CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



149 



B. Rice, Theron M. Kice, William W. Rice, Rich, 



D. P. Richardson, Ritchie, Robertson, Robeson, 

 Rosecrans. Ross, Shallenberger, Sherwin, Simonton, 

 Otho R. Singleton, Smalls. Spaulding, Speer, Sppon- 

 er, Stephens, Stone, Strait, Talbott, Taylor, Amos 

 Townsend, Tucker, Upson, Urner, Vance, Van 

 Aernam. Van Horn, Wait, Ward, Washburn, Web- 

 ber, Weflborn, White, Charles G. Williams, Thomas 

 Williams, Wilson, George D. Wise 122. 



NAYS Anderson, Belmont. Blount, Briggs, 

 Browne, Brumm, Buchanan, Caldwell, Campbell, 

 Coterick, Converse, Samuel S. Cox, Deering, Ding- 

 ley, Ermentrout, Fisher, Godshalk, N. J. Hammond, 

 Hardy, Haskell. Abram S. Hewitt, Hill, Hiscock, 

 Holman, Hutchins, Jacobs, Jadwin, Kasson, Ketch- 

 am, Klotz, Leedom, Le Fevre, McKinley, Miller, 

 Mutchler, Norcross, Peelle, Randall, Ray, Reed, 

 George D. Robinson, James S. Robinson, William 



E. Robinson, Ryan, Scales, A. Herr Smith, Springer, 

 Stockslager, R. W. Townshend, Henry G. Turner, 

 Oscar Turner, Tyler, J. T. Updegraff, Thomas Upde- 

 graff, Warner, \tfhitthorne, Willis, Willits, Young 

 59. 



NOT VOTING Aiken, Aldrich, Armfield, Ath- 

 erton, Barr, Beach, Bel ford, Beltzhoover, Berry, 

 Bisbee, Black, Bland, Bragg, Joseph H. Burrows, 

 Camp, Carlisle, Cassidy, Caswell, Chace, Clardy, 

 Clark, Cobb, Cook, Cornell, Covington, William R. 

 Cox, Crowley, Curtin, Cutts, Darrall, Davidson, 

 Lowndes H. Davis, Dezendorf, Dowd, Dugro, 

 D wight, Charles B. Farwell, Flower, Frost, Geddes, 

 Grout, Hall, Hardenbergh, Heilman, Herbert, G. 

 W. Hewitt, Hooker, Houk, Hubbs. Humphrey, Phin- 

 eas Jones, Jorgensen, Joyce, Kelley ; knott, Lacey, 

 Ladd, Lindsey, Lowe, Marsh, Martin, Mason, Mat- 

 son, McCook, McKenzie, Miles, Money, Moore, 

 Morey, Morrison, Morse, Mosgrove, Moulton, Mul- 

 drow, Murch, Neal, Nolan, Orth, Pacheco, Paul, 

 Pettibone, Phister ? Prescott, Ranney, J. S. Richard- 

 son, Russell, Scoville, Scranton, Shackelford, Shultz, 

 Sames W. Singleton, Skinner, Dietrich C. Smith, J. 

 Hyatt Smith, Sparks, Steele, Thomas, P. B. Thomp- 

 son, William G. Thompson, Valentine, Van Voorhis, 

 Wadsworth, Walker, Watson, West, Morgan R. Wise, 

 Benjamin Wood, Walter A. Wood 108. 



RETIREMENT OF ARMY OFFICERS. In the 

 House, on March 31st, the army appropri- 

 ation bill being under consideration, Mr. But- 

 terworth, of Ohio, said: "Mr. Chairman, I 

 propose, if it please the committee, first to ex- 

 plain this bill, especially in relation to impor- 

 tant changes. 



"In connection with the clause providing 

 for pay of the army, there is a clause relating 

 to honorable retirement, or, to use a phrase 

 more common, compulsory retirement. The 

 language is as follows: 



That on and after the passage of this act all offi- 

 cers in the army who are over sixty-two years of age 

 shall be placed on the retired list ; and no act now in 

 force shall be so construed as to limit or restrict the 

 retirement of officers as herein provided for. 



" It is proper to say in this connection that 

 the Military Committee propose to offer an 

 amendment or two, a part of which I am in- 

 structed by the Committee on Appropriations 

 to accept. This clause has been inserted here, 

 the committee deeming it to be in order, to 

 accomplish what has been desired for fifty 

 years by the army and all those who desire to 

 secure its efficiency. It is the concurrent tes- 

 timony of officers in the army, old and young, 

 that this clause, or a similar clause, is indis- 

 pensable to secure that efficiency in the army 



which is desirable; and, beyond that, to se- 

 cure that justice to junior officers which ought 

 not to be withheld. 



"I have this additional word to say touch- 

 ing this clause, and then I shall not refer to it 

 again unless in the course of general debate it 

 shall become necessary. It is the history not 

 only of our own country but of the world, that 

 before armies in the field have been relieved 

 from the command of aged and incompetent 

 generals, before officers rendered incompetent 

 for the arduous duties of the field could be 

 weeded out by the necessities of the service, ne- 

 cessities which forced themselves on the atten- 

 tion of the law-making power or the power 

 having authority to provide a remedy, thou- 

 sands of men, soldiers, have been sacrificed, 

 vicarious offerings on the altar of age and re- 

 sulting incompetency. It was so at the begin- 

 ning of our own conflict, and history but re- 

 peats itself in each war. It is true this is a 

 time of profound peace, but it is wisely ordered 

 that in time of peace we should provide for 

 war. 



" I have said this is the unanimous voice of 

 all the officers of the army. So it is not only 

 of those who would be promoted but of those 

 who would be retired as well. This clause 

 provides for the honorable retirement of those 

 who have either served faithfully forty years 

 in the service or have attained to the age of 

 sixty-two years." 



Subsequently, on April 4th, Mr. Henderson, 

 of Illinois, by instruction of the Military Com- 

 mittee, offered the following amendment : 



Strike out all of the pending paragraph after the 

 word "act," in the seventy-eighth line of the same, 

 and insert the following provisions : 



" When an officer has served thirty-five years, 

 either as an officer or soldier, in the regular or volun- 

 teer service, he shall, if he make application there- 

 for to the President, be retired from active service and 

 placed on the retired list ; and when an officer has 

 served forty years, either as an officer or soldier, in 

 the regular or volunteer service, or is sixty -two years 

 of age, he shall be retired from active service and 

 placed on the retired list : Provided, however, This 

 last provision shall not apply to the General, Lieuten- 

 ant-General, and present major-generals of the army ; 

 and no act now in force shall be so construed as to 

 limit or restrict the retirement of officers as herein 

 provided for." 



This was again amended, on motion of Mr. 

 Butter worth, as follows : 



Provided, however, This last provision shall not 

 apply to the General, Lieutenant-General, and pres- 

 ent major-generals of the army. 



The amendment was then adopted, and the 

 bill passed and sent to the Senate. 



In the Senate, on June 6th, several amend- 

 ments were adopted, one of which changed the 

 age of retired officers from sixty -two to sixty- 

 four years. In a conference committee of the 

 two Houses, the following provision was ac- 

 cepted and adopted : 



That on and after the passage of this act, when an 

 officer has served forty years^either as an officer or 



