, 1889-11-26
RETIRED LIST.

Under the acts Of congress approved
June Is. 1878, and March 3, 1883, the
retired list--other than retirements under
the act of June 80, 1882, for forty years
service, and by virtue of the sixty-four
years PROVISIONS limited to 400. | in
vite your attention to the fact that the adj
jutant general reports that there are forty
eight officers of the army who have been
found incapacitated for active service and
recommended for retirement, waiting to
be placed upon the retired list, which can
not be done, as the list is full. The aver
age number waiting retirement during the
last six years is thirty-seven, and during
the past two years it has been increasing.
The result is that these incapac;tated Off
GERS continue to draw full pay while rem
dering no service whatever for the govern
ment, and other officers who are doing
the duty of these incapacitated officers
are kept out of their promotion and out of
the pay they should receive for the duties
they are discbarging." 1t is a benefit to
which the incapacitated officer has no
claim, and a great injustice to all officers
in active service whose promotion is re-
tarded thereby. Although in some corps
the need of officers is pressing, the de-
partment is powerless to fill the places of
those thus incapacitated.
The adjutant general recommends that
all restrictions be removed as to the num-
Der OF retirements. Such action has be-
fore been recommended by the late Gen.
Sheridan, as well as by my immediate
predecessor. In view Of the fact. how
ever, that the present exigencies of the
case cannot be met by an extension of the
limit, and that there is reasonable ground
to suppose that it would also provide Tor
the future, l refrain from recommending
SO radical a change. but do recommend
that the limit be extended to $50, or that
an act be passed authorizing the special
retirement of not less than fifty officers.
DISCRETION.
Public attention has been called to the
matter of desertion and the impression
doubtless prevails that it is on the in
crease. This is not entirely correct. In
considering the statistics it must be borne
in mind that nearly three-fourths CAST
year 70 per cent? of the desertions occur
during the first year of enlistment, so that
the percentage of desertions to enlistments
is the more correct guide than the per.
centage to the total strength.
The pith OF the whole question is to
make the service worth seeking. and then
enough good men will seek it and be glad
to stay IN it. 1t is an instructive fact
that the soldiers in the colored regiments
rarely desert, whereas the percentage of
desertion in the rest of the army is SO
large. Their previous condition in civil
life largely explains it. To the colored
man the service offers a career; to the
white man too often only a refuge. There
is now but little incentive for young and
intelligent men to make a profession of
soldering. The hope of achieving a com
mission is but slight. The most deserving
are made warrant officers; but even then
they receive less compensation than, the
private soldier who is placed upon extra
duty.
To a considerable extent, however. the
remedies lie with congress, and l submit
the following recommendations:
az Make the pay OF non commissioned
officers, of infantry. cavalry, and artillery.
the same as o established by law for
like grades in the engineers. More bright
and ambitious young men might be thus
induced to enter the service.
(2) Give the soldier an opportunity to
so improve himself hat when he leaves
the service he may be better fitted for
civil life than when he entered it. Post
schools should be established where not
only instruction by lessons and lectures
should be given in matters pertaining to
military service. but also in the element
airy branches of mathematics, science, me-
chanics, surveying, engineering, drawing.
etc. All officers are qualified to super
wise or do this work. 1t would have no
tendency to relax discipline, but would es-
tablish a new relation between the COM
pany officers, especially the subalterns.
and enlisted men, that would be beneficial
to both, and help to remedy some of the
evils of the present military admins
tration. Something has already been
done in This direction, and several schools
have beeu established. Officers who
nave served on college detail are especially
fitted for this work. But an %appropria-
ton is necessary for books. apparatus,
school rooms, ETC., in order to give oppor-
t~uDities for a fair trial of the plan.
(3) Authorize re enlistment for one or
more years at posts where a soldier is dis
charged. A man will sometimes re enlist
for a short time when he will not for the
full term. If the government is not sub
iected to the cost Of transportation and in
struction, the great objection to short
terms of service is removed. Men re-
e.listed for a short term would not desert.
(4) Make a code of punishment suited
to times of peace which is less arbitrary
but more certain, a subject which | treat
elsewhere under the head of military law,
MICHIGAN II
Northern Speys, BelI-
HOsUe9S, Greetings, Bald
9rfDa,9 .E2rppf Cider. 1.p2E,