The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-28
DEFECTS OF OUR ARMY SYSTEM.

Complaints of the volunteer soldiers as to
rations and the hardships OF camp must be
taken with a degree of allowance. Many
of the things WHICH cause them discomfort
are inseparable from army life, would exist
under any circumstances, and are only
brought into prominence because the men,
accustomed, for the most part, to all the
comforts, if not the luxuries, of civilization,
fail to adapt themselves easily to the new
situation. But, putting this class of fault
finders aside, and accepting only official
statements and the charges of those who
had wide opportunity to observe the actual
conditions, it cannot be denied that there
is an appearance of much laundering in the
management of army affairs. In view of
the haste with which the troops were or
ganized and put into the field it was inev-
liable that all parts of the new machine
would not work smoothly. The work of or
ganization, indeed. considered alone, was a
marvellous transaction, but when it came to
the moving of this army by land and sea.
over great distances, to its equipment, to
its commissary, it's medical and its hospital
service, then it was that the parts of the
system failed to pull together and friction
developed. 1t is showing itself now in
charges and counter-charges made by Off
GERS and men in responsible positions whose
utterances must be listened to. Whether
General Miles said or did not say what is at
tributed to him concerning interference with
his authority in Santiago and the suppress
sion of his dispatches, there is disposition
in Washington to accept the utterances as
genuine and his purpose the forcing of an
investigation. An investigation is inevlta-
BILE in any case, and it must cover the vari-
Gus branches of the War Department. In
justice to the officials themselves, as well
as for the satisfaction of the public, the
responsibility for the plumbers and misman-
agement complained of must be fixed, If
only for the sake of reform There is
movement now by the heads of the various
bureaus to bring about the inquiry, per-
haps by means of court-martial of Gen.
Miles; but whether this takes place or not,
Congress will undoubtedly take the matter
up. The trouble undoubtedly lies not in
the inefficiency of any one man, but in a
defective system. There is a tendency to
this undoubtedly does that gentleman great
wrong. He may not be a great man nor
possessed of good executive ability, but he
unqCestionably desires that every duty laid
upon his department. shall be properly dis
charged. He must depend upon his subor-
dinates to see that this is done, and is not
responsible for system that makes it al
for he rin h1,-
reaus to work together There is adju-
tant general, quartermaster general. a
commissary general, surgeon general and
a paymaster general, none Of whom is sub
ordinate to the commanding general of the
army. They are subordinate to the secre-
tary of war, but in form only. They are
well intrenched in their positions; Alger is
practically a civilian, his war service of
thirty-five years ago not putting him in
touch with present army methods, and he
is really at their mercy If they are in
competent, if they are filled with jealousy
of each other or cherish grudges against
other army men-jealousy is not an I'M
known feeling in high official circles-noth-
ing but stern military discipline regu-
late affairs and this cannot we'll be put in
operation by civil officer. The London
Spectator, speaking of the disposition to
lay all the blame on Mr.. Alger, says the
real cause of the misery and muddle was
the absurd belief so widely entertained in
America that you can make war without
preparation" and adds Amateur soldier
unexpectedly amateur transportation and
commissariat departments-is cruel work -
This is true in part, but it is also true that
the fault is the lack of military head for
the various army bureaus 1t seems to an
observer from the outside that they should
all be subordinate to the commanding gen.
eral Of the army, but at all events they
should be under the direction of one man,
and an army man at that especially in time
of war. The reorganization of the War
Department staff and it's workings should
be one of the earliest undertakings of Con-
gress. Meanwhile it is not a commendable
course for private citizens to enact the
role of critics and foment trouble that must
be left for the government to regulate.