Evening star., 1902-01-08
WILL BE AMENDED
Bill for Retirement of Veteran Army
Officers.
NOW DOES INJUSTICE TO some
Early Action by Congress is De-
sired
THE CHANGES TO BE MADE

Several high-ranking army officers say
that the bill for the retirement of veterans.
prepared by Secretary Root unwittingly
does an injustice to few deserving officers.
The bill provides that any officer of the
regular army now on the active list who
served during the war of the rebellion may
be placed on the retired list, with the rank
and retired pay of one grade higher than
that actually held by him at the time of
his retirement. 1t is provided, however,
that this section shall not be construed as
creating or reviving any rank not provided
for by existing law. and shall not apply to
any officer whose length of service does not
exceed thirty-five years, or to any general
officer who has been advanced in rank since
the 18th day Of August, 1895" This proviso
excludes from the benefits of the act Lieu
tenant General Miles and all the other gen.
eral officers of the line except Major Cen
eral Brooke, Brigadier General Wade; also
Major General Corbin, Judge Advocate
General Davis, Brigadier General Gillespie,
chief of engineers; Brigadier General Wes-
ton, commissary general; Paymaster Cen
eral Bates and General CroZier, chief OF
ordnance.
The only staff officers who would be
given additional rank on retirement by this
bill are Inspector General Breckenridge,
/, Quartermaster General Ludington, Surgeon
General Sternberg and Brigadier General
CIreely, Cnle1 SlSnal OIIlcer.
Officers Who Are Barred.
With the exception of General Crozer
all the officers named served during the
war of the rebellion. Lieutenant General
Miles is barred from the benefits of the act
by the provision against the creation of
any rank not provided for by existing law.
General Brooke is the only major general
| whose present commission antedates the
limitation fixed by the bill and Brigadier
General Wade is the only officer of that
rank whose commission was issued before
August 13, 1898.
Generals Gillespie and Weston are barred
by the provision excluding general officers
who have been advanced in rank since the
18th day of August, 1898.
General Gillespie was commissioned sec
ond lieutenant Of engineers in June, 1862,
and General Weston began his career in the
army as lieutenant in the 4th Kentucky
Cavalry in November, 1861, but their pres
ent commissions are dated since August 13,
1898. On the other hand the present COM
missions of Quartermaster General Luding-
ton. Surgeon General Sternberg and
Signal Officer Greely antedate August 13
1898, and having served in the civil war
they are therefore eligible for retirement
with advanced rank. General Sternberg
began his military service in May, 1861 and
General Ludington In October, 1862.
Bill to BE Amended. Z
August 13. 1898 was the date of the close
VI kHe opdulSl WdI anu uOSt OF the present
conf missions of army officers bear dates
subsequent to that time. The retirement
bill is intended for the special benefit of the
veterans of the civil war who have not
been advanced in rank since the close of
the Spanish war. 1t was only recently dis
covered that the provision fixing the date
Disseminated In favor of some staff officers
and against other staff officers where the
military records of all included service in
the civil war and We're otherwise equally
creditable. 1t Is said at the War Depart
ment that there was no intention in franz
ing the bill to discriminate against Cen
erals Gillespie and Weston and 1t is under
stood that an effort will be made to amend
the bill so that they will be placed on the
same footing as Generals Sternberg Greely
and Ludington, Notwithstanding their pres
ent commissions are of more recent dates
| than the commissions of the other three
Special provision for the retirement of
Generals Otis, Brooke and Merritt as lieu
tenant generals is contained in the second
section of the bill. These officers per-
formed onerous and responsible duties dur
ing the Spanish war and since. General
Brooke was the first military governor of
Cuba and Generals Merritt and Otis were
military governors Of the Philippines A
statement prepared at the War Depart
ment mel shows that the general provisions of
the bill will apply to but 1SJ officers of the
army out of total of $500
Early Action Desired
The President and the Secretary of War
are desirous of early action by Congress
on the bill, as the passage will in a great
measure influence the policy of the admin
istration in the matter of army appoint
ments. especially those in the higher
grades 1t is on this account that action
has been delayed in filling the two vacan-
cies in the list of brigadier generals which
have existed since the retirement Of Cen
erals Merriam and Hall, about the middle
of November.
1t Is said that while the President desires
to reward the older officers in the army
who served during the civil war, he is at
the same time, desirous of promoting men
in the full vigor of manhood as brigadier
generals. for the reason that there is hard
and important labor to be performed by
them The retirement with advanced rank
OF most of the war colonies would give the
President the opportunity of selecting the
two brigadier generals from among the
younger officers of the army. 1t L. because
he does not wish to decide finauy against
the war veterans at this time that he has
decided to hold up the appointments of
general officers until Congress shall have
had an opportunity to act upon the veteran
retirement bill