The sun., 1899-02-04
The Senate and the Army.

The House having done its duty in pro-
viding an army for the country, the re-
| sponsibility is now shifted to the Senate
| The Military Committee of this body has
| watched the progress of the Hull bill and
| is not likely to delay long in reporting it
| with amendments; but it has been sug-
| gested that the Senate may leave the whole
| matter Of reorganization to the next Con-
gress, meanwhile arranging in the annual
| Appropriation bill to continue the present
army, and authorizing the President to
supply temporary force for the islands,
with view to relieving the volunteers.
One advantage Of this course might be
| that of knowing more accurately next win
| ter the extent and character of the military
| establishment needed. Nothing in the
House debate was more striking than the
| wide difference of opinion as to how many
| troops are required beyond the seas, the
| uncertainty coming largely from the doubt
ful attitude of the insurgents in the Philip
pines; but by the next session all this may
be clear. second argument for postpone
ment would be that, with the mastering out
Of volunteers in the interim. many who are
now eager for transfer to the regulars as
| commissioned officers may have turned
their attention to civil life and the clamOr-
ing for civilian appointments to the army
may be diminished.
But as to this last matter 1t must be admit
| ted that the original Hull bill has been in
| various ways improved. For example, its
provision allowing volunteer officers and
| even civilians to enter the Engineer Corps
was stricken out in the House by the strong
ntn n.Nfn f, hn 80 81,
corps part of the line also disappearing
By the heavier majority OF 113 to 80 new
appointees to certain commissions were re-
| quired to pass an examination as to their
| mental and moral qualifications instead OF
! as to physical fitness only, as the bill at first
prescribed. Once more the maximum age
at which men can be appointed to various
staff corps from civil life was reduced from
so years to 40, which Is great gain, even
II only because twenty-four instead of four
teen years of service will be exacted before
age retirement, Finally, it was provided
that West Point graduates and army non
| commissioned officers shall take precedence
over civilians in appointments as Second
Lieutcnants. Thus some serious objections
to the original scheme of reorganization
were removed
Itmust also be admitted that various other
objections to the bill have disappeared, and
that its cost has Herewith been greatly re-
| duced. One very notable reduction has been
in the staff department officers, the Judge
Advocate Generals Department losing
three; the Quartermaster's 80; the Sub
sistence, 25; the Medical 266, besides $40
non-commissioned officers and 1900 pri-
ntnu Nxrhil ffgfa nI1
dropped; the Pay Department 16; the
Engineer Corps 3s. A great part of these
reductions, too, were of Colonels Lieuten-
ant-Colonels and Majors. 1t is true that
fewer staff officers were needed when tho
| size of the army was cut down, but since
| this had been accompanied by little If any
reduction of line officers, the movement to
make the staff less costly was emphasized.
Still another important saving was eff
! fected by striking out the provision for