Mr. FESSENDEN. I deny the reposition with which the honorable Senator egan, and that was that the Government gave these men to understand that they were to e permanently retained. There is not the slightest article of foundation for that remark. The Veteran Reserve corps was organized merely for tempo rary purposes, to perform certain light duties that couid be performed by men of that class, and which must be done by seme body, and thus increase the available number of able bodied men, those who were able to do dutyin the field. That was the single and simple object, and it had no reference to the future in any possible way. At the same time it adorded to a certain number of men, who had been disabled and injured, employment, and so long as their services could be of any value to the country it was very well to keep up the corps and let them perform that light duty. Now, sir, what are the facts? The men in the Veteran Reserve corps form a very small portion of the wounded men of the volunteer army, probably not one in 20. A great many Officers were wounded, and not being able to recover within a certain time they were mustered out, dismissed, and went home. A certain other number, when this Veteran reserve co s was organized, found employment in it, whi e 19 out of 20 went home and went out of service wounded; and when they recovered, if not mustered out, they went back into the field and rendered service. A certain proportion of the wounded officers were retainedin the service, got all the pay thatmen in active service received, bad light duty with no danger in it, but have had all the pay and all the wages for 2 years, and at the end of the 2 years they come forward and say that they are a choice corps to be retained when all the rest who were wounded and who served as well as they did had to go out of service, and are not considered at all. Now, the Senator would have ten regiments Officered by these men, when I undertake to say there are not enough officers altogether in the Veteran Reserve corps who are good for anything to Officer ten regiments of the Veteran Reserve corps. Now, sir, how do they stand under this bill? They have had all these advantages. They were selected forlight duty when other wounded officers were mustered out of service, or if not mustered out of service went back into the field; and after having had for 2 years this advantage over their wounded comrades, so much more numerous than they are in the proportion, lam told, ofat least 20 to one they come forward and say that because they have been in the Veteran Reserve corps, and because they have had this light duty all the time, when other officers have not, therefore they should be preferred, reserved, provided for, and all of them be sure of commissions, when many of the rest of the volunteer officers who have served during the war are to be excluded because there is no chance for them. In my judgment the proposition that is made by these officers of the Veteran Reserve corps is certainly the most selfish one that I ever knew advanced on any occasion. Why, sir, in the 1st place most of them who got their appointments in the Veteran Reserve corps got vastly increased rank. I know of one man who served on somebodys staff as a captain, and I believe I could tell where he is from; he got the rheumatism and came here and got appointed into the Veteran Reserve corps, was taken into the office of the Provost Marshal General, or somebody elses, and there he rose regularly to the rank of colonel, and I believe was made a brevet brigadier general, and he never saw a days service after he was captain. That is one of them. There is an Officer from my own State whom Irecommended for an appointment in the Veteran Reserve corps. O went into the field for awhile on the statf of a brigadier general, and served very well a very fair Officer; we have got many who are not nite as good as he is. Then he got comman of a regiment and went down to Rich mond, but his health entirely failed, he rendered no service at the head of his rement, he came up her and went into the eteran Reserve corps. becoming lieutenant colonel and afterward colonel, and he is to be provided for at all events, while many of the men who have served through the war and won high reputation are to be excluded because there is no place for them. The officers of the Veteran Reserve co s stand as good a chance as other wounded o cers under this bill; they ought not to stand any better. If there are fine Officers among them, they take their chance of being selecte. If they are so disabled that they cannot get 7aliving at home on account of the state of their health they are not fit to be officers in active service, and the country had better give them the pensions to which they are entitled. That is the simple truth. In organizin" the Army my notion is that we want men w to can remder service on the frontier and anywhere. If you make ten regiments of men on the assumption of the Senfrom Indiana that they are not fit in reality, that is. that they are so disabled that they cannot get a living by labor, the result is, that you get ten regiments of comprarative incapables. If there are men in the eteran Reserve corps who have not recov ered and are not fit lor service, and who will not be fit for service, they ought not to be made Officers of the Army. If they have recovered and are good officers they stand a chance with all the other volunteer officers. Many of those other officers have been mustered out, and the Officers of this corps have had the very great advantage of light duty and no danger, with full pay for 2 years, when other officers have been receiving nothing. I see that in a communication which they have sent to me and I suppose every other Senator has received it the compare themselves to Napoleons Old uard; they call themselves the Old Guard the who served awhile, were wounded, came ome, recov ered, and were the but on light duty with full pay. I had the i ea that the Old Guard was selected from the strongest and hardi est and ablest men to do the very hardest work. I am not a military man, and perhaps I may be mistaken; but I do not think the Old Guard of Waterloo was composed of invalids; and yet that is what this corps compare themselves to in the document to which allude. That there are good Officers amomr them I have no doubt, very good officersan they will stand their chance with all the others. They have served the requisite time, and if they have served with distinction their merits, I trust, will not be overlooked. But this attempt to take ten regiments and fill them up with that class of Officers who have been in service all the time with this light duty, and received so much more from the Government than their wounded comanions, seems to me to be grossly uniust tot e rest of the Army, and I am very g adthat that proposition was struck out of the bill by the committee.