The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-11

generals OF the recent creation. and ANA
| tuer soldiers generally. who are playing
hovac with the health and welfare Of
our brave army. The state OF that army
az Tampa can be compared to a ser Of
modern electrical machinery dumped upor
the beach OF an African sultan. The ma
chinery is magnificent but no one car
put it together. Al Tampa Is an army OF
invasion estimated by the tens OF thou
sands. II contains individual men anG
officers uneQualed in the armies OF Eu-
rope for military training and courage
yet these elements are rendered impotent
because the direction OF them is entrusted
to men unfit TO command.
Suppose, now. we set 10 work 20 turn me
! incompetent men out OF the army. Il
/ will make a tremendous void. but IL must
| be done before the army can move sue
/ cessfuly. We must begin at the top. Who
is in commando Today no one knows.
Let Us determine that Immediately lie;
! the president name some general as COM
mander of the troops. and let II be under
stood that henceforth ne. and he alone.
/ shall be held accountable for the conduct
Of the campaign. What would we think
of a ship with three or four captains
I aboard? Yet our little army has been dis
/ tracted for month with half dozen
commanders in chief.
There should. then. be no back stairs
/ intrigue against the head OF the army.
General Miles would consult General
/ SchOheld if he saw fl, but the papers
would not henceforth be printing para
graphs to the effect that the president
was getting advice from Schofield and ig-
| noring that of the nominal commander Of
the army.
I do not say that Miles IS the best gen
eral in the United States. II a vote were
taken among officers in the regular SER
vice the choice might fan upon Wesley
Merritt. whom Secretary Alger has de-
ported TO the Philippines. But any general
at the head is better than this present
rule of chaos. Any order is better than
no order. Nothing is worse for soldiers
than to feel that they are without a
leader. Once we had a head to the army.
the first thing he would do-if he had the
courage-wouId be to appoint a board 70
4lLD Altl4tSS tDi "a Aiif
many who have been recently pushed inio
high military places by political or money
influence This board would perhaps weed
out 70 per cent OF the total recently APP
pointed, and that will make room for good
men.
After the battle Of Jena, in 1896, nearly
every fortress commander Of Prussia was
court martialled for cowardice and incom-
petancy. But that was a mistake. The
one to have been court martialed
was the king. who al
lowed incompetent old men TO remain On
office. No earthly power can give a man
brains or courage, bgt there are many
ways of Kidding the service Of those who
have neither. And this is better done be-
fore a battle than after II.
The armies Of Europe have all been re-
modelled since theFranco-German war.
The most important element In their pres
ent efficiency is that no officer remains In
a given grade more than a certain num-
Der Of years. and that no promotions take
place excepting after proof Of competency.
Thus 4 man has been a captain Tor
a number Of years and IS not promoted
when mis- turn comes he is expected % re-
sign for unhtness.
Now there are captains IN our regular
army who have been fn that grade since
the civil war. They are grandfathsrs and
have Iost the nerve necessary FOR their
work. As locomotive drivers thsy would
have long ago ceased % be useful on any +
thing but q local train or frelglrter. (
They are presumably unfit for nigh COM /
msnd. or they would long ago have been .
made generals. At Iear that would De
the presumption IN Germany. sucb old +
men. after forty years OF army 1ifc. are .
stln doing toe work % boys. Their sphere
IS limited 20 the petty daily wants o. 2tty
Dr. a hundred pr!vates 70 see that they are
clean. ;hat they ara n fighting shape.
RE officer v-no cannot rise 20 Eone;hjnE
beyond this after five or Ten years q
service should 90 forced 70 retire 70 make
-eom Tor yoang bioo[
TIE commander IN chief AL l9ok about
ar tae generals vho NlB command ths
,rlEad.s. divisions and army corps "A
-0l know the captain commands . com
amy. which means perhaps a hundred
nan- The c9lore. c0zHuard1 A regiment.
which may mean anyw here from fFe Gsr-
red 10 Wetge hundred men u Germany
ne regiment e. three thousand. Hereto
ore Cur army 1z.s been scattered a 1t ao11t
re country. 70 INA. gre -er meat has
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