The record-union., 1899-10-14

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13.-The an1
nual report of Major General Wesley
Merritt, commanding the Department
of the East, headquarters at Govern
or's Island, N. Y, was made public
at the United States War Department.
to-day. The report is strong ar
raignment of the whole situation in the
artillery branch of the service being
particularly directed against the Ord
| nance Bureau and incidentally the
Quartermaster's Department, the lat
ter for failure to furnish what General
Merritt considers proper quarters at
artillery posts.
General Merritt says the system on
which the artillery is organized is
wrong, in that the artilleryman, who
is held responsible for the work he has
| TO do with his guns, has no voice in the
making or selection of them, this be-
ing left entirely to the Ordnance Bu-
reau. But he adds that since the En-
gineer Department in the same inde-
pendent way furnishes the artillery
man with his emplacements, and there
has been no fault to find with this por-
ton of the equipment, there must be
something more than the mere sys-
tenn to blame for the unsatisfactory
| condition of affairs
General Merritt says he resumed
command of that department on Janu-
ary Ith last, since which time most of
the infantry and cavalry in the de-
partment have been ordered on for
eign service, leaving at present only
four troops of cavalry and three COM
panies of infantry. He says he has no
specific recommendations to make re-
garding any one place. The officers
are known to be intelligent, Industrious
and serious in their efforts to improve
the efficiency of their commands.
That the coast artillery is not to-
/ day in an efficient condition" General
/ Merritt says, 'is due to causes over
which artillery officers have no con-
troll; nor can these impediments be
reached by the department commando
ers. Some require the action of the
Secretary of War, and others can be
remedied only by Congress. The needs
OF the artillery are most ably present.
ed in the report of the Department Ar
tfllery Inspector, to which 1 invite at
tention. 1 do not feel called upon to
urge the specific remedies which he
proposes but L certainly coincide with
the opinion he expresses that the ar
t1llery is in need of remedial legisla-
ton. / deem it my duty to direct at
! tention to the defects on which Major
Storey treats in detail and then leave
the question of how they shall be re-
moved to the lawmaking authorities
and their advisers.
Our cavalry and infantry to-day are
| OrPd nizq1 n n hac cse
didly differed and equipped, and with
| regular supplies of food clothing and
! ammunition, contain within themselves
the elements of complete efficiency.
This is not true of the artillery. The
officers are well educated and Jealous.
but their efforts are cramped by an
imperfect organization and RESPONSE
b1lity for the efficiency or inefficiency
OF their arm lies, not as it should, with
themselves, but very largely in other
| quarters. Either through defects of
law or their own inefficiency, the sup
ply departments upon which the artil-
lery are wholly dependent have fire.
quently failed to Loyalty serve it's in
terests. The fact that the Engineer
Department, working under the same
law, and under it's present chief, Civ
IL.
would seem to Indicate that something
is wrong besides the law.
This condition gives rise to the Oft
expressed desire of the artillery for a
chlef of t1dt arm of the service, who
would see that it is supplied with what
IL needs to be effective, but I person.
ally nave grave doubts as to this be-
ing the most suitable remedy, as it
may result in adding another bureau
to the War Department, which may be
as difficult to make efficient
L desire, in addition, to call special
attention to the following points in the
report Of the Artillery Inspector:
"First-The failure of the Quarter
masters Department to make timely
provision for housing the garrisons at
new artillery posts.
Second-The necessity for providing
at artillery posts permanent pest
non commissioned staff of specialists.
electrician and observer sergeants.
Third-The recommendation that the
strength of the coast artillery be fixed
at the number of men and officers re-
quired to fully man the guns.
1T is observed that the artillery
should be inspected by the artillery Off
GERS, and the fact that the department
commander or Artillery Inspector has
no power to inspect is patent absurd
lty, and one which 1 urge may be dis
posed of at an early date. The means
of making any arm of the service all it
should be should rest with the Cen
eral commanding the geographical de-
partment in which the said arm of the
service is stationed"
An TTnDrovoked Assault.