The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-24
Latter Had Been Ordered. I'm the Alb
seEcc of Gen. BrecIxfnridge, to
Make a Tour Of Inspection.
GEN. MILES'S STAFF REDUCED
CHIEF QUARTERMAsTER AND AS
sIsTANTS MUSTERED OUT.
Senator FairbanI<s's Efforts i'm Behalf
the President to Sampson.
WASHINGTON, March 23.-The follow
ng order has been issued at the War De-

WASHINGTON, March 23-The follow
ing order has been issued at the War De-
partment:
1.-The following decision has been made
and is published for the information and
guidance of all concerned: Ordered, that
hereafter no chief or acting chief of staff
corps shall be detailed or ordered to any
duty by any authority without the approval
of the secretary of war"
The order bears the signature of r. A
Alger, secretary of war, and is indorsed
by command of Major General Miles, II.
c. Corbin, adjutant general" This order of
Secretary Alger has been issued to set at
rest all questions as to who is the supreme
authority in the War Department. 1t is an
old controversy dating back to the time
when jefferson Davis secretary of war
and General Scott commanding general of
the army. The last time the matter was
brought prominently to the attention of the
country was during the administration of
President Arthur when Secretary Lincoln
wrote a very caustc letter 20 Lieutenant
General Sheridan stating that the staff
corps of the War Department, with the ex-
ception of the adjutant general in the in
spector generals corps, were under the
direct control and subject only to orders
by the secretary of war. The order of Sec
retary Alger will hereafter include the
chiefs Of those corps under sole control OF
the secretary. General Miles has held to the
construction based upon the letter of Sec
retary Lincoln. The cause for the issuance
of the order was a recent order of General
Miles that Lieutenant Colonel Darlington,
acting chief of the inspector generals corps,
| during the absence of General Breckenridge,
directing Darlington to visit certain points
in the West an inspection tour. The order
of the secretary does not refer to General
Breclinridge's present duty in Cuba, as he
is acting under orders issued by Secretary
| Alger. **@
BY a decision to-day of Acting Attorney
| General Richards, the four principal assist
| ants of the quartermaster general and the
| quartermaster on the staff of General Miles
| are mustered out of service by the Iegisla-
| tion of March 2, 1899. The men affected are:
Majors William S. Patten and Crosby p.
| Miller, now serving colonels, and
Captains NJ. C. Martin and F. G. Hodgson,
now serving as lieutenant colonels in the
| quartermaster's department here. At pres
| ent there is no quartermaster on the staff
| of General Miles. At the beginning of the
1
| rey was made colonel under the law He did
not serve long on General Miles's staff, but
was sent to Santiago with General Shaf-
| ter's army He remained there until the
army was sent home. For the conspicuous
| service performed during the war Colonel
Humphrey was made brigadier general of
volunteers and again sent to Havana as
| chief quartermaster of Cuba, where he is at
| present. He was on the list marked for
| muster out, which was issued few days
ago. but the order so far as it affects him
has been revoked and he will continue to
hold the rank for the present.
The Navy Department is gratified to learn
| that its representatives who have beer
| working for some time in the vicinity OF
Santiago and Guantanamo have succeeded
| in adding another vessel to the American
navy in the shape of the gunboat Baracoa
| which was reported to have been towed
| into Santiago as stated i'm an Associated
| Press dispatch from Santiago. The Baracoa
was one OF the Spanish gunboats sunk near
| Guantanamo She is a useful type of YES.
sci for patrol work and is about 30 per cent
| larger than the gunboats SandovaI and AL.
varado. now at the Washington navy yard
| The Baracoa is of steel, ia feet inches
inches draft. Her displacement is 1S5 tons
and with 220-horse power she is able to make
10 knots. She carries one Hontoria gun OF
S.5-inch caliber. one of 27-inch caliher ane
two machine guns. Probably she will be or.
dered north as soon the she can be made
ready for the voyage to be thoroughly over
| hauled at one of the navy yards
The Navy Department is still waiting tt
hear from the Swedish company which ha.
| undertaken to raise the CristobaI Colon
The project has not been abandoned by an,
means. expert engineers in the employ o.
the company having visited the wreck anC
made a careful study of the situation. They
returned to Sweden, and according to thei
report began the preparation Of exact esti
mates of the cost of raising the ship. The,
entertained no doubt Of their ability to rails,
the ship. So
Hawaii. 1t is said, is to have naval mi
litia organization similar TO the auxiliar,
forces possessed by many of the States
which were so valuable i'm the recent Span
ish war. Secretary Long received a letter O,
the subject to-day from j. b. Castle. VIII,
was the Hawaiian secretary of legation a
Washington before annexation was accom-
plished. asking for all the necessary regula
tions regarding the militia. i'm order tina
steps could be taken at once at Honolulu
TO perfect an organization The Navy De
partment is gratified with the prospect o
such reserve force I'm the mid-Pacific a
Mr.. Castle and the Hawaiians intereste.
with him propose to establish especially a
IL is impossible 10 maintain large a nava
force there at present as the Importance o
the locality would justify, did Admira
Dewey not require 50 many vessels ia tn
Philippines. Ii Is expected that naval ofIi
Ger viii soon be spared TO undertake tn