Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-01

during the present emergency the President
is authorized to continue for duty in the
Philippines ten first lieutenants and ten
second l1eutenantS as volunteer signal Off
GERS.
All 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 promotions
Shall be made by seniority. Vacancies that
cannot be filled by such promotions are to
be filled by detail from the line of the army
the details lasting four years, after which
the officer shall not be available for staff
duty until he has served two years in the
line.
Vacancies in Staff Corps.
The provision for filling vacancies at the
head of various staff corps is follows:
THAT upon the occurrence of "a vacancy
in the office of adjutant 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
departments. shall be appointed for terms
to continue four years, unless sooner ter
minated by the President, and while so
serving shall have the rank, pay and allow
arces now authorized for chiefs of said
corps or departments: and, provided, that
when any officer serving a detail as chief
of 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"
An Important Provision.
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 strenu-
ously advocated by many of the best mill
tary authorities in this country for years.
1t is favorite idea of ex-Secretary of
War Proctor, now one of the members of
the Senate committee on military affairs.
According to the provision, as it now
stands. the full effect of it will not be
worked out for several years, as it is not
proposed to make the provision, if it should
be enacted into law, applicable to present
members Of the staff corps above the rank
of lieutenant colonel.
Vacancies Created by the Act.
The provision for the filling of vacancies
that may occur by reason of the increase
of officers under the proposed act is as fol-
lows:
THAT vacancies in the grade of field Of
ficers and captains, created by this act in
the cavalry, artillery and infantry shall be
filled by promotion according to seniority
in each branch, respectively. Vacancies
existing after the promotions have been
made shall be provided for as follows: A
SI1f ipiant shall he for bo
next graduating class at the United States
Military Academy. Officers now holding
commissions in the volunteer army and
whose age does not exceed thirty-two years
at the date Of the passage Of this act may
be ordered before boards of officers for
such examination may be prescribed by
the Secretary If War.
~ Olunteer officers who establish their fit
ness before these examining boards may be
appointed to the grade of second lieutenant
In the regular army. Volunteer officers so
appointed to the grade of second lieutenant
shall be arranged. according to rank, on a
separate list. All vacancies then existing
in the grade of first lieutenant in each arm
of the service shall be filled from this list,
and the lineal lists of second lieutenants,
according to seniority, as determined by
length Of prior commissioned service; but
nothing herein contained shall change the
relative rank of officers heretofore commits
stoned as second lieutenants in the regular
army.
when the vacancies in the grade of first
lieutenant shall have been filed from the
two lists. the names Of the remaining Sec
ond heutenants shall then b placed on one