Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 November 1890 — THE WAR DEPARTMENT. [ARTICLE]

THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

OUR COAST DEFENSES HAVE BEEN WHOLLY NEGLECTED. So Says Secretary of War Proctor in His Annual Report—There Is Good Reason for Looking: Well to Their Condition, He Declares Number ol Desertions from the Army for the Tear. [Washington dispatch.] Tho annual report of the Secretary of War Is made public. It is, in substance, as follows: , No great civilised nation to-day has more jnst cause than oura to look well to the condition of ita coast defenses, and none, sinoe the civil «sr, has so wholly neglected them. Modem inventions in the us* of electricity, high explosives, and in rifled mortars have resulted strongly in favor of the comparative resisting strength of land fortifications as against a naval force. As the sole object of harbor fortifications is defense, its construction should at least keep pace with, if not precede, every other preparation; for it has been well said that “while we may afford to be deficient in means of offense, we cannot afford to be defenseless.” Under the fortification act of last session positions for forty-eight mortars in three groups of sixteen each and for three of the now loug-range guns will be prepared in New York harbor ; for one group of moriars and one gun in Boat in harbor; and for one group of mortars and two guns in Fau Francisco. As this is a matter in which makeshifts from year to year are both expensive and destructive of the object to be attained, I trust that a fixed policy may be adopted in the line of a reasonable yearly appropriation for the completion of the work on which the nation is but just entering. With such a policy manufacturers could safely put in the necessary plants aud be able to furnish material at a cheaper rate. With an annual appropriation of tight or ten millions—only a little more than that of the present year—the construction and emplacement of guns and I mortars, works of torpedo defense for the whole coast can be carried on. and in ten years our principal harbors and cities rendered reasonably secure. In the matter of armament a fair and promising beginning has been made. The gun factory at Watervliet Arsenal has already turned out cornSleted steel guns of 3.2, 3.6, 8 and 10 inches caller, which have been entirely satisfactory so iar as their tests have proceeded. The 8.2-inch breech loading field-gun meets with general approval in service, and the firing tests of the 8 and 10 inch type guns manufactured at Wattrvliet have given excellent results, both as regards accuracy and range, aud have satisfactorily demonstrated the capability of the gun factory to turn out modem high-power rifled steel guns equal to the very best. Under the present contract about thirteen twelve-inch cast-iron mortars hooped with steel can be furnished per annum, and as there are other plants In the country besides that of the present contractors which are capable of turning out these mortars it is only necessary that sufficient sums be appropriated for the manufacture of about fifty mortars a year, and the production of mortars will keep pace with that of guns and the construction of emplacements. No fear need be entertained that the plant for this work will not be in existence when needed. The manufacture of the forgings for eight-inch, teninch, and twelve-inch breech-'.oading guns by the Bethlehem Iron Works, under the appropriation of *1,500,000 made in the act of Sept. 22, 1888, is proceeding satisfactorily, and it is expected the contract will be completed by November, 1893. The sum appropriated will procure about sixty-one guns of the calibers mentioned. In short, tho art of modem gunmaking 1b now well inaugurated in this country. The number of desertions from the army for the twelve months ending Sept. 30 was 2,0®, as against 2,751 for the same period last year, a decrease of 24 per cent. The result is due to such improvements in the service as could be accomplished under existing legislation. Although desertions are already greatly reduced, so long as they continue in any considerable numbers they must have a bad effect upon the morale of the army and entail a large and needless expense. The practical solution of this somewhat vexed question assumes three phases; First, dmw to make the service more desirable; Becond, how to remove the artificial restraints which, by binding a man inflexibly to a long service which has become distasteful to him, naturally drives him to desperate means ; third, haw to make tin punishment for the crime of desertion so certain that if more worthy motives fail men may be warned by its fear. As to the second and third .there is now legislation enough, at least with our present experience. With respect to the first there is, I think, need of moro. My experience so far confirms an observation which I made one year ago that “the pith of the whole question is to make the service worth seeking, and then enough good men will seek it and be glad to sfay in it.” The pay of the Second Lieutenant' is *116.67 per month, that of a First Sergeant only *22, and unfortunately this difference in pay largely regulates the actual distance between their relative positions. It would be a step fn the right direction to increase somewhat the pay of the non-commissioned officorß, that every man who enters the service may find in it the possibility of a modest future. With a view to the same end I would recommend a change in the law relative to the selection of enlisted men for appointment to the grade of Second Lieutenant. Practically, it is now possible for company cobunanders to give these valuable appointments to young men who have enlisted for that sole purpose. In older to insure exact justice to all, and give full effect to the beneficent purpose of Congress, the initiatory step should be with the men themselves. Any enlisted man of two years’ servioe, who is a citizen of the United States, should, under certain fixed rules, be permitted to compete for a commission. By the act of Oct. 1, 1890, promotions below the rank of a general officer are hereafter to be made lineally throughout each arm of the service. That measure provides for a system of examinations for all officers of the orrny below the rank of Major, and makes their right to promotion conditional on them. The new law makes no change in the rule of promotion by seniority, and the examinations are in no sense competitive, but they do require an officer to show affirmatively his fitness for the advancement to which, if qualified, the law entitles him. It is believed that its tendency must be to increase the zeal and industry of young officers. The number of officers now awaiting retirement is about sixty. These men are performing no service whatever, but receive full pay, while junior officers doing ‘.heir duties for them are unjustly deprived of both the pay and the rank which tbe law intends to attach to the positions they are filling. The incongruity of the present law' is illustrated by the fact that where an officer is disabled in the line nf duty, instead of opening tbe way for the promotion ofjuniors it may and does often actually retard it. An officer put upon the limited retired list remains there so long as he lives, even if he survives the age of 64 by many years, thereby preventing the retirement ot another officer and the consequent promotion of juniors. If he had been retired for aye in regular course this could not occur. The limit row established is proper enough if the law were bo ameuded that thus limit could be construed according to the reasonable, intent of its purpeße. An amendment providing’ for the transfer of officers from the limited to the unlimited list when they reach the age of 64 would still- permit only 400 retirements other than those who could be retire 1 for forty years’ service or by virtue of the 64 years provision. The expenditures of appropriations under the direction of the Secretary of War for the fiscal year ended dune 30, 1890. were as follows : Salaries and contiingent expenses *1,940,700 Military establishment, support of the. Army and Military Academy.... 23,961,309 Public works, including river and harbor improvements 15,382,785 Miscellaneous objects 6,072,960 Total *47,357,765 The appropriations for the present fiscal year, •Tune 30, 1891, are as follows : Salaries and contingent expenses *2,137,782 Military establishment,- support of the Army and Military Academy ~.24,5(3,596 Public work, including river and harbor improvements 30.874,185 Miscellaneous objects 2,244,131 Total *62,799,695 The estimates of this department for the next fiscal year, ending Juno 30, 1692, are as follows: Salaries and contingent expenses 52,074,430 Military establishment support of the Army and Military Academy 26,160 991 Public works. 10,709.288 Miscellaneous objects 4,805,226 Total. $43,749,936