The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1891-02-13
ARMY PROMOTIONS ARE BOOMING.
The Eject of the New Act for Trans
fers Among Retired Onicers.

The Eject of the New Act for Trans
fers Among Retired Onicers.
Udshinot0n Correspondence NeD York Sun.
The concurrence of the House In the
bill passed by the Senate month ago for
the readjustment of the retired list is the
most important measure enacted by the
Fifty.first Congress for the personal in
terests Of Army officers, and indeed the
most important one for that purpose ac-
complished in many years.
IL provides for the transfer of all retired
officers who have reached or may reach
the age or Ga, from the limited to the UNI
limited list, while as n partial Offset the
former list is hereafter to be reduced
from its present maximum of 400 to $50.
While the avowed object of this meas
rre ls Immediately TO increase the aggre-
gate number of retired officers, and
thereby to furnish large number of pro-
motions on the active list, there were con-
siderations which recommended IL to Con-
gress, when other methods Of accom-
plishing the same purpose had been re-
iccted The original creation of dis
ability list had nothing TO do with the
question of age. Advanced age in fact,
is often not q disability in the higher
grades, rs illustrOus examples in our own
Army, and still more in the German,
have shown. The first retired list which,
by the way, was created after the out
break of the civil war, was limited to Z
per cent. of the active list. Then came
an increase to the fixed number of 300,
and finally to 400. Compulsory retire
ment for age is recent measure, dating
back only TO the act of June 30, 1882.
General w. Il. Sherman was one of its
first Victims although in his case full
pay, by an exception, was retained.
The express object Of this new age law
- ,,,,, thx ,.tt
which otherwise could not be hoped for in
time OF peace. il was not pretended that
an officer reaching the command, for ex-
ample, of q regiment or staff corps at the
age of GA was unfit for his duties. On the
contrary retirement was made compul-
sory because so many officers at the age of
Ga were at the height Of their powers and
usefulness, with the prospect of so con-
more. Congress in that act sought to re-,
tain the services of experienced junior Off
GERS, many of whom had to remain twenty
| years in n grade, and might be tempted by
| the greater chance to rise offered by civil
| pursuits.
The present act is really supplementary
| to the law of 1889. A very large proper
| tion of the officers retired for disability
resulting from wounds or ill-health have
now passed the age of "a. Had they re-
mained on the active list they would be
retired simply for age and for the express
| purpose of increasing the flow of promo
| ton. The present Congress accordingly
| takes the ground that it simply carries out
| the existing policy in permitting the trans
| fer of such officers to the age list and so
opening the disability list proper to officers
awaiting such vacancies.
Indeed, second important considera-
| tion is the very large number OF officers
| awaiting these vacancies who have been
| examined by official boards and recon-
| mended for retirement. This number in
| excess of the prescribed limit of the disa-
bility list has for years been increasing,
until to-day it reaches about sixty. These
| officers are disabled, as the medical re-
filled, and the Government must go on
| giving them full active pay, while being
unable to exact in return that measure OF
| service which this pay calls for. II loses,
| therefore, WHILE also, the junior officers
| who perform the duties nominally incum-
| bent on their disabled superiors do not re-
ceive the rank and pay which such tasks
| merit.
| Exactly how to escape from this double
| difficulty was puzzle until the present
ingenious system was hit upon. There
are now about 10 officers on the disability
list whose ages exceed "a years. There
are also about sixty officers on the active
list awaiting vacancies on the disability
list. 1t is a simple arithmetical conclii-
sion that if the ITO are transferred to the
| age list, and the disability list then reduced
to $50 as maximum, there will be Just
about enough vacancies. on it to COM
| pletely clear the lists of the officers rec
commended for retirement.
In this way the desired promotions will
be brought about, the Army will get
sixty more duty officers, and the reduc-
ton in the disability list from 400 to $50
will offset the continuing operation of the
transfers from it to the age list under the
act just passed.
Taking together this important measure
and the act recently passed for the retire.
ment of officers in certain grades next in
the line Of promotion if found disabled
on examination, great prospects of ad.
vancement in rank and pay are opened
A further result must be the creation of Q
larger number of vacancies among the
second ieutenants of the line than ths
class graduating next June at West Point
and the recommended non-commissioned
officers of the Army can fill. We shal
now accordingly sec resumed, after Ions
time. appointments In considerable mum
bers from civil life to this grade.