Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-05
Questions Settled by the Presidents
Recent Action.
CASES OF Lee, WHEELER and WILSON
Their Appointment Must Depend
on Legislation.
FUTURE ARMY COMMANDERS
The Presidents action Wednesday, in fill
ng the vacant brisasiier ,ge1reraasilps is. OF

"iiIh nave beeH dSltdllHS lHc SeTNlCe lOI
some time past and will have a far-reach-
ing effect on future promotions.
For several weeks past the impression
has prevailed in military circles that the
President was keeping open the vacancies
in the list Of brigadier generals for the
purpose of rewarding a number of officers
of the regular and volunteer establish
ments, who have distinguished themselves
during the Spanish war and the Philip
pine insurrection, by advancing them to
the grade of brigadier general in the regu-
lar service and placing them on the retired
list in that grade. In the list of officers
popularity marked for such recognition the
names of General Wilson, General Lee and
General Wheeler of the volunteers were
conspicuous. In the regular service there
are many officers of the rank of colonel and
below who on account of their creditab BILE
services during the war of the rebellion
were hopeful that they. too would be ad-
vanced to the grade of brigadier before
their retirement. That course was recently
adopted in the cases of Generals Hawkins.
Kent. Worth, Carpenter and others. Great
pressure was brought to bear upon the
President and the military authorities to
pursue the same course in the cases of
several old and distinguished officers of the
line who are now on the eve of retire.
ment.
1t was objected to, however on the
ground that it would unduly swell the re-
tired list and add to the expenses of the
government, and also because of the great
difficulty in discriminating among those
claimed to be justly entitled to reward.
Former Policy Abandoned.
The nominations made Wednesday not only
fill all existing vacancies In the list of general
officers, but also the prospective vacancy
which will result from the retirement of
Brgadier General Anderson on the 2lst
In, orli of
there can be no more appointments of gem
eral officers in the regular army until Major
General Merritt retires for age in June
next There is no reason to suppose that
the President will by that time change the
policy adopted by him in the present in
stance. The newly appointed brigadier
generals are to be retained in the serv-
ice and the appointments which will
will undoubtedly be made on the same
basis. That means that but one appoint
ment will be made to each vacancy and
that the former policy of advancing and
retiring a number of officers prior to maxi
ing a permanent appointment will not be
again followed by this administration.
No Vacancy Yet for Ludlow.
The appointment of Gen. Ludlow is pc
Culiar liz that there will be no vacancy in
the grade of brigadier genera, for him until
Gen. Anderson goes on the retired list on
the 2lst instant. The nomination was made
thus far N advance in order to relieve the
President of the pressure which has been
steadily exerted by the friends of the host
of candidates for the office. The vacancies
filled by the appointment of Generals Mac
Arthur ana Young were originally created
by the retirement of Brig. Gen. Shafter and
the death of Brig. Gen. Henry.
Gen. Macarthur was lieutenant colonel in
the adjutant generals department. His
transfer to the line will reSu in the pro-
motion of Maj. Thomas II. Barry, who has
been on duty in the Philippines with the
grade Of lieutenant colonel, and will leave
a vacancy in the grade of major and as
sistant adjutant general, which will be filed
by the transfer of some officer from the
line. Gen. Young will be succeeded as col
onel of the Sd Cavalry by Lieut.. Col. Writ
Davis of the Sth Cavalry.
Gen. Woods Prospective Promotion.
Another thing settled by Wednesdays ac-
ton is that in the expected contingency
that Gen. Leonard Wood will be appointed
a brigadier general of regulars when the
opportunity offere he will naturally be
junior to all the brigadiers nominated We'd
nesday. The Importance of this lies in the
fact that owing to the youth Of Gen. Wood
his appointment ahead of Generals Mac
Arthur, Young and Ludlow would have
eventually made him the commanding gem
eral of the army and have shut out the
others from possibility of reaching that dis
tinction. Wednesdays action, however, es-
tablishes the fact that Gen. Macarthur, in
the natural course of events, will succeed
to the command of the army on the retire
ment of Gen. Wade in 1907, and will hold
that important command for two years, as
he does not retire for age until 1909 This
state of things is possible by reason of the
fact that all of Gen. MacArthur's superiors
now in the army will have retired in the IN
terval.
The Grade of Major General.
According to the present schedule Mai
Gen. Merritt will retire in June next and
be succeeded by Gen. Otis. The next va
cancies in the grade of major general will
be made by the retirement of Gen. Otis, in
March, 1902, followed by that of Maj. Gen.
Brooke, in July, 1902, and that of Maj. Gen.
Miles, in 1903 With Gen. Otis elevation to
the highest grade Gen. Wade will become
the senior brigadier general, and if pro-
NOTED to the first vacancy will succeed Gen.
Miles in command of the army in 1903 and
remain in that station until his own retire
ment in 1897, when, as already stated he
viii: be succeeded by Gen. Macarthur who
will then be next in line of succession.
Legislation Expected
1t is confidently expected that Congress
at it's present session viii, enact legislation
which will enable the President to appoint
Generals Wilson, Lee and Wheeler as brig
adler generals in the regular army and re-
tire them Immediately in that grade Owing
to the legal complications which have
arisen in connection with the proposition to
appoint the officers named to the recently
existing vacancies it was thought best to
defer action unit. the desired legislation
could be secured from Congress. AS the
law now stands Gen. Lee is ineligible to
appointment In the regular army on ac-
count of age, and both Generals Wilson and
Wheeler are within a few months of sixty
four years of age, which is the statutory
limit to active service in the army.
All the officers nominated Wednesday have
excellent records for long and distinguished
services.
Gen. MacArthur's Career,
Major General Macarthur was born June
2. 1915, and entered the service as first
lieutenant and adjutant Of the 9th Wiscon-
sin Infantry August 4, 1862, and after a
specially meritorious career he was mus
tered out as lieutenant colonel June TO-
1860, at the age of twenty years.
He was brevetted lieutenant colonel for
gallant and meritorious services in the bat
ties OF Perryville. KY, Stone River Mission ,
airy Ridge and cambridge. Tenn. and bre-
vetted colonel for gallant and meritorious
services in the battles of Franklin, Tenn,