The times., 1898-08-17
AN IMPERATIVE TASK.
The SeorGnnization of Our Military
system

system.
Aside from the complaints of a lack OF
system In the medical service AT Santiago
during and after the fighting, of the suf-
fering imposed on our soldiers through
the failure to provide proper transports
for the wounded and the like, and in
spite of the tremendous work the War
Department was called upon TO perform.
it is admitted that there were some
unnecessary delays and blunders in sew
eral branches of the service. This ap-
plies TO those who were charged with
the duty of arming and equippinS the
volunteers. The failures lead the New
York Times to say:
''If in the moment when peace, skillful-
ly and honorably arranged. follows upon
victories without precedent in modern
warfare, il is worth the while of the
American people to study frankly one les
son that the experience plainly conveys.
the necessity of a complete and thorough
reorganization of our system of providing
and administering military resources
'sThe resources themselves are ample.
A nation that supplies at a moments
call a half million OF men ready 20 take
service in the army, and that can get
such material as both our regular and
volunteer recruits have proved 10 be;
nation that has s. TO lend the Govern
ment for every dollar it asks 10 borrow; /;
one that takes a novel and in some ways
very yexa tious set of taxes without a
murmur. and one that. after the first sur
prised and confused weeks of war, goes
about its daily business with renewed
energy and confidence. need never fear
IL
If only ii has the sense to use its strength
and not waste it. But in this case. it is
the plain truth that our wonderful sue
cess was due 10 the readiness. the fitness
of our navy and to the extreme incapacity
of our enemy. So far as the work of
our army is concerned. il amounts to
this: One brilliant victory gathered on
the verge of a serious check. and won at
a very great cost of life due almost
wholly 10 preventabIe defects in our mill
tary administrati ton. And this loss of life
with its connected injury to health
shocking as ii is in Cuba. where it is
concentrated and conspicuous. has been
accompanied by loss and suffering only
less serious in the camps of the volun-
teers in all parts of the country. And
this has occurred in the process of putting
three armies in the field. in all not more
than Co., coo men, of whom nearly one-haIf
were the regulars. fully equipped for
movement
eve do not now go into the question of
who is responsible for the immediate
faults and blunders. But the people can
not fail to ask themselves what would
have been our situation had we been
suddenly plunged into war with a great
military power or even with one of the
the second or third rank? Undoubtedly
we should have given a good account of
ourselves in the end. but in the begin
ming we should have suffered terrible loss
and humiliation. And we should have
suffered these because we have utterly
neglected to provide a military system
enbedy ing a moderate but sufficient force
of trained troops and an organization
that could add to this force as needed
and operate the whole promptly and ef-
fectively. That is the task that now
awaits US, and it is imperative"