The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-05
Elaborate Scheme for the Complete
REORGANIZATION of the STAFF Ar
rangement Of the Service.
NEW TITLES PROVIDED FOR
MILES TO BE RAISED TO RANK OF
LIEUTENANT GENERAL,
And Adjutant General Corbin and His
Successors to Have Rank and
Pay Of Major Generals.

WASHINGTON, May 4.-To-day's session
of the Senate was rendered especially not
able by the passage, after debate lasting
only three hours, of the army reorganiza-
ton bill. In military circles the measure Is
regarded as one of the most important of
the present session. 1t practically revolu-
tionizes the present staff arrangements of
the army. 1t proposes to change the pres
ent system of permanent appointments in
certain staff corps to one of detail by
gradul process as the officers now In those
corps go out of active service. AS vacan-
cies occur in departments of the adtutant
general, the inspector general, quartermas-
ter general and commissary general they are
to be filled by details from the line, the
details to be temporary ard not to exceed
four years. The new system is not applied
to the corps of engineers, medical depart
ment, pay compartment or judge advocate
generals department.
The bill discontinues the regimental or
ganization of the artillery and establishes
batteries of coast artillery and eighteen
batteries of field artillery. with total Of
17.44S men, 1t provides for an increase of
one hundred in the corps of cadets at West
Point, two at large from each State and
ten more to the present number of twenty
from the United States at large.
The rank of the commanding general of
the army is raised to that of lieutenant
general, and that of adjutant general to
major general the latter being the incum-
bency of the present Adjutant General Cor
bin. The President is empowered to place
on the retired list any officer who has been
suspended from duty by sentence of court
martial or by executive order in mitigation
of such sentence for a period extending to
or within one year of the time of his COM
pulsory retirement for age. This is well
understood to apply to Commissary General
Eagan.
An amendment creating a veterinary
corps for the army consisting Of colonel
and thirty-five other commissioned officers
was attached to the bill after spirited de-
bate. the amendment being adopted by a
vote of Is to %.
When the bill came up for discussion Mr..
Tillman, of South Carolina, moved that
the fifteenth section of the measure be
amended so as to read as follows: THAT
the senior major general commanding the
army shall have the rank, pay and allow
ances of lieutenant general, and his per-
sonal staff shall have the rank, pay and al
lowances authorized for the staff of a lieu
tenant general" The amendment pro-
posed by Mr.. Tillman had the effect of
striking out the provision making the sec
ton apply only to General Miles. the pres
ent commander of the army. 1t was agreed
to.
Mr.. Berry moved to strike out the section
a = amended q did think QODd
could be subserved by increasing the rank
of the commander of the army.
Mr.. Sewell pointed out that the Confed-
eracy had nineteen lieutenant generals and
eight full generals. He paid a handsome
tribute to General Miles. the present COM
mander of the army. He said that in any
European army of 100000 men-the present
strength approximately, of the United
States army-there would be two Eeuten-
ant generals and one full general History,
he said, would look on the increase of our
as one of the greatest military achieve
ments. Yet little credit was given the or
ganization which enabled this result to be
accomplished. The motion was defeated
to H-the yeas being Bate, Berry, Butler.
Clay. Culberson. Kennick, Money and Vest.
Mr.. Sewell offered an amendment which
was agreed to, providing for one chaplain
for each cavalry regiment and one for
each infantry regiment, to have the rank,
pay and allowances of captain. The office
of post chaplain is abolished, and the Off
GERS now holding commissions as chaplains
shall be assigned to regiments. No person
shall be appointed a chaplain who shall
have passed the age of thirty-five years.
After further debate the bill was passed
without division.
Mr.. Wolcott, chairman of the postoffice
and post roads committee, reported the
postoffice bill. He gave notice he would
call it up for consideration on the 18th inst.
The resolution offered by Mr.. Teller ex-
pressing sympathy for the Beers. at the re-
quest of the author was laid over until
tomorrow. Mr.. Teller gave notice that he
would then call 1t up Immediately after
routine business.
The following bills were passed: To es-
tablish branch soldiers home at or near
Denver. Col: to provide for the holding of
term of the Circuit and District courts
of the United States at Superior, Wis; to
pay s2,99S to Rachel Wilson, of Harrison
county, West Virginia, for the services of
her father, Col. Benjamin Wilson, in the
revolutionary war The beneficiary of the
bill is one of twenty-nine children of
Colonel Wilson.
The Notifications appropriation bill was
passed as reported to the Senate. 1t car
ries 81, .62S, an increase of $640140 over
the House measure. Before passage an
amendment authorizing proportional pay
ment for pneumatic dynamite guns, car
riagcs and ammunition was agreed to.
After a short executive session the Sem
70 af Ill adj mad until