Arizona republican., 1899-03-27
.u ou Sapt Art t n yr 1
QudrfermdSferS and Com
 miSSdrieS Promoted.
Provisions of New Army BiII Reduced Them 10 Former Rank-SOme Selections of second LieufensnfS are Illegal.
-oS U AIra,

Washington March 26.-A large number of quartermasterS and com-
 missary officers who are on duty in 1 Washington and who have been here
 during the war have lost their exalted
 staff positions by reason of m inno- cent provision of the recent army reOr-
 ganization act. Last July, as one off
 cial put it, when nc one was looking, laws were enacted which raised to
 places of lieutenant-colonel and major
 certain subordinate officers of those
 staff corps who were attached to the
 offices of their respective chiefs. There was much comment on this act at the
 time, espe ecially as some of the bene-
 ficiaries at once jumped from lowest
 grades to very lucrative places with
 out any peTceptible increase in their
 responsibilities. One officer, an as
 sistant to General Eagan, was only a
 captain in his corps, recently appoint
 ed, and became so offensive to the civilian clerks of the office in his new
 position that he was rebuked by the assistant secretary of war.
 It was provided that these officers should retain their places for the next two years, no matter whether the war ended or not fact which was the more unjust because all other volun- teer staff officers would be mustered out on the declaration of peace and no other staff corps than the two men toned enjoyed the luxury of special ized rank. The army law, h3wever, contained a provision that these fla vOred officers should be mustered cut at once and the war deplrtme has decided that the law must be obeyed. This seems a superf1uous ruling, but the officers concerned made an attempt to have the provision set asidi. Their failure will be recorded in the course of the next week in the orders which announce to the army their reduction to their former positions on She reg ister.
 A number of the appointees to sec ond lieutenancies in the army will be notified that their provisional appoint ment was premature. It has been dis covered that in no instance may the | President appoint a man to the ccm- mission of second lieutenant who is more than ? years of age. Tkis is the | result of the clauses in the new army | law which sti lulated that vacancies | in the grade of second lieutenant shall | be filled as now provided by law" and | on looking up the matter it was found | that the provision Of law would not | permit the appointment of any than ! graduates of the military academy, en- listed men of the regulars who lad passed the required examinations and | civilians. There was n0 authority to appoint enlisted men of the volunteers and the latter who have been chosen by '1e President for a commission must be classified as civilians, and as such must be between the ages of 2l md 27 years to be appointed. An ex- animation of the list of appointments made today shows that not more than 5our or five will be adversely affected, md their places will be filled by others selected by t2e President on his re- urn from the south. He will then llso appoint twenty-five or thirty sec 1nd lieutenants, for which .here is abundance Of mat arial.