Arizona republican., 1898-05-29
THE MEN WHO WILL LEAD.

Some of the carpies against the ad-
 ministration have seized upon the ap
 pOintments in the volunteer service as
 a branch upon which to hang their
 puerile criticisms. The New York
 Evening Post ever since the declara-
 tion of war has almost shown evil
 dences of being in the employ of the
 opportunity to belittle every act of this government but has deliberately published all kinds of unwarranted li-
 bels no doubt to the intense satisfac-
 tion of Polo y Bernabe and his hired
 minions, but to the delight of the
 Spanish ministry to whom thew are daily transmitted. In recent issue it
 says:
 There has not been set on foot since the middle ages, an army more in need
 of trained commanders, of men to
 lead it who know the ins and outs of the dreadful game of war. The coun-
 try, too, is full of them. But while the importance, in the hour of battle, of officers whom the men feel they can
 VI ooS, bONodoO tAACy h0OW thOA4 Ouol- ness, is everywhere recognized, such stand ready, waiting to be called up- on. No army officered as ours is to be, and containing such a large pro- portion of absolutely raw troops, has ever taken the field since war became an art.
 The plain fact is that out of the thirty-seven officers nominated by the president as majorgenerals and briga- dier-generals of volunteers, thirty-six were soldiers of the civil war and in command of troops. The single ex- ception is General Bates, who did not graduate from West Point until the of 1865, just as the war had closed, but has since served nearly ! .hirty-three years in the regular army, | the grade of lieutenant-colo- 1el. Further, thirty-three out of these | .nlrty volunteer generals are regular army officers today, only seven | of them having as low rank as lieu | .enant colonel in the regular estab- ] ishment. The four appointees not in | he regular army were men of note in he civil war, Generals James H. Will son, Lee, Wheeler and Sewell.
 The truth is that, as the Army and Navy Journal expresses it, the four civilian appointees are experienced soldiers" that among the thirty three elections from the regular army i've .annot see one who has not shown a pecial aptitude in his military voca- ion," and that "our soldiers will be | ed into action by men familiar with var and of proved courage and dist1n- :uished professional requirements"
 As to the presidents staff appoint nents, these deal with officers whose uties are primarily not that of com handing troops in the field. For such taff officers as quartermasters, com 1issaries of subsistence, and paymas- ers energy, business judgment, and reat capacity for hard work are re- uired, and great capacity for hard Tork are required, and these qualities nay be found in civil life, while the ctiyity of youth is not to be expected | n the veterans of sixty years, who filed such staff offices between 1861 1 nd 1865. And yet great number of taff appointments have already been nade from the regular army. For ex- .mple, in the list of senate confirma- ions of May 10, including Assistant ldjutant-generals, inspector generals, thief quartermasters, chief engineers, thief commissaries, judge advocates, md chief surgeons, are the names of army officers, against nineteen from civil life.
 While in some staff departments of | he volunteer army, notably in busi- less departments like those of pay i nent and subsistence, and necessarily l n the lower grades of the medical | orps, appointments from civil life l lave been freely made, the leaders of | roops in battle under the presidents !! will be found suited to heir tasks. The line officers even of l he lowest grade thus far appointed | rom civil life have been exceedingly |