The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-12-23
ARMY AND NAVY AFFAIRS
INTRODUCTION OF THE ANNUAL
ARMY APPROPRIATION BILL.

Cumulative Leave Law Passed Two Years
Ago-The Newark Navy-Navy Reorgani-
EatiOns-senate and House Proceedings.
Storing Silver Iars--WashlngtOn.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22-The Introduction
of the annual army supply bill this year be-
fore Christmas is something almost, if not
quite, unparalleled in the recent experience of
congress But the preparation and discus
sion still earlier of the multifarious sundry
civil bill, which usually comes toward the
end of a session, has made this second in
stance Of celebrity less surprising
The pending army bill is almost purely a
matter of routine general legislation being
set asi for separate consideration. The
main exceptions, if they may be considered
such, rectify a few omissions Or errors in
previous bills relating to mileage and trans
portation. The sum Of $4,000 is appropri-
ated to erect cottages at the various posts for
hospital stewards, and the amount available
for making shoes at the Leavenworth prison
is cut down.
A fortnight hence the new cumulative leave
regulation in the army takes effect. The
law passed two years ago allows, to be sure,
a months vacation for officers each year,
with the privilege Of accumulation for four
years, and then taking it all at once. This
is not an illiberal provision compared with
that which employees in civil life on equal
pay receive and it gives an officer a chance
to 60 once in four years to Europe, OF, for
that matter, if he likes around the world,
since the globe can be circumnavgated now
faster than in the days of Phineas Fogg.
But the new order declares that "when an
officer is granted leave Of absence it shall be
charged to the year or years in which it first
accrued in order of priority of date, and any
balance OF accrued leave remaining shall
stand to his credit for future leave, provided
no credit shall stand longer than four years
from date of acoruing." The meaning Of
this is that, whereas before an officer who
only took one months leave in a period Of
four years had it credited to the last year of
the four, hereafter it will be credited to the
first year, and he can thus enter on on new
series Of four from that year, which leaves a
balance of three months to his credit
The action of the house naval committee
in recommending the increase of the limit
for bids on the Newark to 81, 800, 600 will
doubtless be accepted by congress, since the
former limit, which all the bids exceeded
was a piece of bureau miscalculation The
contractors for the Charleston and the Balti-
more had practically before them actual de-
tailed prices for equivalent foreign vessels,
so that the risk taken was diminished But
the Newark, being designed by the Washing
ton bureaus, and not duplicate of British
plans, made the contractors more cautious.
AS the new limit runs above the recent bids,
it is safe to say that the Newark will now be
built with the other two new cruisers.
The friends of the measures pending for
the construction Of coast defences and Of
heavy guns for the forts and the fleets are In
clined tosee in Alig lapfissn' defeat better
prospects for their own projscbs since these
will furnish methods Of reducing the an
wieldy surplus, while adding strength and
security to the country and discAarging an
imperative duty of Congress.
Secretary Whitney can hardly be pleased
at the somewhat oiIicious Interference of
sundry naval officers to defeat the bill for
department reorganization now pending in
congress. The project itself is one on which
there is fair ground for difference of opin-
ion, and naturally the professional officers
are only less interested than the secretary
himself. But it can hardly be agreeable to
find the first information that particular Off
GERS are trying to defeat his plan coming to
him through congressman themselves, who
have been approached with requests to kill
it. Whenever a committee of congress or
individual members desire to abtain the pro-
fessional views of officers on projected naval
legislation, they should be free to obtain it.
But the case is somehow a little different
when the secretary, who is made responsible
for the control of his own department and
the work of the bureaus, and who exrond a
year in trying to get some better system of
administration devised finds that officers
working outside of the usual channels of
communication to congress, are lobbying
against his projeetas whole This is not
exactly like opposing certain plans of ships,
for example, Army officers, when interested
in special acts of legislation often draw up
a memorial for or against any particular bill,
signing it, and transmitting it to congress
in the regular way. In all such cases, 1t is
the mode Of advocacy or opposition that
really makes the difference.