The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-03
DEFECT IN TINE ARMY BILL.
A CIause That viii Jump One Captain Over
Ihlrtnnn- Ah.Inr. In. Ahn Enninnnr Cnrna-

Thirteen Majors in the Engineer Corps.
WASHINGTON. March 2.-The entire CORPS OF
Engineers OF the army Ia deeply aRitated over
tho injection In the Army Reorganization bill
OF n clnuse which has direct bearing upon the
officers OF this branch OF the service. The OBJ
iectionnble paragraphs part OF section ID. aud
provides that ANY officer now in the army
who vas graduated ut the head OF his class at
the United States Military Academy and who
is not now In tho Corps OF Engineers, may be
appointed to the Corps OF Engineers with the
same grade and date Of commission that he
would have II he had been appointed to the
Corps OF Engineers on graduation" 1t Is
claimed by practically all Of the Engineer
Corps that this clause was inserted for the spe-
clal benefit OF one man. AS a matter OF fact IL
will affect but two officers OF tho army In the
matter OF promotion. but this will be at the
expense of n large number OF officers OF the
corps who will be superseded In line OF pro-
motion.
This was one OF the Objectionable clauses
when the bill was before the Senate. and came
near causing the defeat. of the bill in that body.
1t was inserted through the efforts OF Senator
Allen, who succeeded In having. 1t included
to prevent the passage Of the bill. The bro
vision, will jump Capt. Williams over the heads
over nearly all Of the Captains who have long
waited in line for promotion. and place him
Immediately below Major Don y. h1nRInan.
This Is without reRnrd to those who have been
in service during the late war. Capt. Rogers
BRINE of the Ordnance Department Will by IL
10 advanced over the heads Of thirteen Majors
and all OF the Captains. 1t is for this reason
that the entire corps Is Just now greatly con-
cerned. Upon the subject Gen. Wilson. the
Chief Of Engineers. has addressed n lcng letter
TO the Secretary OF War, calling attention to
the gross injustice. and in which he says:
Il have no ne sonal objection to either OF
these accomplished officers. but in Justice to
the officers Of the Corps OF Engineerslwho have
worked faithfully and laboriously in the past.
never imagining for a moment that officers in
other branches OF the service would be leRis-
lated into the Corps of Engineers over them.
| must invite attention to this seeming inlus.
tice. Capt. Brine and. Cant. Williams have had
but little experience along the lines OF tech
nical duties peculiar to the Corps OF EnRi-
neers: neither has ever been examined: as
required by law, fol-. promotion as First Lieu
gineers. and should the provision become q
law they will be the only officers in the corps
who never have been nor ever will be required
to pass an examination previous to promo
ton"
The attack OF the members Of the Engineer
Crops seems to be especially directed TOWARD
Cant. Williams. as ii is through his influence
that the clause is said to have been inserted.
His date of graduation would jump him high
over the heads OF those who have passed eNami-
motion. He was graduated ut the head OF his
class in 1876. but 1t is charged that the class
was not sufficiently up TO the standard. and
for this reason Williams was not assigned 10
artillery service. The clause provides that the
men thus promoted shall not be entitled to
draw back nay, but II il the fact OF their pro-
motion without examination and over, the
heads of so many Majors and nearly all the
CAPTAINS that is especially grievous to the off,
GERS of the rOrDS.