The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-12-19

in the regular army TO the grade of sec
ond lieutenant only and substituting, au-
thority 10 the President to appoint them
to any grade tina: he chooses. The writer
is ;,,:, My AN officer IN the regular army,
and he says that while this provision will
be acceptable enough TO volunteers and
civilians who aspire to a military i.fe' II
viii provoke much discomfort among reg
niar officers and not i;nprobabiy. do them
very great injustice The writer pro
cecds as follows:
Many of the volunteers. though eager
TO secure such legislation. nfe aFihh
enough to admit that in thus ieaihe'i!iS
their own nests they viii inJure the
careers and eIIlhittcr the lives OF regular
officers who have given the best OF lhe.'
years 10 the service and naturally look
forward 10 the promotion winch is the's
due. The majority OF our regulars are
now faithfully serving their governments
in foreign land. unconscious OF the ne"
peril which threatens their future, anu
unable on account of he great distance
10 defend themselves against any Con-
crcs.>ioual attack.
Promotion by selection would be hard
enough to bear. rs injustice turks there
a,so but this IS Infinitely worse and filed
with rn!schieroUs posS blities. If Con-
gross enacts a law so vicious. so far-reach-
ing in its injurious results and so palpa-
hly- unfair. il VII sound the death kncll
of all military ambition. and will inaugu-
rate a scramble for political pull as the
only hone Of advancement.
Can such a disaster be averted and our
regulars spared such chagrin and inju5-
ticc2
This is a very serious matter and should
receive the very careful attention Of Con-
gress. and we do not hesitate to say that
II should not be done. SO far politics has,
10 a very great extent. been kept out oil
our army and navy, and the result is that
1he esprit de corps in both services is
Of a very high order The American army
and navy officers VIII compare farorably
with the same officers Of any other coun-
try, and they are Il body Of men who can
be trusted anywhere and everywhere.
and. whatever the test they are subjected
to, they will always be found responding
to il in a way that will preserve the honor
Of the country untarnshed. 1t is impos
s.bie for any body Of men to measure up
more entirely to the demands Of their
duty than the American army and hwy
officers do. Whether swelterng in the
torrid climates of Santiago or Manila;
whether charging fortified blockhouuses,
when all assailants ought to have been
killed. or engaging iron-clad ships armed
with guns that should have sent murder
an ion mt at Il IA.
the American army and navy officer was
ready with his life to testify to his sense
Of duty, and his country's escutchon
would have escaped all tarnisll while de-
Tended by him although the peril to him
had been a thousand fold greater than it
was.
That is the result we secure by treating
our naval and military officers as soldiers
and sailors should be treated, We de-
velop an esprit de corps which makes one
man ten in emergencies and places the
safety of the country outside the pale OF
conjectures and within the bounds Of Ger
tainty.
But all this Will disappear il the Doliti
clans foul hand is to be laid upon the
fabric If places in the army and navy
are TO go to those who can most success
fully .nanoeuvre with the tricksters that
control anpointlnents, the stern and reso
Lutte men who now make up the persona!
of the army and navy will gradually drop
out with broken hearts and their places
will be filled by men more likely 10 show
an enemy their backs in time of the coun-
try,s danger than their faces.
This is a serious matter that should en-
gage the attention of all serious men.