The Irish standard., 1900-12-08
PLANS FOR THE ARMY.
New Laws Proposed by Secretary Of
War Root for Its Kcor-
EanizatiOn.

Eanizati0n.
Washington. Dec. 1.-Secretary Roots
army bill provides for lieutenant general.
six major generals and 10 brigadier gem
erals. The number of captains, first lieu
tenants and second lieutenants, of the cav
airy and infantry, are Increased from L
to 10 for each regiment. Three Of the cap
tains shall be available for detail as ad-
Jutant, quartermaster ana commissary;
three first leutenants for squadron and
battalion adjutants. and three second lieu
tenants for squadron quartermasters and
commissary
Provision for the dscontinuance of the
artillery arm at present organized is
made by organizing an artillery corps
Known as coast artillery aud field artillery.
Othcers of artillery are to he placed on one
list for promotion according TO seniority.
The corps will have a chic; of artillery de-
tailed from the cooncls, and while serving
in this capacity will have the rank and pay
of brigadier general. There will be in
addition 10 colonels; 10 lieutenant colonels,
- majors. lS2 captains, l9S inst ieutenants
and l92 second licutenants. The captains
and litutenants when not required for duty
with batteries will be available as staff
officers during garrison. Zach battery OF
coast and field artillery shall be organized
as al present. The increases in the artillery
shali be 20 per cent. each Year for five years
until the maximum of 1892 men is reached.
The adiutant general will have the rank
OF major general and his corps Is increased
ore lieutenant colonel and ten majors The
inspector generals department is increased
one lieutenant colonel and six majors. The
Judge advocates departmt mt is increased
one colonel and three ma jors The quar-
termaster's department is increased two
ro!onels. one lieutenant colonel. four ma
ors and 24 captains. To ill the grade of
r. aaI n n
may be appointed. The subsistence depart
mert is increased one colonel, one lieuten-
ant colonel. one major and - captains. The
medical department is Increased two colo
ncls, two lieutenant colonrls. ten majors,
llT captains and first eutonantS. The pay
department. is increased one colonel one
lieutenant colonel. and thu number OF ma
jors is fixed at nine instead of 20 as at pres
ent, with y captains The majors In the
pay department at present will hold that
rank, but no promotions are TO be made
until the number of ajors is reduced be-
| low nine. To fill the vacancies of captains
men serving as additional paymasters not
| over 40 years may be selected. The en-
| gineer corps is increased five captains. IA
| first lieutenants and q second lieutenants.
| Promotions are to be made by seniority
and vacancies are to be filled from the reg
ular army. The ordnance bureau is in
| creased one lieutenant colonel and seven
| first lieutenants. The signal corps is in
creased two majors. four captains, nine
first lieutcnants and during the present
emergency the president is authorized to
continue for duty in the Philippines ten
| first leuteEants and ten second licutenants
as volunteer signal officers,
| All the promotions in the staff created
| under the act are to be made from the
present staff corps, and when vacancies
occur by retirement or otherwise the pro-
motions shall be made by seniority. Va
| hot n
tons arc to be filled by detail from the line
Of the army the details lasting four years.
after which the officer shall not be avail
able for staff duty Until he has served two
years in the line. The provision for filling
vacancies at the head of various staff corps
is as follows:
"'rhat upon the occurrence of vacancy
in the office Of adiutant general. inspector
general. judge advocate general, quarter
| master general. commisSary general, pay
master general. chief of ordnance or chief
signal officer the president may appoint
the chief of any of said departments or
| corps from the officers of the army at large
not below the grade of lieutenant colonel.
| Provided. that chiefs of staff corps or de-
partments shall be appointed for terms to
continue four years, unless sooner termin-
ated by the president, and while SO serv-
ing shall have the rank, pay and allow
anceS now authorized for chiefs of said
| corps or departments. And provided that
when any officer serving a detail as chief
of a staff. corps or department is retired
he shall be retired with rank and pay now
authorized for the chief of such staff, corps
or department"
1t is provided also that officers below the
! grade of lieutenant colonel in any of the
! above named departments shall serve one
year in the line, but shall not lose their
places in the ,staff corps.
The above quoted provision is one Of the
most important and radical of the changes
proposed by the bill. 1t amounts, in effect,
to the abolition of the staff corps as per-
manent institution in which officers now
serve throughout their military career,
The proposition that line officers should be
appointed to do staff duty for a definite
period and, at the conclusion of that term
return again to the line, has been siren.
uously advocated by many of the best mill
itary authorities in this country for years.
1t is pet idea of Former Secretary of War
/ Proctor. now one of the members of the
senate committee on military affairs. Ac.
cording to the provision, as it now stands
the full effect Of 1t will not be worked out
for several years, as it is not proposed tc
make the provision. If it should be enacted
into law, applicable to present members
! of the staff corps above the rank of lieu.
tenant colonel.
The provision for the filing of vacancies
| that may occur by reason of the increase
of officers under the proposed act is as fol-
lows:
'"rhat vacancies in the grade of field off.
GERS and captain, created by this act In
the cavalry, artillery and infantry shall
| be filled by promotion according to senior
| ity in each branch, respectively"
Provision is made for the retirement OF
any officer who has been suspended from
| DUTY. This would apply to Gen. Eagan
eommissary general.
The president is authorized to enlist and
organize natives of the Philippine islands
| in organizations similar to the cavalry and
| infantry to the number of 12,00O the otfi.
GERS for such organization to be selected
from the regular army. The highest off.
| GERS in command of the natives shall be
majors. When natives by their service and
| character show fitness for command the
/ president is authorized to make provisiona!
appointments in the grade of second and
first lieutenants. A regiment OF Porto
| Ricans also is authorized.
| Boiler ExplOdes.
Chicago, Dec. 4.-The explosion of q
boiler in the lighting and heating