Mr. WILSON. The Senfrom Illinois thinks it is a very difficult thing under the present law to ascertain what an officer receives; and he is very anxious about what a lieutenant colonel of cavalry receives; he thinks he must receive more than a lieutenant colonel of infantry. That is so; he receives 17 dollars amonth more, and 12 times 17 would be the additional amount he would receive in a year, just about 200 dollars. A lieutenant colonel of cavalry would receive a little over $2, 600 a year, if he was paid nothing for traveling. If he was on duty where he did not travel any, and where the Government furnished him in kind fuel and quarters, he would receive between 26 and 2700 dollars ayear. Now, what is he House bill to which. allusion is made? Its object is to get rid of the present system; and what does it inaugurate? The SecyWar may give these officers quarters. but will be the interrotation of that here in this city? Where officers entitled to quarters are'stationed here the amount they receive will not pay their rent and does not average it in this city. It is so in NewYork; it is in Philadelphia; it is so all through the country. By the House bill the SecyWar can allow quarters to all the officers of the Army, and can say to this man, “You are allowed so much for quarters here in the cit of Washington.” He does not get fuel, but it is provided that fuel may be bought and other things necessary may be bought without including the cost of transportation at different parts of the country. In fact the new system that was to make everything so very plain has to resort to the same expedients, and must do it, or the grossest inequalities will be made. Now an officer for every 5 years he has been in the service receives one additional ration, $108 a year. If he has been in 40 years he receives $896 increased pay on account of this service ration. What does the new House bill do? It gives him 10%. on his pay every 5 years, and a colonel receiving $3,000 a year would, when he had been in service 40 years, have $2, 400 added to his compensation annually, while under the present system he would have about 9 100 dollars. Here is an increase of about 1500 dollars to the old officers, while it cuts down the captains and lieutenants and the inferior officers of the Army. Under that hill some colonels in the servwe would receive about 2,000 dollars a year more than others. So it will be perceived that thesystem adopted in the House bill has its inequalities. Youcan not devise any plan that as not. I believe that the present system has grown up in this country founded upon reason, that it is adapted to our large country and our varied service, that it is in itself plain and simple, that it is a better system than any we are likely to devise. Still the House bill is before our cQnmittee; we shall report it in a few days, and I think we shall propose to put it off until December next, an between now and then we can think over it and consider it. However, we have been led oil“ from the consideration of the bill before the Senate. I hope we shalPget avote upon it as s edily as possible, as I am very anxious to dispose of it today.