Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 June 1878 — That Extravagant Army. [ARTICLE]

That Extravagant Army.

lit :t late speech in the House of Ropr.c"STdiraitves the Him W. 11. Galkins, of ln■liattn, replying to the charge that the army is “topheavy,’' and that the number of offi•tr rs tnaiiclv di-pi-oporllotted to- <he ettlisted mon in the service, subrnutect the billowing facts from official sources, which rat her took -by surprise the Bounding Banning style of orators, who had been talking about rite economical way in which the Democrats used-to run the army: In IS.VI tin* army consisted of !),t3l enlisted men ami ••'•*■4 coiniiiis*ioueti officers, or one officer to every si xtiH-n and a traction men . In tin*year lstitl the tinny consisted of l!,f*4N enlisted iii.ii and i.iKi enmmissiotted oniccrs,d>r one officer to cVery sixteen and a fraction men. In lHTst tcariuy consisted, iu round numbers, of2.7,oooenlisted men and 2,131 commissioned oflicrrs.nr one oflicer to every fifteen ttmi a fraction men. These officers to whom I have alillded were lino offiretv; hut, taking the total mtmlier of officers, including the line nnd stuff, and the proportion is in favor of the year IMS us in that year the army consisted of one officer to every e cven uud alsmt a half men, nnd ]r, the-year Isooit consisted of one oilieer to about every ten and a fraction men. This statement inav not prove that the army has only the requisite number of officers, but it eertainiy does prove that it is no mote extravagant now in this respect ■titan in rite days before tho country had been demoralized by high living, and that if eootiomy was observed in this line then, it certainly is now.— lnter Ocean.