St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-05-06
ABUSES In THE ARM Y.
HhY There Is No Harmony in Our
Military Establishment
There Are Too Many Independent
bureaus Whose Heads Are In =
Measure Not Responsible
to Anybody.
ISpec,al WASHINGTON I.etter.l

/ lGpsCtdl A<SttGi.J
The army reorganization bill, OF
which so much has been said i'll the
newspapers, is measure which has not
been analyzcd SO that everybody can
| understand it.
That the army of this republic is in
q disorganized condition must be mani
fest to all of the people; and it is not
putting it too strong to say that the
condition of cur army is disgrace to
this nation before the peoples of the
civilized world.
This condition. which has brought
about all Of the war department scam
| dals. results from the everlasting con-
fiict between the secretary OF war and
the general commanding the army.
Every general commanding the army
has found himself handicapped and his
power of command taken from him by
the civilian secretary of war, no mat
ter whether thu secretary of war knows
anything about military affairs or
not.
When Grant was made lieutenant
general he so well understood how our
0i hiANs uau I<thalSapISa ~ ~
from Washington that, in the presesce
of the cabinet, he accepted the COM
mission from President Lincoln, say
ing that he would not retain that COM
mission unless it carried with 1T the
full command of the army. Grant was
SO great and powerful at that time that
President Lincoln gave him the COM
nd hnt all nf
the federal armies moved under one
impulse and direction.
When Sherman became general in
command, after Grant became presi-
dent, he assumed command, just as
Grant had done, and issued orders for
the appointment of his staff officers.
kLerman expected to have full COM
secretary of war. and he Influenced his
friend, President Grant, to take the
staff officers. from the command of the
general. and place them under the COM
mand of The secretary of war. Presi-
dent Grant did SO. He would not have
taken that stand for anybody on earth
except Rawlins. who had been his warm
IL anu dlhlOSt IlS x dAkCl
in his days of trouble and peril.
When President Grant took that
stand, Gen. Sherman left Washington
and took up his abode in St. Louis, be-
cause he did not want to be a mere fig
urehead in the war department at the
national capital. Years went by, and
Sherman made his home in st. Louis,
occasionally visiting Washington as a
mere matter of form. But he was never
in actual command of the army.
The result of Grants orders has been
the disgraceful and scandalous cordi-
tions, increasing in disgrace and acri-
mony from year to year; SO that when
the war with Spain began cur regular
army and our volunteer army did not |
pass to the command of the senior ma
jor general of the army. but all of them |
were placed at the mercy of a civilian |
secretary of war. and staff officers who |
were Independent of the general under |
whose command they should have |
served.
This brief statement contains the ker-
mel of the causes of all the needless suf-
ferings and deaths to which our SOL |
diers were subjected. II makes no diff
ference who may be the secretary of |
war. whether his name is Ager, Nc
Creary, Lincoln, Endicott. Proctor or
Jones; it is improper that a civilian sec
retary of war should be allowed by law
to supervise duties of which he must
be ignorant, while the gen.