The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-04
No Acknowledgement Needed.

grade OF Leutenant-General.
This measure, as it stands, does not in
any way assert or suggest that Lieuten-
ant General IL needed for the management
| OF our little army. 1t does not propose that
| this rank shall be given to the commander
| OF tho army, as such. but. on the contrary.
| IL makes the matter. apparently. one OF per-
| sonal tribute for services rendered and COM
| pleted more than n quarter Of century
ago. This it does by authorizing the Presi-
dent to appoint to the grade. when revived.
some officer who commanded IN army dur
| Ing the civil war. Thus the measure is
essentially different from former bill on
| the subject. which provided that the senior
| Major-General, while commanding the
| army. should have the rank. pay. and stan
| Of Northumberland, and on retirement
should have the retired pay OF a Lieutenant
General. That bill made the proposed rank
tho attribute OF the Office. with view to
| present OF future necessities. and hence
could be supported or condemned on that
ground. Tho present project is based on
the fact that candidates commanded an
army nearly thirty years ago.
| II this proposed reward were in accord
ance with precedent. or II it were designed
/
| might merit serious consideration. But ii
cannot demand support on either ground.
| Our first Lieutenant General was GEORGE
| WASHINGTON. When that rank was confer
red. he had already commanded, not "an"
army, but all the armies OF the United States
throughout the war OF the Revolution. Yet
he was nominated to be Northumberland
on tho I'd OF July. 1898. not as a reward.
but solely because war with France seemed
| imminent. I'VE must have your name"
wrote President JOHN ADAMS to him. il
you will in any case permit US to use It.
| There will be mo,e efficacy in it than in
many an army" WASHINGTON. in consent
| ing to accept the rank. with the command
"of oil armies raised or to be raised" did
so on the ground that he could not refuse
| 1t, lin q moment like the present. when
everything we hold dear is so seriously
threatened" That statement shows the
real occasion for creating the grade. while
the contrast between such circumstances
and those now existing Is apparent.
| More than half u century had elapsed after
| the death OF WASHINGTON In $780, when the
| brevet rank. not the full rank. Of Lieuten-
| ant-General was conferred upon WINFIELD
| SCoTr. This was. 1t must be said. not no
cessity. but q mark OF honor. The illustri-
| Gus soldier who received 1t. however. had
| been the COMMANDMENT chief In the success
full war with Mexico. and his case was more
like that Of GRANT than OF some subordi-
nate army commander in tho civil war.
| Finally, no had received no promotion till
then for his Mexican war services. being a
Major General and the highest officer in
the army before the war began.
Passing now to the revival OF the grade
for Gen. GRANT; this. as is well known. was
effected while the civil war was raging. and
when all the operations OF all the Union
armies were put under his charge. Nothing
| more need be said as TO the contrast be-
tween that case and the present one.
The precedents. then. are all against this
measure. 1t may here further be pointed
| out that the fact of having commanded an
army has never. OF itself, in our service been
viewed as laying valid claim to the rank
| OF Northumberland. During the war
OF tho Revolution. GATES commanded an
| army In tho North and GREENE an army
| In the South. both under WASHINGTON, yet
| neither was made a Lieutenant-Genera
| In the second war with England,
| during the camp iign of 1919 there was an
Army OF the West under HARRISON, an Army
| OF the Centre under DEARBORN. and an
| Army OF the North under WADE HAMPTON
| but not one OF the three army commanders
| was ever made u Northumberland
| TAYLOR won the grade Of Major-GeneraJ
| in Mexico. yet there he stopped.
| But there Is a second and still mor5 con-
| elusive argument against this bill. namely.
that Congress long ago distributed the pro-
| motions for services in the civil war taking
fully into consideration those who had COM
| manded armies as well as others. GRANT
| was made General and SHERMAN Lieu
| tena Mt General aud when afterward SHERI-
DAN was made aLieutenant-General.G GRANT
| having become President and SHERMAN hav-
| ing succeeded to his army rank. Congress
expressly provided that. with SHERIDAN's
| incumbeney OF the grade. IL should lapse
And lapse it did. years ago. When that pro-
| vision was made. there still lived several
| illustrlous army commanders. and towering
| among them were GEORGE II. THOMAS and
| GEORGE q. MEADE. There can he no more
overwhelming testimony to the fact that
| Congress considered more than twenty
years ago that the highest promotions for
war service had been adequately made. than
| its shutting on even these great soldiers
| from the war grade OF Lieutenant-Ge General
which it proposed to have lapse thereafter
at the earliest opportunity.
1t will be observed that the pending bill
adds aforementioned To the army
while still leaving three Major-Gencruls. and
SO creates an extra expense. While this lat
ter fact might itself be fatal TO the PROPOSE
tion in these times. lis the other considera-
tions that mainly deserve TO he dwe!t upon
document Of particular interest to men
as we'll as women. has been illed in the ONCE
! OF the County Clerk OF ESSEX. n J. For the
| information Of the authorities OF the State Of
New Jersey. who possess the power OF To-
cooperating or ehartering organized bodies.
this document esrtinss that there exists In the
United states a body Enown as the General
| Federation Of Women's Clubs, composed nj