE AND A DEMOCRATIC Leg
| IsLATURE CERTAIN-THE COLORED VOTERS
"What is the political outlook in Virginia ?"
inquired STAR reporter to-day of Congress-
| man McMillin, who has just returned from q
| campaigning tour in that state.
"Everythfng looks favorable for u.s." he re-
| Piled. II travelled with Gen. Lee from Bristol
| ON the Tennessee line to the seashore and I
feel sure that Lee will be elected by majority