New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-09
ARMY AND NAVY BILLS.
LEGISLATION BEFORE CONGRESS FOR MILL.
TARY AND NAVAL NEEDS.
| BOTH SERVICES GREATLY BENEflIIED-Tilt
RETIRED LIsT-DEsERTIoNs-NAVAL
| AST'DFS
ley TELEGRAPH TO TIE TKIBUSE.l

MEASURES,
Icy TELEGRAPH To TIE TKIBUSE-I
Washington, March s.-The List congress was I'D
eral in Amy legislation. and By 10 means neg
leced the Navy rs usual, there were many measures
rrono.od and the Congress ended with number Of
meritorous bills upon the House ana sehatc caehuas'
but more was done in the last Two sessions ior inc
brcGf of thc two services than during any recent cor
ro.uordpc por,od OF the two services the greater
.uount of LEGISLATION has been bestowed on Inc Army
The reason for this is found in the better management
Of military than # naval matters before the committees
An important influence Ope ating against Naval meas
un,s IS the difficulty of agreement among Naval oihcers
While the line and star fight is less aggravated than
formerly unity Of opinion is as far OIL as ever.
coed many ARMY officers will be inclined to Judge the
ro.rIts NJ tho List Congress By the failure at the
momcn. of approval Of the bill for the increase ana
denomination OF the artillery and the Three battalion
bImcasures that the eve of adjournment had been
MERGED into one. The passage OF TINS compound bill
would have made promotion sufficiently rapid to satisfy
all reasonable demands. But Ii Is, the officers have
roibi, 10 COMPLAIN Of Under the act Of October all
Officers physcav ncapactated fCr duty are retired and
the oppOrunitcs for promotion are increased accord
ngIy This is the law providing that all officers below
the rank of major shall lie subject to physical and
mental examination for promotion II an officer fails
OF passing the mental examination he IS To be s'ls-
pended for a year and then cexamincd The next
officer i'm rank having passed the examination is to he
promoted II an officer fails of passing the physical
examination account OF disability contracted IN the
line of duty he to be retired with the rank to which
his seniority entitled him TO be promoted The retire
mcnts' under this law have been numerous Another
law OF later date February G has frightened the pros
poets Of junior officers This is the act transferring
from the limited 10 the unlimited retired list all officers
who have reached the age Of sixty four The maximum
complement Of the limited list was reduced from 400
10 $50 but fifty vacancies on the limited list were
presented TO be flied by as many officers heretofore
found ncapacitacd for duty by retiring boards There
were in consequence fifty promotions OF officers in the
active service.
Secretary Proctor early in his administration showed
a disposition 10 make the life Of the enlisted man
more acceptable, and it Is largely through his efforts
that Congress during the two sessions has not lg-
nored the file in it, legislation. one act, styled to
prevent descrtions7 provides for the retention OF
sum from the monthly pay Of each soldier, who for
fcits il on dcscron receives It on completion OF
his term Of enlistment, with interest. II Is further
provided that soldier may purchase his discharge
during the first years service or secure his discharge
on Application at the end Of three years service
The ration Of the soldier was also IN
creased BIZ this act. Another act applca
bio to officers and men alike. allowed war
service 10 be counted as double time. The lack
Of uniformity in dispensing military justice was cor
rected by an act insisting upon code Of punslment
Another act granted amnesty 10 each dc'ertcI TWO
wear, after the term If enlistment would nave expired
To promote the administration Of justice Congress also
provided for summary courts for t1al "i onch'es 9"
enlisted men in time of peace, and further that en-
listed men might object to such court, ana on re
quest be tried 10y conrt marii ii. The second sccu"I
Of hi, act gives civil officer, the authority to arrest
dcsertcr, In fact, the laws enacted by INC LI''
Congress were drawn with the idea OF Hi''ouI'E'"7
dc,ertion and the condition Of the enlisted man Has
been elevated TO a standard that makes continuance
in the service a desirable object
There have been other acts affecting the ArihY j"
less degree one IS that comforting hrcve rams upon
officers for Indian serVcc-an act which has never Dcc
officially carried out, although It became law over
wear ago y more recent measure was that a''c""'"N
existing Law to have eigtyiivc Instead ol seventy NV
officers on duty a. professors Of military science an"
tactics al state colleges. The act transferring the Sls
nal Service Weather Bureau to the Agricultural Depart
ment and Increasing the efficiency Of the signal oorp'
was an important one. The creation in the first session
OF tho Office Of Assistant secretary Of War was he's
sary matter Of legislation Ions deieTr"i' Ic o'''
measure relating 10 the Department. that proVdins TOT
a Record and Pension Bureau, was Nct'V" ~ ''' ''
There were an sort, Of bills which failed In varl2ir
conditions. some had passed INC iio''e aiu '1m,'
nm The senate and vice versa. othcfs nlcd III '''h
mitlcc their purposes were meigon INC PH ~
bills. These failures included hcH'S c' III ~ nr
mote The efficiency Of the Army, ana Two Dhis !"
