Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-10
ARMY REORG4NIZATION.

The report of the joint Congressional
commission on the reorganization of the
army is ready to be submitted to both
houses. 1t is unanimous report. It can
not, therefore, be charged that it is Dem
ocratic blow at the army, designed to dimin-
lsh its efficiency OF to cripple it. It is a
common sense report, if we may Judge from
the brief summary furnished to the press
yesterday morning. It's recommendations
are free from favoritism-in fact are blow
at the favoritism that has for so long existed
in the army-and, of course, will provoke
the most active opposition from those who
will be injuriously effected by their adop-
ton.
During the war with the South abuses
grew up in the army which have, ever since,
been a source of injury to its efficiency.
Among these abuses was the creation of
large staff department.. In the emergency,
perhaps, staff officers were necessary to per-
form certain duties. But, be that as it may,
the occasion for their existence has long
since ceased. Yet they still remain as bar
naeles, holding fast to their privileges, jeal-
GUS of any attack upon their existence. The
staff of the army consists of two corps-the
engineers and the ordnance-and of several
departments adjutant generals, the
commissary, quarternaster's, paymaster's
and medical bureaus. The commissary and
providing for the subsistence of the army,
yet each has been independent of the other,
and both independent Of the pay department
The result has been endless conflicts of iu-
rlsdiction, which have cost the government
yearly many thousands, if not millions, of
dollars It is proposed by the commission
to abolish the staff department. altogether
No change will be made, however, in the en-
gineer corps or medical department.. They
are to be reorganized in such manner as will
improve their efficiency without interfering
with their numerical strength. But the staff
department proper has long been regarded
by regular army officers as entirely super
fuous. AS an illustration it may be men
toned that there are now on the army register
twenty-four adjutant generals Gncluding the
officers of the inspector generals depart
ment, who are er oBicio adjutant generals),
while there are but eleven military depart
ments and divisions, that could, by the most
liberal construction, require the services of
such officials.
The staff of the United States army,
which consists of twenty five thousand men,
is equal in number and superior in rank to
the staff of the army as it existed during
the war, when over million of men were in
service. They consist for the most part of
the drones of the army-men who lounge
about Washington without any occupation,
Or about military headquarters as the orna-
mental men of the departments. They are
generally mon of influence among the poll
ticians at the capital. and have heretofore
managed to repel all assaults upon their ex-
istence with success. But the fact remains
that they are entirely superfuous, and are
more numerous and costly than the entire
stall OF the German army, which numbers
over million of enlisted men. What few
duties they are called upon to perform could
easily be done by the line officers, and that
without entailing any especial hardship.
The existence of the ordnance depart
ment has long been an anomaly in our
military system. It is entirely distinct from
the artillery branch of the service, of which,
properly, it ought to be part. The artillery
itself is a useless branch of the service in
time of peace, but perhaps it may be ex-
pedient to maintain it in anticipation of war.
But the ordnance department. has had the
selection of all arms and projectiles used in
the artillery service, while those who have had
to use them have been powerless to decide
upon their adoption or to protest against it,
The proposal to consolidate the two is an
eminently sensible one. There is no reason
in maintaining the machinery of two depart
ments when one would serve all legitimate
purposes as well if not better. The change
of the organization of the artillery service.
too, from regiments to batteries, is "a good