Mr. GARFIELD. I wish to call the attention of the House fora moment to the pointin debate. The gentleman an s that, notwithstanding the proposition made by the committee in this bill, we have seen notable examples during the late war in which the old system has given us the very best talent in the country. I answer that y a single fact, and that fact is, that all the examples e has given have been in defiance of the old custom in the Army and under special legislation that broke the old rule of promotion by seniority. If the rule of seniority had obtained throughout the war, not one of the leadinv men who occupied, and are occupying, high places in the Army could have occupied those places. Half a dozen of those who are major generals would have been majors yet but for the fact that the rule of seniority was entirely overlooked. It was found neces sury in the progress of the war to enact a law that the President might assign a junior officer to the command of his seniors. It became absolutely necessary. We had some men who had grown old in the service, and it would not do, according to the old custom in the Army, to leta junior Officer command them. congress, therefore, passed an act providing that whenever the POTUS saw fit he might assign any general Officer, without regard to his rank, to the command of a Dept or an Army corps, and that Officer mig 1: command his seniors. Thus, the rule of seniority was broken down regularly and systematically by law, to enable us to get hold of the best intellects of the country and put them into the service. Observe another thing. This rule of seniority has always been broken down by great commanders wherever great emergencies of war were upon them. For instance, in 1798 99, when we expected war with France, Washingtou was a pointed General in Chief of the Army, and e made it a condition to his acceptance of that position that he, himself, should have the selection of his leading officers. When he came to make his selection he made Alexander Hamilton, a man taken from civil life, and who had never been higher than a colonel in the Army, 1st in the ran of major generals; he made Pinckney, of SCarolina, 2nd in rank, and he made General Knox, who had been a commander of division in the war of the Revolution, 3rd in rank; thus absolutely reversing the order, and placin those men in that order solely on the groun of merit, and not on the ground of seniority. The great success of Napoleon Bonaparte was due, mainly, to the fact that he utterly ignored the rule of seniority. It is true, he paid this much deference to the rule, that if e wanted a corporal made a ontain be promoted him to be a sergeant one ay, a 2nd lieutenant the next da, a 1st lieutenant the next, and a captain t a next; but he went thrqugh the form only out of respect to a time honored custom. I affirm, and wish it under stood by every gentleman, that no great and successful army was ever called into the field in the history of war, but what had its officers selected in defiance of the rule of seniority, and upon the principle of merit. Now, the only difference between the chair man of the committee and myself is that I do not think he has gone far enough in the application of his rule of merit. I think the rule should be made to apply to captains and lieu tenants as well as to officers above them and for the purpose of effecting that object I desire to modify my amendment so as to make it a motion to strike out the words “ above the grade of captain.” That would make the rule of promotion by merit alone universal through out the Army; and that is what I desire. Now I desire to say one word on that point before I yield the floor. The gentleman has said that we cannot always judge what a man will be until we have had time to test him. Therefore when a man has risen by seniority to the grade of captain we cannot tell whether there is anything in him or not. Now, my answer to that is, that in the 34thsection of this bill it is provided that there shall be competitive examinations for officers even below the grade of major, and they are to be promoted only as they shall show themselves to be proficient and I want that principle adopted here. Another point: the gentleman says we want men in the Army uwhi e before we can decide upon their merits. I know that it. has under the old rule sometimes taken a man 20 years to reach the grade of major by the rule of promotion by seniority. At the time of the commencement of the late war there were many captains in the Arm who had been 20 years in the service. Their merit s had become perfectly well known. As we are now entering nponatime of peace, a man will probably be a 2nd lieutenant on an average or 4 or 5 years, which certainly will allow time enough to discovEr all the capa city there is in him. f young men who are commissioned 2nd lieutenants do not make sufficient imrovement in the vigor of their youth, when they can best improve themselves, during the 3, or 4,or 5, or ten years that they are company officers, they certainly on ht not to be romoted. hope, there ore, that the principle of promotion by merit or examination will be applied to all, and I modify my amendment to that elfect.