The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-12-01
OUTLINE OF NEW ARMY Bill
LIKELY TO PASS CONGRESS.

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and provided, that when any officer
serving a detail as chief OF u stan,
corps, or department is retired, he shall
be retired with rank and pay now ,au-
thorized for the chief OF such staff,
corps or department" 5 .ii n j.t
It 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. It
amounts In effect. to the abolition Of, the
staf corps as permanent institution In
which officers now serve throughout
their military career
Line officers for Staff Duty.
The proposition that the officers
should be appointed to do staff duty
for definite period and at the conclus-
Ion OF that term return again to the
line, has been strenuously advocated by
many of the best military authorities in
this country for years, 1t Is a pet idea
Of Former Secretary of War Proctor,
now one of the members OF the senate
committee on military affairs. Accord
Ing to the provision. as 1t now stands.
the full effect of It will not be worked
out for several years. and It is not pro-
posed to make the provision. IL 1t should
be enacted into law, applicable to pres
ent members Of the staff corps above
the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The provision for the filling of vacan-
cles that may occur by reason Of the
increase Of officers under the proposed
act is as follows:
Principle Of Seniority.
THAT vacancies in the grade OF field
officers and captEin. created by this act.
in the cavalry. artillery, and infantry
shall be filed by promotion, according
to seniority in each branch respectively.
Vacancies existing after the promo
tIons have been made shall be provided
for as follows:
A sufficient number shall be reserved
for the next graduating class at the
United States military academy. OIL
GERS now holding commissions in the
volunteer army and whose age does not
exceed thirty-two years Mt the date OF
the passage OF this act, may be ordered
before boards OF officers for such exam
'inatlon as~Enuy be prescribed rby the
secretary OF war. Volunteer officers
who establish their fitness before these
examining boards may be appointed to
the grade. OF second lieutenant In The
regular army. Volunteer officers 50
appointed to the grade Of second lieu
tenant shall be arranged according. to
rank. on separate list. &43
How Vacancies Shall be Filled.
All vacancies then existing in the
grade of first lieutenant in each arm
Of the service, shall be filed from this
list and the llneal lists OF second leu
tenants, according to seniority as do
terInncd by length OF prior commission
ed service. but nothing herein contained
shall change the relative rank OF off,
GERS heretofore commissioned as second
lieuterants in the regular army. S.1H
when the vacancies In the grade O..
first lieutenant shall have been filled
from the two lists the names Of the re-
naming second lIeutenants shall then
be placed on one LIST in each branch. ar
ranged as TO seniority, according to the
dates OF their commissions, and proEio-
tions thereafter shall be made rs pro-
vidcd for In existing law"
Provision Is made for the retirement
OF any officer who has been suspended
from duty. This would apply to Gen
crai Eagan, commIssary general.
Organize and Enlist Natives.
The President is authorized TO enlist
and organize natives of the Philip
pine Islands In organIZatlo similar to
the cavalry and infantry to the NUM-
Der OF 1900, the officers for such Or
sanizatien to be selected from tho rcgu-
lar army. Tho highest officers In CON-
mand OF the natives shall be made.
When natives by their services anl
character show fitness for command the
President Is authorized to make pro-
v!sional appointments In the grade OF