The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-02-17
ANOTHER ARMY BILL.
A Useless Proposition from Republican
to Further Drain the National Treas

e>sSSs~-.~-
ury.
The success of the army in procur-
ing law for the compulsory retire
ment of officers on reaching the age of
sixty-four seems to have over-stimu-
lated ingenuity in devising schemes
for further swelling the retired list.
One of these projects appears in the
bill of Senator Cullom, which declares
that any officer now ON the active list
of the army who served in the war Of
the rebellion, either in the volunteer
or regular forces, shall, on his applica-
ton to the President, be put on the re-
tired list with tho rank and retired pay
of the grade next above the one which
he holds at the time of his application.
This is an extraordinary measure,
and its necessity is in no respect OBJ
vious. If full advantage should be
taken of it, the entire military estab-
lishment would go to pieces. Every
general officer in the service, every
Colonel commanding a regiment and
nearly every field officer served in the
civil war, and hence would be able to
demand retirement The war ended
only little more than twenty years
ago, and it is therefore evident that q
very large part of the higher officers
of the army would be included in the
privileges of this bill, and nearly all
those occupying the most responsible
positions. The only officers who could
not retire under its authority would be
the younger ones, who have taken
part in no war on large scale. Un-
doubtedly such a scheme would in
crease the flow of promotion, but it
would make no account of the inter-
ests of the country.
1t may be said that there would be
little anxiety to give up full pay and
active service for three-fourths pay and
retired service, and that this bill is only
designed to open the retired list, now
limited by law, for the benefit of a
small number of officers. But it really
does much more. 1t offers premium
on applications for retirement. It gives
the applicant the pay of the grade
above his own. There is much COM
plant of the length of time that elapses,
during peace, between one promotion
and another. Hence there is good
reason to suppose that while an officer
who is within a few years of an ex-
pected advancement in grade might
prefer to wait for it, officers who have
just received promotion may be glad
to take three-fourths of rate of pay
higher than the one on which they are
likely to remain for years, especially as
they would get this pay. with absolute
freedom from active duty, and the full
command of their time. Thus each
set of promotions might be followed
by temptations to retire, and these, in
turn, by others, so keeping the service
constantly unsettled.
But even were as little advantage
taken of the privileges of the scheme as
its projectors seem to expect, it is none
| the less based on an unscund principle.
Why should the most experienced Off
GERS in the service be invited to leave
it, and be even tempted by the pros
pect of retiring on higher rank and
pay? The knowledge gained by the
actual command of large bodies of
troops in a long war will disappear
from the service fast enough by natural
casualties and by the enforced retire.
ment for age. There are many officers
in the army only little more than
forty years old, who served during the
civil war, and are now in the prime OF
life. Being thus full of the possibility
of usefulness for many years to come,
and III sound health, such officers ap-
parently should not be allowed to step
aside, enjoying three-fourths of an in
creased pay through the remainder of
life, even should they desire to do so.
m p. Sun.