The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-25


clerk his report on the bill for the in
crease of the regular army. After de-
failing the amendments adopted in
committee, all of which have been set
out in the Associated Press dispatches,
the report says:
THE bill fixes no maximum strength
for the entire army. Assuming that the
government win require about 10000
for defense Of the frontier for coast de-
tense and 10 maintain authority in the
islands for whose good order and gov
eminent this nation is now resDonsi-
bic. together with a reasonable reserve
force, the bill provides fer the regi-
ments OF cavalry and infantry to pro
vide the number required for each arm
of the service ard a corps Of artillery
for our sea coast batteries with TWO
regiments of artillery for field batter
les.
1.-THE committee believe the organiza-
ton, as provided Tor in this bill, VIII
make the most efficient military organ
ization at the lowest cost 20 the tax
payer, of any organization proposed Dy
any bill before congress.
THE organization Of the cavalry as
provided in the bill is substantially the
same organization now provided for by
{ law. The change in the present organ
ization is making fifteen captains IL
place of twelve and providing for
commissary of the regiment. BY this
increase of rank, the adjutant and COM
miSsary are given the rank of captain,
and a conlmissary sergeant is also add
ed. The fifteen first ieutenants proVld-
ed give three extra first lieutenants for
ach rgiment, to be available as squad
ron adjutants 1t also provides for the
creation Of band for each regiment by
enlisting them as musicians, while IN
der the present law they are enlisted
IN the regular force and enrolled as
musicians.
ARTILLERY ORGANIZATION.
The organization of the artillery pro-
vided for in the bill changes from the
regimental formation to that of corps
of artillery, and as the artillery arm
has so grown in Importance the COM
mittee feels justified in submitting rea-
sons Cor the change.
The relation of artillery organiza-
ton to the work that the army has to
perform NAV be best understood by
brief reference to its history.
Our present system dates back to
1921, when the first four regiments We're
organized The fifth regiment was add
ed in 1861, and the sixth and seventh IN
1898.
Now, when first organized, that is,
in 1871 the question OF coast defense
was not really so important as it is to-
day, and. consequently, the question OF
organization was not so important.
Moreover, this relative Unimportance OF
both functions and of organization con-
tinued for many years, in fact, down
to 1861 On the ether hand there We're
questions before the country that made
the service of infantry of very great
Importance. and hence we find the ar
tillery almost continuously used as IN
fantrv.
- Experience has Shown that the regl-
mental organization is suited to the
infantry and To the cavalry, the unit
selected. namely. the regiment, being
the greatest number Of muSketS and of
sabers respectively, that can be d.
rectly controlled by one man, ana this
unit is n necessary one. But evidently
no such necessity exists in the artll-
lery. Why, then, perpetuate system
that is essentially a relic OF the past
and wholly out of harmony with pres
ent and with future conditions. There
is no sentiment connected with the
maintenance Of the regimental organi-
cation, because, as already explained,
the chances are against an ofIlcer'
serving wholly in one regiment. Fer
the purely local feeling, for the regi-
ment alone. has been substituted
strong feeling of pride in the arm as a
whole, a feeling borne of the desire TO
see how this long neglected arm at
last realize to a full realization of its
opportunities and its duties.
Let it be borne in mind how COM
plicated is the artillery service, how
many different Kinds of guns it has to
serve. that in future It viii be charged
with the torpedo service, and that the
nature Of artillery service in general
will depend entirely upon location,
conditions that differ from harbor to
harbor. and it is at cnce evident that
an arbitrary division Of the personnel
into regiments is inherently vicious.
The corps system. On the other hand,
gives the artillery the adaptabiity
and heXibility that are demanded by
the ever varying conditions of its SER
vice.
In respect 10 the number of batter
les recommended by this bin one ar
gument only need be brought up. If
= NE necessary personnel is not to be
Yprovided, why are millions appropriate
ed every year for guns, for the COM
plieated ordnance Of the present can
ret be entrusted to unframed men.
INFANTRY ORGANIZATION.
IN the organization of the infantry
regiment a change has been made in
the number of enlisted men in d COM
pany from 1876 to l45. The object Of the
Increase is to provide for an adequate
force at the very lowest cost to the
government 1t mas not been the object
Of the committee TO sacrifice efficiency
for economy, but taking the number of
men necessary To carry out the purpose
of the object, we believe that an or
ganiZation on the basis of 145, which
would give us but 112 privates. is more
efficient in actual service than one of
l26 priVates, as proposed in the senate
bill. The largely increased number of
regiments which would be made neces-
sary by the reduced number of privates
would entail an increased expense each
On the government for officers, and
would naturally impair the effective
ness of companies and regiments on
the line Of battle. General Sherman, in
his report to the war department in
1876. after a full study of the armies of
Europe. and after he had seen their
operations on the field of battle, rec
commended a company Of $50 enlisted
men in time Of war, and further stated
that we could count on one-third of the
men being absent from duty in an army
serving in the field
General SchWan said that after
twenty-one years service as a line Of
fcer. he regarded las men as the best
organization.
General Miles in his testimony he
fore the committee, recommended 100
enlisted men The organization pro-
vided for in this bill gives a maximum
2 smaller regiment than the minimum
of the leading nations The commit
lee inserted a new section in regard to
the record and pension Office, believing
that the present chief of that Office
has, b. his wonderfully efficient serv-
ices. made it only proper for him to