The evening times., 1898-12-27
Opposition to Army Increase.

That an enlarged army, with a consid-
cradle change in the system, is required
By this country. is the opinion. not only
Of army officers. who have special knowl-
edge of our military needs, but of a ma
jority of public men who have paid any
attention 10 the subject. 1t is enough for
the great body of the people to know that
if we had been forced to face a stronger
enemy than Spain with the army recently
put into the field, only the great courage
of the soldiers could have saved us from
shame. while it could not have prevented
reyerses that would have compelled
change of officials in the War Department
and OF at least one commander in the field
There was appalling incompetency and
neglect in every branch of the service
The testimony now in possession of the
public shows that the Secretary of War
was not fit TO direct the movements of a
regiment and that he was quite as efficient
as the AdjTtant General; that there were
defects that would have been fatal to our
army. in a war with frst-class power,
in the quartermasters commissary, med
icaI, ordnance and inspection depart
ments, all primarily due to the system
over which the incapable Secretary OF War
had control. The first defense of all the
men who were found TO be failures was
that Congress had long neglected the plain
duty of recognizing and modernizing the
army. There was undeniable truth in
this, although it did not excuse their reck-
less and audacious folly and neglect.
The war having impressed on the minds
of most observing persons the necessity CT
a change in our military organization and
of an enlargement of our army-a need
that is increased by the extension of our
as a result of the war-bilis for this pur-
pose were among the first introduced on
the meeting of Congress. There are no
less than four in the two houses. while
any number OF members have important
amendments To offer. Naturally there are
differences OF opinion, even among ex-
perts, as to the exact form of staff reor-
ganization. as to the size of the different
bodies, the relative proportions of the va
rious arms of the service, etc, and for d
committee to draw up d measure that
would meet with general approval is i'm
possible. There are certain principles
however, about which military men who
consider only the interests of the army
are agreed. The most important of these
concerns the, power of the Secretary OF
War, who happens in this instance to be
the worst possible man for the ofice-a
man who saw some service as volunteer
and was failure, and who believes he
knows more than West Point man:
who does not hesitate to express his
contempt for military conventionalities
His selection of a particularly unfit
officer to command the Cuban expedition
when he had at hand scores of men who
had proved their qualities, shows how any
power of appointment will be abused by
him.
Any bill that adds to the danger in the
choice of army officers by permitting the
appointment of men from civil life with.
out any safeguards as to their qualiiica-
tions, is manifestly destructive when we
have such Secretary of War. There may
be compromises as to all the other issues
raised by military experts, but no COM
promise can prevent mischief unless the
appointment of civilians is sternly limited
to men who have shown their qualities in
the volunteer service and are passed upon
by military board The Administration
has determined to support the Hull bill,
which has this dangerous provision. and
which enables the Adjutant General to do
what he did in the recent war-suspend
The activity of the Commanding General
The bill perpetuates the conditions that
and inevitable The President, it is stat
ed. win use his influence with Congress in
favor of any measure that has the sup