New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-07
EFFICIENT ARMY WORK
SECRETARY ROOT PLEASED WITH THE
SYSTEMS ACTION
ALGER's SERVICE APPRovED-TRooPs SENT
TO THE PHILIPPINEs-EARLY END OF
WAR EXPECTED-THE sENATEs
SIOTHFT-T
sLOTHFULNEss.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBrNEl

BY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUNE
Washington. Aug 6-Secretary Roots first
few days OF official life. which have been de-
voted TO earnest investigation OF the condition
Of the Army. have brought from him frank en-
phatic statement Of the remarkable efficiency q
the service compared with what he had been
led to expect. and OF the relatively frictionless
working OF the vast War Department mechan-
ism. which scarcely more than year ago was
adopted only TO the management Of twenty
thousand men. for the most part comfortably
CHARTERED in domestic posts in the most densely
populated portions OF the country The alacrity
and precision with which advantage has been
taken Of a single years experience and an eff
Client military system readily developed upon
foundation which had been persstently re-
stricted by legislation. had been underestimated
by the new Secretary. whose means Of informa-
ton had been limited TO that at the dosposal CT
other citizens scattered throughout the country.
To those in Washington the advance toward a
state OF high efficiency had been so gradual, and
hidden by more exciting occurrences. as TO call
for little comment. although every mistake. how
ever trivial attracted attention. Mr.. Root dis
covered that Army officers themselves were ex-
erting every effort TO overcome the abuses that
had grown up in thirty years OF comparative idle
ness, that the President was using them as his
Instruments TO build up a new order OF things.
and that his own work would fall In similar
lines. He quickly discovered that no radical
changes in methods or men were advisable; that
the purely military plans had been carefully and
thoroughly studied. and no civilian could find
fault with them offhand. Nothing afforded to
him more interest or commanded more satisfsc
ton than the preparations which had already
received the Presidents approval for the pacIf
cation OF the Philippines and the maintenance OF
order In the archipelago soon as the season
permits extensive operations
Mr.. Root had already been aware OF some OF
tho difficulties which led TO popular dlssatisfac-
ton over the results Of the campaign against
Agunaldo. He knew that the tedious debate in
the Senate the ratification Of the Peace
treaty restricted the Americans during the best
season Of the year 10 the city OF Manila, that
the intermnable speechmsking tied the Presi-
dents hands and restrained the American
| troops in the trenches while the insurgents grew
more and more insulting as they constructed
their Notifications in sight Of the city and pre-
pared for an assault on the American lines He
remembered that the Senate talked while two
transports lay for weeks at Iloo and the penned
up volunteers attributed the delay 10 what in
their resentment they believed 20 be the over
caution OF the department commander.
Finally, when Aguinaldo had provoked the
fighting by assauting all along the line. on Feb
ruary 3. the treaty was hastily approved by
barely sufficient votes. and within three weeks
later with the campaign scarcely begun, Con-
gress acted on the Army bill by directing the re-
lease OF all the volunteers. adding the meaning
less proviso that the State militia organizations
OF the Eighth Corps might be retained by the
President another six months. The wives
mothers and families OF these volunteers, how
ever appealed for their return home. and Cen
eral Otis was confronted with the necessity Of
attempting campaign with force composed
almost wholly OF men who had a right 10 dis
charge and who in most instances. though brave,
were aware that their families and friends were
insisting upon their immediate return. These
volunteers had made their personal sacrifices,
but they lost some Of their value soldiers in
the consciousness Of their rights to discharge,
and to-day one-half Of them have returned or
are on the returning and the other six
thousand are eagerly awaiting transports at Ma
Mia When hostllites began, in February, the
force In the Philippines amounted TO nearly
twenty-five thousand. officers and men which
had crossed the Pacific in sixteen expeditions.
These with the dates they left San Francisco,
! their commanding officers and size. were as fol-
| lows.