The sun., 1889-11-21
nrKrHops or AaMY PRono11oN.


1 t1AAgNH W =
! Ths Proposal 80 guOst,tuts Lsneal fsr
Rsrinental genieritV N AHvaaesnsnts.
wAsHmaroH, l;ov. 9o,-The Army Regula-
| tions provide that "vaoansies In established
regiments ana oorps, to the rink OF Colonel.
shall be filled By promotion according to seni-
orlty. except in case Of disability or other In
competency" Promotion from the grade Of
Colonel TO that Of Brigadier-G General 10 not
necessarily according 10 seniority. but is made
By the selection OF the President, . tunior
Colonel being often chosen. Below the grade
OF Colonel the hard and fast rule OF seniority is
modified by the savinR clause Of the regula-
tion. so that nc incompetent offlceT need be
chosen But while on the death. resignation,
retirement, or promotion OF q Colonel OF infan-
try. for example, the vacancy 10 filed BY the
senior Lieutenant Colonel OF infantry In the
whole army. and in the Same Way this Lieuten-
ant-Colonel's vacancy is In lie turn filled by the
senior Major OF infantry In the whole army,
the same is not true Of the subaltorns, who are
subjected to reRimental instead Of lineal pro-
motion. The consequence II that great trreg-
ularities exist among the Lieutenants In length
OF service in their Rrades
For example, come time ago Captain OF
cavalry was appointed to higher grade In the
Inspector Generals Department. A First Lieu
tenant OF the same regiment was promoted to
ill his vacancy. thus reaching the grade OF
CAPTAIN after only twelve years total service In
the army and with nearly forty cavalry Lieu
tenants his seniors In lineal rank. At tho same
time there was Second Lieutenant OF cavalry
who had served eleven years In that grade. but
being In another regiment he did not profit BY
these promotions. A second instance worth
noting, which happened year before last. was
one in which three line Lleutenants were made
IN ain ho,, tha ofta
First Lieutenant. respectively, one over 20
years, one nearly 20 years, and one fully %
years. Ono Of their vacancies in turn was
filed by the promotion Of Second Lieutenant
who had served IL years In that grade: yet he
found three more In his new grade who had
each graduated from the Military Academy flve
years after he did. and had become First Lieu
tenants year earlier.
These are random examples from scores that
could be given OF the irreRularitY OF promotion
among Lieutenants. When the subject came
4 was found that ip me iniantFy the aver:
considerations like these. which could be
greatly MULTIPLIED, have at length induced
Of promotion should be adopted for all officers,
or rather all In the same arm In his recent
SsPGrt Gen sce T ssS
seniority:
for ;aI n tho @
c % I'M ssSaS Ss ' S Ssn s
T sS rn e S "
receives bis Cspsancy in eievsn or Twelve yosrS with
Ss yS e S..a
In past ye.r1 By the 'SccST Of such Ds S
Ssf: Plsss pEe%s'isR aniS!: 4: ssss.
5 e
language q s sW 70
One practical objection to the lineal plan has
saTnr 5sS1 its greStsr the
crease the Item q transportation., But this Is
motion is the more Just: and Il has possibly
ths, also become t,Se somewhat less important now
average more inaccessible.
IT The p present REL inequality would be partly RENE;
%eh wa s o Se Sst
providing for giving to officers. who had had
twenty years Of continual service in any one
staff Tho difference made In the two cases
have command Of troops. confusion might be
created by giving them the rank as we'll as the
on ths hhs Fad S S5
since there was nothing in their case 70 de-
without difficulty. as a measure of unQuestion-
able lustice. but It was fatally delayed In the
Senate. thanks to the opposition Of some
from the bill. censured 1t as being in the In
terest Of a few only. as 10 fact II eyowedly was;
Is that officers hereafter should not be COM
missioned In particular regiments. but only In
their arm OF the servica, as, for example. Cap
Of the Seventh or Major OF the Tenth Infantry.
This follows former suggestion OF Adjt.-Gen.
Drum to tho same effect ItB object is to ee- |
cure transfers Of officers In case OF prolonged
absences IN accordance with the supposed In
officer next In rank In the same regiment to
take charge during the absence of the superior
officer. There is something to be said both
essarily connected With the other measures
Just mentioned.