The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-08-13
Mr.. ROOT 5 HARD ROW
If He Hoes It Out TO the End
He'll be Luckier
THAN MANY:PREOECESSORS
Who Have Found in 1t Only
TribuIation and Anguish.
MANY:PREOECESSORS

secretary Of war, will receive 5000 a veal
for the most dificult task which any high
functionary of the government has been
asked to perform within many administra-
| lions. OF this meager sum he will be
able to save but a few coppers year II
he lives up to social expectation. which,
according to unwritten law, amounts to al
most official obligation. 1t IL well. there
fore. that the new secretary enjoys. az
alleged, a private income equal If not
greater, than that which Uncle Sam al
lows the president
Mr.. Roots perquisites will amount to a
colored "officiaI messenger" whom. II he
so desire. he may appropriate as his valet
de chambre. and the use OF a span OF
trusty steeds, liyeried coachnan and foot
man. a handsome stable with attendants.
and several fine equipages, but these lat
ter to be used only for his official needs
and never for the private comfort OF his
family.
To avoid criticism during the social sea-
son he must not keep open house to all
government officials in the city but his
wife must assist Mrs. Mckinley upon her
reception days The best evidence that
the ladies of the cabinet are expected to
entertain more lavishly than those OF any
other government circle IS recognized ex-
ception 10 standing social rules, which re-
Iieves them from the necessity OF return
ing calls.
When the affairs OF an individual OF a
corporation, of a municipality, or or
state get into alag Triangle lawyer Is
the only man who can set them sthaight.
In the presence Of a war the president has
looked over the heads Of wise generals
and selected a civilian lawyer to be his
military adviser.
The state OF chaos into which the war
department has been plunged may not
have been a primary cause for Mr.. Roots
appointment. 1t IS a snarl for which no
single secretary, no single administration.
o sigle policy Is TO blame. 1t has existd
for forty years in spite OF all attempted
reforms. In his "Forty-six Years in the
Army" General Schofield, who has been
both secretary OF war and commanding
general OF the army in his time. and who,
therefore perhaps the best living authority
thereupon, sizes up the war department
system as follows: Each department
chief OF stan, In his own sphere. was
clothed with all the authority Of the sec
refarysof war. All that q major general,
as wen as an officer OF lower grade, was
10 do was TO execute such orders as he
might receive from the brigadiers at the
head of the several bureaus In Washington
/ had no means of knowing whether
an order sent to me in the name OF the
secretary of war had ever been seen by
him or whether It was the work Of the
adjutant general, or the product OF the
Joint operation of two or more OF the sew
eral chiefs, each OF whom had the sec
retary's authority to do such things"
These bureau heads-the so-called ''bu-
reaucrats''-are ten brigadier generals at
the head Of as many departments. Not
included among these Is the office OF Cen
eraI Miles, the senior major general In
command. and. who. according 70 critics
of the var department scheme o. organ
iZation. is general in name only" as
sort OF buffer between the ten bureau
heads and General Miles is Mr.. Meikle-
John. the assistant secretary Of war. Lit
tie wonder that General schofied made
use Of the epithet, THAT hydra called the
war department"
This tangled web Of authority, this COM
plication Of mediums through which his
policies must be transmitted to the army
in the field. and their attendant mercen-
aries. stands as the deep sea hemming in
Mr. Root on one side. The devil con-
fronting him on the other is the fact that
after all, he is allowed little or no initia-
tive. it being prescribed by statute that
he perform such duties as the presidtnt
may enjoin upon him.
After all, Il is who must decide" the
great Lincoln once remarked when har-
raised by differences OF opinion among
his board OF advisers.
Mr. Root occupies the second seat from
the right OF the president at theh cabinet
table. II Mr. Mckinley. Mr.. Hobart. Mr..
Hay and Mr.. Gage should all die by soma
chance. he would succeed to the prest-
dency. II he behave himself ne will have
good chances OF remaining in the cabinet
as long as Mr.. Mckinley remains in the
white house. 1t is within the pale OF
probability that he will enjoy the honor
Of being the first to wear the purple robe
of colonial secretary. He is virtually that
already lie will have the task o regu-
lating the collection and disbursement OF
importan; duties through army officers ap-
pointed as collectors at the principal Is
land ports OF the new possessions. He
will endeavor TO make these newly-sc
CURED Islands self-sustaining. % system
atize the collection and disbursement OF
their taxes. He will establish a general
clearinghouse for the business OF these
embryonic colonies. viii supervise i'm
provemeuts OF all sorts. % railroads, high
ways, telegraphs. fisheri -. mines. agri-
culture. education. sanitation and ship
Ping. He will devise a new scheme for
allowing the deserving people OF Ties ter
ritories 20 become citizens as well as mere
subjects OF the United States, another CIV
liking such Of their savage peoples as are
likely to become a public charge In
other words, his viii combine the duties
% all other cabinet officials and % the
dip,uoFna; as we'll
MS A'.7N S-@t' '--S-s --AA 80 Naa4- t44sAA al
OF these. will be the practical disposition
OF the calling problem in Cu5a. tia;
slumher!ng giant I; cur back DOR tina:
mine which stands ready % be exp,ol4d
4, any moment BY careless or unskllifui
handling.
Had Mr.. Rot been given the war port
folio two years aga his offioe would have
been comparatively s sinecure. HIS mill
tary duties would have amounted TO lit
tie. The small staining army OF about
100000 L.