The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-03-21
PILLBAGS ARE
VERY POPULAR
Another Doctor Likely to be
Made Major General.
AINSWORTH THE LUCKY MAN
CAME UP THROUGH THE PEN
SION BUREAU.
fspecia1 10 Inc Herald.l

Especial to The Herald)
washington, March 20.-The army
appropriation bin which passed the SEN
ate a few days ago contained a pro-
vision which was Incorporated by the
senate committee on military affairs
providing for the consolidation of the
adjutant generals Office with the rec
ord and pension division. The CONSOLE
dated Office is to be styled the military
secretary's department. This viii abol-
ish the once powerful adjutant gen.
erals Office, and when the present ad-
jutant general of the army retires the
title of adjutant general will cease to
exist. The officers who viii be bene-
flied by the change are Brigadier Gen
eral Frederick c. Ainsworth, chief Of
the record and pension division, who
Will be made a major general, and
Colonel William p. Hall, who has been
acting adjutant general and who will
be promoted and made a brigadier gen.
eral. and assigned TO assist Major
General AinswOrth. The adjutant
generals Office was until the creation
Of the general staff the most infiuen-
tial branch of the war department.
General Corbin. and not the secretary
Of war, was sought after by senators
and representatives for favors and mill
itary appointments. The establish
ment Of the general staff was the
death blow to the adjutant generals
department. General COrbin saw the
handwriting on the wall and the gen
eral staff had not been in operation
week before he saw that his influence
was gone. The general staff was ev-
erything, and instead of being the pivot
wheel around which all things in the
war department reVOlVed, the adju-
tant generals department was convert
ed into a fifth wheel Corbin sought
active duty elsewhere. and was sent
to command the department Of the
east. with headquarters at Governors
island. He held onto the title Of ad-
jutant general. for that carried his
grade of major general. In the old
days when a senator wanted a favorite
officer assigned to a particularly de
sirable berth. he went to Corbin. Nov
there is no one 70 whom a senator can
go. That vague and indefinite body,
the general staff decides on details.
sends officers hither and thither and
decides important matters concerning
which the president and secretary of
war require technical and professional
and advice The creation
of the general staff has tended in a
huenee from army affairs. Merit and
good service rather than political in
fuence now secure desirable details.
Began as Doctor
General AinswOrth, who is to be the
secretary, has had a remark
able career in the army. He entered
the service as doctor. but he dis
played such rare executive ability that
he was put in a position where his ma
tural talents could be employed to bet
ter advantage than in the hospital. He
was made a colonel by special act Of
secured his promotion to the
grade of brigadier general through the
same courtesy. and he is to be a major
general by the same process. General
has the reputation of al
ways answering letters the day on |
which they are received. If a member
Of congress wants TO know the mill
taFy record of man who served IN
the civil war. he writes to General
A;nsworth for the information. One
can safely believe that the answer will |
be in hand within tWenty-fOUr hours. /
Back in 1885, Ainsworth, then a doctor, !
was brought in from the frontier and |
was set to- the task of restoring some |
kind of order in the record and pension |
office of the war department. That !
office then had control of all of the !
hospital records, over 10000 books. |
Ainsworth found something like 10000 |
letters and calls from the |
pension department for records, some !
Of them a year old. BY the middle of
March, 1887, he had answered all the
10000 calls, and was getting out in
formation on three davs' notice. He
did all this with the same force that
office had before he took charge of il. !
His remarkable talent as an eXecu- |
tive officer was properly recommended
and his Office began to expand. Divi- !
sion after division was transferred 30
him, until now he has under his |
charge men of both the regular and |
volunteer armies from the earliest his
tory of the government down to the |
present. Seventeen divisions have
gradually been absorbed by him. and !
now he IS to take in the adjutant gem
erals department.