The evening times., 1895-11-06
GEN. MILES FIRST ORDERS
New Major General of the Army
Issues a Batch of Them.
Calls Attention TO Existing Reguia-
tions Affecting Equipment and Dis
cipline of Officers and Men.

One of the first orders issued "by COM
mand OF Maj. Gen. Miles" is a general
| circular which is published for the infor-
nation of the Army. This circular con-
| tains q number of decisions, rulings. etc.
which have been rendered recently relative
TO important questions OF current inter
est to the officers and soldiers OF the Army
Tue first decision given is one rendered
by the ASSISTANT Secretary Of war on Sep
tember 10, 1885 as follows: "A soldier
on baii Tor trial by u civil court may, while
he Is in this status, be brought before
military court ior trial, but the military
proceedings cannot interfere Win tue civil,
and IL a term OF confinement Is likely 10 be
awarded winch would cover the time liked
Tor the mans trial by the civil court the
military trial must he postponed. As the
soIuler is not Withdrawn from duty by the
civil proceedings, his pay status Is not al
itcleu thereby.
op September l3 last Lieut.. Gen. John
N. SchofielG rendered the following de
cision: Tue provision or paragraph lS5
OF the infantry drill regua uons making a
captain responsible for tue theoretical and
practical instruction OF his company does
not nor was it intended TO, uiase hIn in-
dependent in such respect Of supervision,
and, If necessary, control 10y his coniInand-
ing officer. II tue captain is immediately
responsible for the company the colonel is
no less SO for the captain, and 1t Is the
duty of the colonel to see that the efforts
OF the captain are directed aright. The
principle heTeIn set forth is universally ap-
picf,ble to all such questions as this
The following general order relative TO
the mis-fire OF cartridges with the new
MA ga zine rifle is also published: "a number
of cases of mis-fire of cartridges, recently
,s..xNf
fact that the bolt al the rifle was not en-
tirtly closed, and the handle turned down
to its extreme position then the trigger
WIS spu!le,i Attehticn is called to the neces-
sity for pressing the bolt handle well 10
place before the trigger is pulled IN order TO
avoid tue chance of uiis-fire. Failure to
properly close tue bolt may be due to two
causes:
IL The handle may not be fully pressed
down when the cartridge is loaded.
80. The soldier in pulling the trigger
NAV press slightly under the handle of the
bolt and throw it up sufficiently to cause a
mis-fire.''
Another general order published in this
circular provides that acting ordnance Off
GERS of the posts willissue spare parts for the
new magazine arms only when such parts
are actually required to replace broken ones.
On September 26, S95, the Secretary OF
War concurrcd in the opinion OF the judge
advocate general of the Army, who ruled
that service as cadet at the United States
Military Academy should be included in
computing the thirty years service on
which an officer may be retired"
A decision OF the Secretary Of War, rem
dered September &c last, held that ''an en-
listed man dishonorabiy discharged for
violation of the 50th article of war, in
enIisting in the service without regular
discharge from the organization to which
belongs, will be reported as 'dshonorably
discharged on the records Of such organiza- |
tion, and not on that in which he enlisted
fraudulently. He will be accounted for on |
the records of the organization in which he |
served under Illegal enlistment as dropped |
with the facts noted against his name"
On the I'd instant the Secretary of War |
issued an order to the effect that whenever |
fore an examining or retiring board, orig |
inal copies OF all official records affecting |
the character or efficiency of the officer, on |
file In any bureau OF the War Department. |
will be furnished to the adjutaat general |
of the army and by him forwarded for the |
consideration of the respective boards"
By virtue OF being subject To such a rul-
ing as the last named the army is peculiarly |
dissimilarto the navy. When naval officer |
is before an examining board the only part |
of his record which can be cited to either
help or injure his character is that which
occurred between the time of his laseexam-
ination OF even his promotion and the
time when the examination is being held.