The record-union., 1895-11-30

Discontinued.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.-The re-
port of Daniel S. Lamont, Secretary OF
War, opens with a suggestive tabular
statement of insufficient Congressional
appropriations. The actual eXpendi-
lures for the last fiscal year were So2,-
luU0 while the estimates of the de-
partment for the next fiscal year run
up to sol, ,945,0 900, thus indicating a
probability of much larger deficit
than was experienced this year. Re
garding the latter occurrence, Secre-
tary Lamont says:
"A considerable reduction by Con-
gress of the estimates of the Pay De-
partment, which failed to take into con-
sideration various contingencies, and
the enactment of extraordinary legis-
Iation increasing temporarily the de-
mands upon the pay appropriation
without making adequate provision
therefor, left the Paymaster-G
without sufficient funds to meet the
army payroll for the last month of the
year. The situation threatened much
hardship among officers and men, who
ries to pay current expenses 1t was
aVerted, however by an unofficial ar
rangement under which the necessary
amount was advanced to meet these ac-
counts in full and the assignments OF
the same are held by the National City
Bank, New York, the Secretary of War
having assumed the personal response
bility of guaranteeing their payment
A deficiency appropriation of S24,OOO,
Or so much as may be necessary to eX-
tinguish the debt, is recommended"
The full strength of the enlisted men
in the army is stated at %, 106. The Sec
retary claims credit for having, during
the past two years, steadily pursued
the policy of restoring officers to their
commands, and reducing, wherever
possible, the number of those on de-
tached duty.
He considers that the most essential
need OF the army to-day is the adop-
ton of the three battalion" fOrma-
ton, as recommended in his report of
1884. He says: The proposition out
lined cOntemplates an increase of sala-
ries of about $500, 600. This increase of
expenditures should be met and
more than overcome by reduc-
tiCnS in the expenditures for the
staff The present chiefs of bureaus in
the staff organization of the army are
capable and efficient men. They are in
every way worthy of the responsible
places they occupy, and jealous in the
faithful performance of duty. The wis
dom, however, of continuing the pres
ent system of selection may well be
questioned There is nothing in the ma
ture of the duties of some of the staff
corps that should forbid the presump-
tiOn that competent officers could be
found for these duties in the line or in
other branches of the staff. In the case
OF the Engineer, Ordnance and Medical
Departments, whose duties are largely
technical, no change from the existing
method of filing vacancies in the grade
of General is suggested; but
in respect to all other staff corps and
departments the class eligible for Selec-
tion TO the head of each should en-
brace the whole army, line and staff
Secretary Lamont quotes President
CleVeland'S message of 1856 in regard
u our defenseless sea coasts, and says:
The various factors in the scheme of
defense have now been so accurately
determined that for the first time it is
possible to forecast from what has been
accomplished, the time and enterprise
required to complete the project with
existing facilities. We have estab
hshed and equipped a gun factory able
to turn out yearly thirty-five guns of the
types required, or enough to arm the
eighteen posts enumerated within ten
years. 1t is complete, except as TO the
provisions for finishing and assembling
16-inch guns, the eXpediency of which
is still questioned. We have, moreover,
by contract, contributed towards the
establishment of private plant for the
manufacture of guns. which in time
viii be able to meet an unusual demand
that could be suppned by the Water
vliet Gun Factory. We have estab-
ushed plant for the manufacture of
gun carriages, which. with the aid
of private establishments can supply
the carriages required as rapidly as
eraplacements for guns and mortarS
are completed. The development of
satisfactory type of 12-inch disappear
ing gun-carriages is alone lacking in
the mechanism of coast uefense, and
without doubt American ingenuity will
soon supply that desired feature.
But at only three of the eighteen
posts considered have completed feat
ures of defense been established. New
York has two 12-inch guns and sixteen
12-inch mortars. San Francisco has
one 12-inch gun and sixteen l2-inch
mortars, and Boston has sixteen l.
inch mortars in position.
1T rests with Congress to determine
by it's appropriations the period which
shan elapse before our coasts shall be
put in a satisfactory position Of de-
tense. The amount required is about
So 900 600, and the entire work can be
completed within ten years"
An interesting feature of the report
is the statement of the Secretary that
never in its history has the present con-
dition of the army been surpassed. 1t
is better fed. clothed and housed and
the policy of promoting the personal
comfort of the officers and men has re-
suited in a devotion that is everywhere
apparent The health record of the
army for the year IS the best annual
statement ever consolidated from the
returns of the medical officers, and a
very significant decrease shown in the
number of court-martials for the year
corroborates the reports from all Off
GERS. and a noteworthy Improvement
III the morals and discipline of the
army.
NEW CARDINALS.