Evening star., 1898-03-12

there is absolutely nothing new in the
situation. They emphatically state that
the administration has no knowledge OF
what the board of inquiry will report.
The New Military Departments.
The War Department is making every eff
fort to execute the changes in the great
military depertme hts announced in an or
der issued by Mai Gen. Miles today. The
important change made by the order is the
cres ton of the new department of the gulf
by the combination of the old department
OF Texas with the southern portion of the
department of the east The other changes
made are in the direction of rectifying the
lines of the central western departments
SO as to make them more symmetrical and
easily ac .essibe in all portions from their
respective central headquarters. For this
reason the state of Ohio, for many years
attached to the department of the cast, has
been thrown into the department of the Mis-
souri,, which now rejoices in the new name
OF the department of the lakes, a change
OF name made, 1t is said at the War De-
partment. for purely sentimental reasons.
The southwestern states included in the
department of the Dakota have been trans
ferred to the department of the Platte,
wEile to maintain the present proportions
has been thrown into the department of
Dakota. No changes have been made in
the department of the Columbia, the de-
partment of California or the department
of Colorado.
Order of Reorganization.
The following is the general order reor-
ganizing the military departments:
by direction of the President, the fol-
lowing changes are made in the territorial
limits, designation and headquarters OF
geographical departments:
Il The department of the east will en-
brace the New England states, New York,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Maryland. District of Columbia, West Vir-
ginia. Virginia and North Carolina, with
headquarters at Governors Island New
York.
=. department is hereby established 20
be known as the department of the lakes,
to consist Of the states of Wisconsin, Mich
igan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and
Tennessee, with headquarters at Chicago,
Ill.
3. The department of Dakota will en-
brace the states of Minnesota, North Da-
kota, South Dakota, Montana and so much
o. wyoming and Idaho as is embraced in
the Yellowstone National Park, with head
quarters at st. Paul, Mimi
Il. The Department CT the Columbia Will
embrace the states Of Washington Oregon.
iGano except so much of the latter as is
embraced IN the Yellowstone National
Park} and the territory of Alaska with
headquarters at Vancouver barracks
W ASH. nstcn.
.. The Department OF California will
embrace the states of California and Ne
vada, with headquarters at San Francisco,
Cal.
u The Department of the Colorado will
embrace the states OF Wyoming (except so
much thereof as is embraced in the Yellow
stone National Park), Colorado and Utah,
and the territories Ct Arizona and New
Mexico, with head4uar .eIs at Denver Col
Z. The Department of the Platte will
tfnbIace the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Mis-
souri, Kansas and Arkansas, the Indian
territory and the territory OF Oklahoma,
with headquarters al Omaha, Neb.
IS. a department is hereby established to
be known as the Department cf the Gulf,
TO consist of the states of South Carolina
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi
Louisiana ard Texas. with headquarters at
Atlanta, Ca.
THE Departments of the Missouri and of
Texas are hereby abolished
The records of the Department of the
Missouri will be transferred to the Depart
ment or the Lakes, ana those of the De-
partment of Texas to the Department of
the Gulf.
Maj. Cen John L. Brooke is assigned to
the command of the Department of The
Lakes. and Brig. Gen. William NJ. Graham
to the command Of the Department of the
,u;f nf ba do
partnents now on duty in the Departments
Of the Missouri and Texas are assigned to
like duties in the Departments of the Lakes
and of the Gulf respectively.
1.-The travel required under these orders
is necessary for the public service
The Selection of Atlanta.
Senator Bacon of Georgia was at the
War Department today and expressed his
qualification that Georgia had been made
the center of the new department., with
headquarters at Atlanta This step, Mr..
Bacon said, was due entirely to military
considerations, and no personal or poiiti-
cal motives had figured in the transac-
ton. Heretofore there had been only one
military center along the Atlantic, name
ly, that at New York, but the present
condition of affairs made it apparent from
a military standpoint that it was desira-
be to have another center the South
Atlantic. AS a result, the interior military
center, heretofore known as the depart
ment of Texas, had been moved eastward
and centered at Atlanta The same COM
mander, Brig. Gen. Graham will be in
command at Atlanta as had previously
been in command Of the department of
Texas. Some of the War Department Off
Gals aoprehenGed that this move would
meet with political opposition, and that
the efforts of the department would be
overcome, and the order changed SO as to
re-establish the department of Texas. Sem
ator Bacon said. however, there was no
fear of such return to the old system, as
the military exisency was SO self-evident
that patriotic impulses would overcome any
feeling Of personal or political pride in
locality.
Gen. Wilson Returns.
Brigadier General John III. Wilson, chief
OF engineers of the army, returned today
after a trip of over 5000 miles, which he
accomplished inside of one week. Natur-