Mr. SCHENCK. Yes, sir, and I speak knowingly upon this subject, because I iave been a art of it, though I will not consent to b. but into the confessional here. I was enable to live very well there upon my pay of over $8,000 a year, a great deal better than I can live here as a member of Congress upon my pay of $3,000 a year. I did not save much of my pay then; I save still less of it now. Even when I was of that class of officers who are better aid than any other class of officers under the Government of the U.S. I mean the officers of the Army I confess to the extravagance of having s ent pretty nearly all of my pay, as I have no doubt my friendfrom Vermont [Mr. Woonnnioon] would have done under the like circumstances. But that does not touch the merits of this question, to which Iwill now go back. It was an unlucky illustration which the gentleman made about these officers not being able to keep their carriages, for in fact they are just the class of officers who are able to kee their carriages. The Government feeds their orses, for which the officer is at no expense, and he can purchase a carriage of his own, or drive about in an ambulance belonging to the government, which also will cost him nothing. Now, I like too see these officers driving about in their carriages; I like to see them well paid. But, as I said before, the difficulty with the gentlemen who oppose this bill is that they must deal with facts, and iiot’with mere opinions. Now, take from the entire pay of the major general, which is $8, 648 62, the cost of the forage, $1,042 60, and there is left the sum of $7, 606 12. How does it happen to be so much ‘1 Because that aggregate sum includes $500 02 as commutation for fuel and $1, 296 as commutation for narters, making an aggre gate of $1, 805 02 which these gentlemen get by reason of' being stationed at some town or post, or away from the troops and n on a dif I f'erent sort of duty; while officers who are in the field and with their troops do not get this allowance. Subtract $1, 805 62 from $7, 606 06 and you have remaining $5, 800 44. Now, this bill does what? It gives to each major general who is serving in his groper capacity as commandant of a military ivision or of a dept $7,000; and if he be upon a less command it gives him $0, 500. Thus it takes, I admit, $606 06 away from the major general who is serving in this quasi civil city, in an administrative capacity or in ea‘pa acer ical capacity, or in a military capacity not in the immediate and direct command of troops; while it adds $1, 200 in one case and $700 in another to the pay of those major generals who are actually doing the hard active dutyof their profession with troops and with their commands. This explains why those officers who are with their troops and with their commands constituting the arge majority are in favor of some such bill as this;‘ while the present system receives the support of those who till be easier, the quieter, the lessglmgcroua positions' though my friend fgqui Vermont thinks that there is greater risk of life here in Wash incton than in the field of deadly combat. “Mr. WOODBRIDGE. I desire to inquire of the gentleman whether the officers who are serving in the field do not have those very things which are allowed in the way of coin mutation to officers who are upon detached service.