icving the retired list The Provisions ol ,ns ,rr
f.rrng officers from the limited !" me uhIi'ute, ~
The provisions Of the former bills were mt u","p
odlv in the artillery infantry measure Wh'h dled on
fine Speakers table. since these efficiency PF1mpi!oh
bills were never heard 81 after GONG u 'oill.u.
Other LIS which failed Tor one reason or another VT,
IA revive the grade 81 lieutenant General: pruvdhe
FOR more appointments AT large !" inc inil''hS "a
,r,,dlng Tor examination aud promotion OF enlist 81
m.' IN .ornnd licnicnancles. and b, relating T. the
Inspector General, Department.. subsistence Depdr,
mcnt, Hospital Corp, n0iAohIuIi''I'H'u S"" N''
Thc Navy has been the recipient ~ no such g"ncr
Gus legislation. \ condition created ly 'ohSt,s'
for the Army had already eAI'ted III INC N"NN, t',
sy-,ern Of CA am,naiIon for promotion ana retirement
for PLY -ical unitn"s,. The serve" j. h1' tI'uf
'I.rtrd Inv What Ia, become law during the I-t two
wears, Nothing wa, done for tho personnel Of the
Navy aud officer, and have to b" content with me
possibilities Of the recess sessions 81 me Schac HaNhl
Commltcc. Among the statutes Affecting the Nav
u,.ed bv the List Congress are: For IN" relief Of i'
sufferers by the wreck at samoa; sale Of Ellis Island
i'm recognition Of the merits and service, OF thici
Engineer Melville and other officers and men OF The
Jeanette Arctic Expedition: sale Of th' lr"pkivh
Navy Yard ana ic Tsoi niD%ei "pp',pr,ns
has been liberal in the regular Appropriation
bills. That Of the first session authorize re con
srUcti0n Of three going coa'tllnc attlshpN i"r
- 900 600 each one projected cruiser for T21jO 600.
torpedo cruiser fgr 9'oO 900 ana one iorp 40 noa
for 1929 900, In addition Ia which were provision.
f1r Armament and machinery over 100000 I'm amount
ana provision for dry dock at Port ROYAL ). G..
and for one on the Gulf Coa,t The appropriation
lii OF The second session authorized an expenditure
~ over $4,000 900 for increase 81 the NAVY" IN"
con strncon Of one protected cruiser for ~. 100000
and the building Of a dry-docl on Puget sound at
Washington Cor 100000, beside, the regular
,cuditree for thc service II Congress has neglected
emphatic recommendations Of the secretary of The
Navy rgdqg spI armgr ana a., og TsyY Tc ,v
failed are those regarding the pay and retirement u
mate, increasing the efficiency Of n enlisted force
line number ~ officer, in the Engineer Corps Of the
Navy for relief Of officers Of the Marine Corps ana t.
fcOrsanizc the Marine Band.