New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-10
THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
AN EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL ADMINS
TRATION.
REFORMS INTRODUCED BY SECRETARY f"'o'
ToR-IMPoRTANT LEGISLATION
nv roECpEsc
mr TELEGRAPH TO TIE rnIpuxE.I

Washington April 9.-some extremely p."ns
"a ,,rah,a work has han done In the War Department.
during the present administration In ciefiOs' -
II Is the third in size OF the Executive Depai'
and It's business embraces great varle" "a '"a -.
both civil and military Many important reforms nav
,,oen ,rtrodrced nv Secretary Proctor under whose
orr.+ic administration much has been accompnshe"
ho.h Tar the Improvement OF the Army ana ID inc
,,,, hrspass Of the Department Among the reIo'in9
Tins instituted are some, ATTENDED WIN ie,a.
success which are o. unusual interest 10 tn7
of the Wa Of the Rebellion. - -. 81, Tho
The War Department is the CUSTODIAN Vi q. Va.
ogcloI records in The possession Of the uoVerih.s
o'o.,n 90 tho services Of the Union armies IN inc
w. 90 tho Rebellion The Bureau OF Pensions III 'ie
,,.so nora-,mcnt Is charged with the adlus,monV
~ nensIon claims but the original evidence Ietu ~
for that purpose must be fnrnishcd oS ''o we o..
portment The reports OF the Department s'o" w.
on July g. 1850, there were nearly -'' r.. a,
oN ~" -. -, pons,on bureau unanswered and that ID
an ,hoo ,vors 40 GA cases from the Pension buteau'
second Auditor and miscellaneous sources rclui'"e
information from these records ,.,..,ro for
This arrearace OF work has been accunuia""s ~.
wears so that II was impossible TO ee' al! an'"s. ~
a simple question of inquiry In less IMAM W." 800
tbree months Pension claims were thcroo' ~ a..
he that eytent and incidentally much more WI ',o
70 'i'' sS.a,.rv proctor instituted an entirely
-. =, thucs consolidating and completely ne
,r al ~ that business In The Department. WIN
~
lie +hot IN scptember following there was no,
case NJ that character left on mana uhunpo,eu u
tho office The magnitude OF that "orn - -,
by the following figures taken iioin .ny act,on
last annual report: Number OF cases d" oao a.
July q 1885, 1864; received iror, ''is ~ I,,,
June 30, $780, 301 23s; total 34l' oo- -,
1850 70 June 30, 1900, 3i1,So2; remaining Oh
-, - On 1900 nome An actual recon kePo
=, az. r,or,rtnent shows that during the last iour
onths os OF ne, cent Of all cases OF TINS chirac"
have been competed and answered wltmh '"cii'' o''
bours Of their receipt although, In the meantime o'
account Of the greater activity Oh uo He"''O
that work has materially inceaSeu' ~, ..o. -
The foregoing shows an average Vi Doi $500
ccived n day while the daily average IRON pecchiocr
500 90 rob-rarv o. 1891 was 1851. OF the TO-
rniya+on NJ thls business under the present sccrc-
4rr and H. remarkable success. one OF inc naHlns
nomoc,atic daJIies of NewYork has statea eotoriaD
that II Is one OF the most vigorous anu rau'o'' me-
ures of practical administration accomplished Vi i"
wears In the War Department
Under the recent Democratic Admn'su"'io" ''''0
Axe cler,,s in the War Department engaged upon
the current work requiring search Oh 'heSo ru'oiu
The rcpor. OF the officer in charge OF the DIVISION on
o,ohor o. last shows that the same vok, wlhch mas
m r,otaralIy increased Is being done by lOI CLERKS,
roduciion I'm force OF 81 Per cent, and tat 100 WIN
The absolute promptness OF service above poneu out
Taking into account this reduction In force ana t"c III
oose In business each clerk, the average Is now
accomplishing from three to four times the amount
accomplished before While great credit is uue 10 ''o
,ort themselves for the increased energy with which
thv have prosecuted tho work. the larger item OF gam
Is in the better organization and simpler methods whch
hyo been introduced II is unnecessary to point out
.t this reduction in force results in the saving 10
Tho Government OF hundreds Of thousands OF donas
a wear All those ceCks who could mus DC WIZ
drawn from current work are now cnSageu III t''o
preservation CT the rolls In a convenient anu Poi
manent form for future use. This was aDsoiuteiy IT,
ouired and a committee of Congress had alrcahy re-
norted to that effect The surgical records OF the De
hartmann have been practically completed. Tho mag
nude of that part OF the work alone IS evceo ny inc
npmber of index cards to which these records nave
been transferred, which Is 0,Sl7439' Cohsiue'ao'o
pcogress has also been made with the MYSTERIOUS war
ranting the belief that this entire work may DC COM
Mated within few years, without additional CLERKS
Int by the regular force Of the Department winch can
be spared for It, as explained above
One of Secretary Proctor's first acts, after coming
into the Department was complete and thorough
rcorcanization under the authority of an act of tho
Ith Congress of the work relating to the publication
Of the Rebellion Records. The actual publication anu
distribution TO the public Of this work have been ex-
ceedncly Slow The idea Of printing the records was
first preached nearly twenty years ago. although inc
first appropriation was not made by congress unul
1870 II is estimated that the work had been gong
an IL would have required perhaps twenty years more
Ia conplste It, The Secretary Is understood to have
said that il these records were to be published they
oneht to be published before all the old veterans had
died who were primarily and chiefly Interested IN lhem
The work has been completed to the end OF 1858 ana
covers also the operation Of General shermans army
in the Atlanta campaign, to April 80. 1854. The
nrorress now being made warrants the belief That the
al hefo
ministration.
II Is generally recognized that there has not, since
the war; been so much important legislation enacted
for the increased efficiency Of the Army and It's
economy OF administration during the last Congress-
This legislation embraces provisions for incal promo
ton and professional examinations therefor; acts for
the prevention Of desertions for the relief OF the
retired list: and the limitation Of punishments under
the articles OF war; the order for which has Just been
Issued by the President under the authority OF an act
| Of September 81 last
The prevalence OF desertlons in the Regular Army
al the BEGINNING Of the present Administration was
demoralizIng TO the service Itself and made large I'M
necessary expense TO the Government in the recruiting
and transporting of In his first annual report
secretary Proctor pointed out that the fault was one
both OF administration and legislation The Secrc
tarv I'm that report said succnctly: "The ph OF the
whole question Is TO make the service worth seeking
and then enough good men will seek 1t and be glad ia
| stay IN IT, mo l1oI NVnkIcoo NppPH"VN"
with the Department In Its efforts TO amelorate the
condition of enlisted men and to that end has enacted
during the last year some important legislation recon-
mended by the Secretary. Excellent results have al
ready been accomplished. Although the full results, OF
course cannot be immediate, the following figures will
| show what Is being done:
| Total desertions, year ending June go $780, o344
same period, ending June 80 1889, 1904; decrease
IS per cent Total desertions, year ending September
| 30, $780, 2,oss same period, ending september 30
1850. ISL decrease, "a per cent. Total desertons
| year ending February 1, 1901, 1873; same period
ending February l, 1890, 2714 decrease 81 per cent
Total assertions year ending March 1, 1901, 1880
| total desertions, year ending March l. 1890. 2To3
| decrease, 81 per cent.
Comparing the last two months for which returns
are obtainsble viz December and January, with the
same two months year ago. 1t is found that the de-
| sartlons have been only III, against 231, or
reduction of 40 per cent Under the wise Treatment,
| Of this subject by the present Administration, the