The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-13

could be camped under favorable SAN
itary conditions. The present camps
are models, the hospitals adapted to the
comfort and care of the sick, the
grounds clean, and the sanitary condi-
tons greatly improved. The troops are
now moved with promptness, without
friction and with more rapidity than in
the beginning of the war. These i'm
provements have come from experience
ana the new army is now far advanced
IN facilities for feeding, equipping,
camping and transportation
A recommendation looking to the flu
ture then follows: Zone of the lessons
taught by the war is that the country
snail hereafter be In a better condition
OF preparation for war. Suggestions
have been made that large supplies of
all the material not liable to deteriora-
ton should be kept on hand, to be con-
tinuously issued and renewed, so that
in any emergency they might be avail
able. Especially should this be the case
with supplies which cannot be rapidly
obtained in open market"
Perhaps the most significant utter
ance in the whole document, so far as
concerns the discipline and efficiency of
the army, comes next.
For many years the divided nature
OF responsibility in the war department
has produced friction, for which in the
interest of the service a remedy, If pos
sible, should be applied. The constitu-
ton makes the president the command
er-in-chief of the army and he cannot
transfer that authority to any other
person. The president selects his secre-
tary of war, who has his confidence,
and who is his confidential adviser. The
commanding general is assigned to duty
as such by the president and under the
military laws of the United States his
duties are defined as follows:
THE command exercised by the COM
manding general of the army, not hav-
ing been made the subject of statutory
regulation, is determined by the order
of assignment. 1t has been habitually
composed of the aggregate of the sew
eral territorial commands that have
been or may be created by the presi-
dent.
THE military establishment is under
orders of the commanding general of
the army in that which pertains to it's
discipline and military control. The fis-
cal affairs Of the army are conducted
by the secretary of war through the
several staff departments. (Par. 1877, A,
X, 1891 All orders and instructions
from the president or secretary of war
relating to military operations or af-
fecting the military control and disci-
pine of the army will be promulgated
through the commanding general. (Par
Schofield, who has probably had as
much experience and given the ques-
tion as much thought and study as any
one IN our country, says in substances:
schofield's Plan. -"" T.
Recent experience has served to con-
firm all the results of my lifelong study
and large. experience that the proper
position for the senior officer of the
army on duty at Washington is not
that of commanding general, a posi-
ton which is practically impossible,
but that of general-in-chief, which
means in fact, chief of staff to the pres
ident. The title of general-in-chief was
a permanent one during the entire his
tory of the country up to the time when
General Grant became. lieutenant gen
eral.
When 1 became the commanding
| general l addressed ito the president a
| letter in which I pointed out to him
| what had been the result of my study
and experience, and saying that the on
ly way was to abandon entirely, which
did, during my seven years of service,
| all pretense of being the commanding
| general, and ITO content myself with act
| ing as the chief of staff of the army
under the secretary of war and the
| president. The result was that perfect
harmony prevailed during my time and
If / did not exercise a legitimate inf1u-
| ence in command of the army, this is
| because did not claim to exercise any
thing which the law did not give me.
The president must have the same
power of selection of his general-in-
| chief as he has of his secretary of
| war; without this there can be no guar
anty that he will give, or that the sec
rotary of war will place in the general
fn-chfef that confidence which is neces-
sary to perfect harmony Neither the
| president nor the secretary of war
should have in the command of the ar
my an officer who is not working in har-
| mony with them
The report now takes up the war de-
partment and it's various chiefs of sub
divisions. beginning with the secretary
of war.
THE records of the war department,
which have been laid before US, show
that the secretary of war extended to
all chiefs of bureaus cordial and full
support and promptly responded to ev-
cry proper demand made upon him by
commanding officers.
Whitewash for A1ger.
mo testimony has been presented
showing intentional neglect of duty, nor
any attempt to serve personal inter-
ests. The charges made that the sec
rotary of war was pecuniarily inter-
ested in contracts, purchases and other
transactions of the war department
| have been thoroughly examined and
found baseless.
I'm the Judgment of the commission
there was not lacking in the general ad-
ministration of the war department
| during the continuance of the war with
| Spain that complete grasp of the stu
| alton which was essential to the high
| est efficiency and discipline of the
| army.
THE commission has refrained from
| criticising certain of the heads of bu-
reaus for not having acted with fore
sight in preparing their various de-
partments for active war before war
was actually declared, because it has
appeared that the national defense
| fund provided by the act of March 8,
| 1898, was not made available for use,
except for the navy and for defenses
| and the expenditures incident thereto,
until after the declaration of war.
Corbin's Department.
"Adjutant generals department: