The San Francisco call., 1898-01-20
AFTER THE
 PLINS OF
 THE ARMY Officers Who Would Like to Be Quarter maSter-General. Colonels Ludington, Lee, Moore and Atwood
 Have Big Influence. Comn1issary- General of Sub- sistence Is Another Fine Bi-
 let at Washington. CUSHING AND PAGAN TRY. U. s. Soldiers Want Space on the Streets Next Monday for Free
 Swing of the Column.
COmnaissary-General of Sub- sistence Is Another Fine Br-
 let at Washington.
CUSHING AND PAGAN TRY.
U. s. Soldiers Want Space on the Streets Next Monday for a Free
 Swing of the Column.

Planting of new batteries on the heights commanding the harbor, daily drill at the guns already in position and little jaunting about in render ing honors to a visiting sovereign, may seem to engage all the attention of army officers stationed in and about San Francisco, but there is some thing discussed quietly, but not pub hcly, which is of vastly more personal interest to the officers than is all the outward display. Appointments to succeed the present Quartermaster and commissary generals of the army con- stitute the expressing themes of con- versation in army circles. Quarter master-General Weeks retires this month, and several aspirants for pro- motion are actively rallying all the political influence available to bear on the selection of Weeks successor.
 Telegrams from Washington and comments in Eastern military publi- cations insist that Colonel Ludington will get the chief place in the depart ment. Colonel Lee, who was formerly depot Quartermaster in this city, is in Washington making an active fight for the place. Colonel Moore, now serv- ing as the chief quartermaster in this department, has many friends who would be delighted to hear of his pro motion to the first place in the corps. Old army politicians say that Colonel Ludington may yet be turned down. Should Lee be appointed, Moore and LudingtOn could come in later and hold the office after his retirement, but if LudingtOn should win Moore and Lee would beJshut out, as they would reach the age of retirement before Luding- ton attained that age.
 Away back in the sixties" Luding- ton, through the influence of Secretary Stanton, was jumped over the heads of many regular officers and appointed major without having held the rank of captain, and so he happens now to be the senior officer.
 At department headquarters yester- day a wen-posted man said: Big in duences are at work in these appoint ments. Melville Stone, the general -frnanager of the Associated Press, is pulling all the wires he can control in the interest of one candidate, so you cannot rely implicitly on what is teIe- graphed to the press from the East.
 There is a candidate in the field who is seldom mentioned ir the dis patches. I refer to Lieutenant Colonel F. B. Atwood, deputy quartermaster- general. He is from Ohio and served in McKinley's regiment. He was ser geant-major when Mckinley was com rnissary sergeant. They were promoted to the grade of lieutenant at the same time
 ''No, the recommendation of General Miles will not cut any figure in this case. Again Miles has too much good sense to interfere. He wants to be ad- Vanced to the grade of lieutenant-gen- eral and the Secretary of War has re- commended that the grade be estab- lished. Miles will be careful about stepping on the toes of Senators who may have preference in the selection of quartermaster-ge general.
 "The President will make this ap- pointment to suit himself and it would not be surprising to me if Colonel At wood got the place. He is an old com rade and chum of the President and is from Ohio"
 This month the President will have the pleasure of nominating an officer to fill the place of commissary- general of subsistence. The leading aspirants for the place are Colonel s. T. Cushing and Lieutenant Colonel Charles P. Ea- gan. A great deal of influence has been brought to bear in favor of each candi- date Colonel Eagan is the chief com rntssary officer of this department
 It is a fact now well recognized in the army that promotion is not based wholly on merit. The strongest pull frequently lands the prize If the rule should now be established that senior ity of rank should be alone recognized much injustice would result as many
 
 uajustly jumped over the heads of de- ! serving men many years ago.
 Y The plan for lighting the Presidio res ervation and the barracks of enlisted men, as we'll as the quarters of off cers with electricity has been aban- doned or at least shelved for the pres. ent The figures which the Edsor Light and Power Company gave were too high for the consideration of the army authorities The fact is dis closed that the plans for the recently constructed double brick barracks. al though supposed to be modern in many respects, made no provision whatever for wiring the barracks. The authori ties in Washington, perhaps, fancied that electric lights were unknown tC San Francisco.
 The proposed parade next Monday ir honor of the opening. of the Golden Jul bilee is engaging the attention of every one at the Presidio garrison. The col umn will embrace the largest number of United States troops ever paraded al one time in San Francisco. There vii be In line eight companies of the First United States Infantry. Colonel EvaT Miles commanding. Eight batteries o1 the Third Artillery, Colonel M P Mil Ter, will probably parade A squadron of four troops of the Fourth Cavalry will join the column.
 Officers and enlisted men of the regu- lar army are confident of their ability to make display highly credtable to the service. but they fear that the civic arrangements will be inadeouate and imperfect as usual, and that the troops will be crowded out of line to make room on the streets for spectators.
 Colonel Miles said yesterday: ''The First United States Infantry will make fine display if We can get room to pa rade company front on Market street Hut I am afraid we will be crowded out of alignment by the spectators ii we attempt to march in that order. Ii some regulations could be adopted tc give us the entire width of the street between sidewalks the regiment would make a superb showing"