The times., 1899-08-04
The Commander-,n-Chief.

The American President is Commander
in-Chief of the Army and Navy. This
does not mean that he wears an exagser-
ated drum majors uniform on one day,
and commands the band of the Fourth Ar
tillery Neither does it imply that, on
the next day, he seizes the tiller of the
Dolphin and heaves the lead-and his din
ner-over the rail, in the uniform of an
admiral.
The American conception of commander
in-chiefship has been lost sight of lately.
Mr.. Mckinley does not know what it is,
because there is most remarkable strate-
gist who has satisfied him that he is
the young Napoleon. and that the pro-
ponent is Won Moltke, Won Room, and Won
Hanna, all rolled into one.
To speak seriously, somebody has been
making fool of Mr.. Mckinley. Put it
at the limit He is not the real, active
head and director of the nations military
forces, land and sea, beyond the functions
exercised by Car Nicholas or Kaiser VIII
helm. They may claim some knowledge
and ability as soldiers. The princes of
EGiOpt bapAehN AP - S-+S
profession of arms. Those who come to
the throne are not absolutely civilians,
but they mostly act as if they were, be-
cause they confide the direction OF army
movements, of wars, and such things. to
the ranking general, who. usually, is called
the chief of staff.
There is no reason why the same thing
should not be done here; that is, as far
as laws, regulations, and precedents will
permit AS far back as 1928 when it was pro-
posed to rob the Office of the Commanding
General of its powers, General Macomb,
then the ranking officer of the service,
warned a committee of Congress that 1t
would be subversive of the country's in
terests, if control over the Army were to
be taken out of the hands OF commander
trained in the science of war, and Ilaced
within the control of a civilian under the
influence of staff subordinates.
Looking back over the history of the
War Department, IL is impressive to OBJ
serve. that our great War Ministers have
bsen civilians. who did not pretend TO be
strategists or tacticlans. but who did
know how to conduct the administrative
work of their business. and had the Amer
Jean common sense TO relegate the soldier
end of the work to the head soldier. STAN
ton did this, and he was great Secre-
tary. He looked to General Grant to win
battles. to place garrisons, TO assign COM
mands to posts. He did not pretend to
the knowledge that it takes a military
person three-fourths of lifetime to ac-
quire.
Jefferson Davis. Robert T. Lincoln, and
Alger were Ministers of another character.
Al of them knew just enough of war tc
spoil them for usefulness. Jefferson Davis,
being West Pointer, and having COM
msnded a volunteer regiment in Mexico,
felt sure that he was greater general
than Napoleon, Blucher, or Wellington. so,
when he secured the portfolio of War in
1853 he Immediately set to work to dis
credit the chief OF the Army, who, at that
time was Brevet Lieutenant General Scott.
Some OF his successors followed his per-
nicious and demoralizing example. The
little creature Beiknap drove General Sher-
man away to St Louis; Bob" Lincoln, {
general who was never under fire, made
life at headquarters miserable for Cen
eral Sheridan, and. in our own time, Gen
eral' Alger. person who was politically
decorated with stars after he had left the
service under serious charges, actually
abolished the office of the Commanding
General for all useful purposes.
Alger's friends say that he did not do it
wiiliI gly, but that he was forced to as
sumo that attitude TO General Miles by an
authority he could not resist. So thorough
" do his adherents attempt to clear him of
blame in the matter that they declare him
innocent of the scandal involved in turn
ing over the whole technical command Of
the Army to a staff office only organized
and fitted to do the errand-boy service of
Army headquarters.
Recent occurrences have probably cured
such Executive vagaries as we have above
referred to. In calling Mr.. Elihu Root to
his assistance the President has seemed to
serve notice on the country that he means
to reform his methods, and allow the War
Department to be conducted not only sane
ly. but honestly and scientifically.
We shall see.