Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-10-14
GENERAL MERRITT CRITICIsES Ar
TILLERY SYSTEM.
URGES MANY RADICAL CHANGES
ORDNANCE BUREAU ARRAIGNED FOR
INEFFICIENCY.
General Merritt Says Coast Artillery
Is Not In Efficient Condition.
Fault, He Says, Lies Out
side of the Artillery
Branch.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13.-The annual re-
port of Major General Wesley Merritt
commanding the department of the East
was made public at the United States war
department to-day. The report is a strong
arraiSnment of the whole situation in the
artillery branch of the service, being par
tcularly directed against the ordnance bu-
reau, and. incidentally, the quartermaster's
department, the latter for failure TO furn-
ish what General Merritt considers proper
quarters at artillery posts
General Merritt SAYS that the system on
which the artillery is organized is wrong
in that the artilleryman, who Is held re-
sponsible for the work he has to do with
his guns, has no voice in the making or
selection of them. this being left entirely
TO the ordnance bureau. But. he adds that,
since the engineer department, in the same
independent way, furnishes the artillery
man with his emplacements and there has
been no fault TO find with this portion of
the equipment, there must be something
more than the mere system to blame for
the unsatisfactory condition of affairs.
General Merritt says he resumed COM
mand of that department January :, last.
since which time most of the infantry and
cavalry in the department have been or
dered on foreign service. leaving at the
present date only four troops of cavalry
and three companies of infantry. He says
he has no specific recommendations to
make regarding any one place. The off,
GERS are known to be intelligent, indus
trious and serious In their efforts to i'm
prove 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 Of
hcerS have no control. nor can these i'm
pedimcntS be reached by the department
commanders. 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 presented in the
report of the department artillery inspect
or. to which 1 invite attention. 1 60 not
feel called upon to urge the specific RENE
dies which he proposes, but l certainly
coincide with the opinion he expresses that
the artillery is in need of remedial legis-
lation. | deem it my duty to call attention
to the defects which Major Storey treats in
detail. and then leave the question of how
they shall be removed to the lawmaking &
authorities and their advisers.
Our cavalry and infantry to-day are
organized on modern basis. are splendid
lar supplies Of food. clothing and ammuni-
ton, contain within themselves the eie-
| ments of complete efficiency. This is not
true of the artillery. The officers are well
cramped by an imperfect organization, and
responsibility for the efficiency or inefici-
ency of their arm lies. not as 1t should.
with themselves, but very largely in other
quarters. Either through defects of law
or their own irefi1ciency. the supply de-
partments UPON which the artillery are
wholly dependent have frequently failed
to Loyalty serve its interests. The fact
that the engineer department, working un-
der the same law. has. under its present
chief, given the artillery no cause for COM
plaint would seem to indicate that some
thing is wrong besides the law.
expressed desire of the artillery for chief
of that arm OF the service, who would
see that it is supplied with what 1t needs
to be effective but l personally have grave
doubts as to this being the most suitable
remedy. as it may result in adding an
other bureau to the war department. which
may be as difficult to make efficient
Il desire. in addition. to call special at
tention to the following points in the re-
port of the artillery inspector:
'First-The failure OF the quartermaster's S
department to make timely provision for
| housing the garrisons at new artillery
posts.
''Second-The necessity for providing at
artillery posts. as permanent post non-com-
missioned staff officers, specialists, cleo
trician and ordnance sergeants.
'"rhirf-The Recommendation that the
strength of the coast artillery be fixed at
the number of officers and men required to
fully man the guns.
1T is also observed that the artillery
should be. inspected by artillery officers:
and the fact that the department com
manders artillery inspector has no power
| to inspect is a patent absurdty, and one
which l urge may be disposed of at an
| early date. The means Of making any arm
OF the service all it should be should rest
| with the general commanding the geo
graphical department in which the said
| arm of the service IS stationed.