The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-13
THE COMMAND OF THE ARMY.

In whom. after the President, should
the authority to command the army be
lodged? The President. unquestionabiy. is
the commander-ln-chief; but what official
should have the actual direction of the
army and be made responsible for its acts
and ts efficiency? The question is one
of present interest, in view OF the con-
test between The war department and the
senior major general, but il is a very
old question. nevertheless. It has existed
almost from the days Of Washington, and
different administrations have answered IL
in different ways. But sun it is unset
tied.
During Washington's administration he
transferred the direction Of the army to
the Secretary of War as his representa-.
tive; and from that time until 1921 the
secretary commanded the army as the
Presidents deputy. But when Andrew
Jackson was senior general he refused to
recognize the civilian head of the war de-
partment as the commander Of the army
and prohibited his officers and men from
obeyng any orders from the department
which did not come through him. Later,
when John c. Calhoun became Secretary
of War, he sent for the senior major gen
eral and gave him control over the entire
army, on the ground that it was necessary
for the military establishment to have a
military head. Subsequently. on account
of friction between the department and
the senior major general, Congress UNI
dertook to abolish the grade of major gen
eral. leaving the direction Of the
army in the hands of the President,
through his representative, the Secre-
tary of War. But again a civilian secre-
tary came to the rescue of the command
ing general, and urged that the command
of trained soldiers should be entrusted 20
a trained soldier, and no other. "The
functions of a Secretary of War" he
wrote ARE of a civil, and not a military
character, and are administrative rather
than executive. His business is more 10
superintend the general arrangement Of
the service, regulate its expenditures and
enforce responsibility, than to exercise
command. 1t can rarely happen that he
possesses an acquaintance with the de-
tails of the service or experience in the
art of war. By associating with him at
the seat of government an officer of rank
having these qualifications, the system IS
rendered complete"
Most of the generals, nominally or act
ually in command of the army, have had
their frictions with the war department.
Mcclellan, Grant. Sherman and schofeld
had them, and now Miles is having them
In Miles case, it seems, the provocation
has been rather more than usual. The
command of the army has not only been
denied him. but the officer second in COM
mand to the Secretary of War has really
been the adjutant general 1T has been
like making tina adjutant of a regiment
the superior commanding officer over not
only the major the lieutenant colonel and
the colonel, but the general of the brigade
as well" said military writer recently.
The sum and substance of 1t all is that
our military establishment is not at pres
ent organized upon comprehensive, com
nonsense, clear-cut plan. There is too
much division of authority and response
bility, and too much doubt and uncertainty
as to where the commanding power is
lodged