The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-08
ARMY OFFICERS ARE MAD DID The BOSS BIDDING
RECENT PROMOTIONS MADE BY
PRESIDENT REGARDL-3 AS
AN OUTRAGE
GENERAL WADE OVERLOOKED
He Is Now Outranked by Young,
Chnfee, Macarthur and Others
-COrbin Believed to Be
Responsible.

Inc worst outrage that has ever been
! rerpetrated on the American army or its
officers" is the language used yesterday
! by prominent officer in the department
! OIL Dakota, In referring to the changes
! announced by President Mckinley. in his
communication to the senate Tuesday.
/ This settlement there is good reason to be-
leve, Is endorsed by nearly all officers
who have owed their promotion to meri-
| tcrious service and have not depended
| upon political influence or intrigue.
Before the new promotions and ap-
| pointmentS were announced Brig Gen.
]. F. Wade, of st. Paul, commander of
the department of the Dakotas, stood
an excellent chance to be the next COM
mander-in-chief of the American army,
being junior only to Gems. Brooke and
Otis. Both these officers viii be retired
before the expiration of Gen. Miles term
of Office early IN 1903. and in the natural
course of events, Gen. Wade would have
succeeded him. Now he is outranked by
Gems. Young, Chaffee and Macarthur, a.s
we'll as the other two mentioned above.
This means that after a long service and
a brilliant military record, Gen. Wade
sees the geal of his life, the position of
lieutenant general of the regular forces,
vanish into thin air.
In army circles, both in this city and
elsewhere, the whole matter is regard
ed as a scheme of Adjt. Gen. Corbin,
whose ambition is known to be boundiess,
and whose influence, as coming from
Ohio and being very close to the presi-
dent, is immense
This officer as brigadier general was
much lower on the list than Gen. Wade.
and now that he has by the army bill
been made ranking major general. he
has his age considered, an excellt Mt
Gfa
shoes ahead of others who outrank him
technically. He furnishes the only In
stance of an adjutant general OF the
army who ranks higher than briga-
eier general, and by the provisions OF
the act. he will be the last. as his posi-
ton dies with him. Corbin Is stall
officer. and as such, with his lnnuence
has a better chance Of capturing the COW
eted plum than the other major gener-
ais of the line.
MARTHUR'S ADVANCEMENT UN-
MERITED.
Another general who has been adj
vanced out of all proportion TO his Sc
niority is Macarthur. For years he was
adjutant for Gen. Wade, IN this city.
Now the singular spectacle is presented
or a general In the regular army pro-
ceeding to the seat of war to report TO a
comma nding officer who for many years
was his subordinate in the United States
Heretofore promotion in the regular army
has invariably been by seniority. and
this is what has made many of the
older and tried officers sore If poll
tics is to govern promo don they want to
know it.
1t Is interesting to note that of the
twenty-one senior officers in the army
only three are West Pointers, and these
are at the bottom of the list
1T is positive handicap for a man
to go into the army from West Point, ,
said an officer to a Gil reporter yes
terday. He is always the last to be
considered, and always receives the least
amount of recognition.
As it stands now Gen. Wade IS at the
top of the list of brigadter generals. He
may, and probably will, be appointed
a major general, but in that event he
will naturally be at the bottom and
nothing short of military miracle viii
ever land him In the position, which
few days ago, was scarcely two. years
distant.