Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-02-13

MAJOR GENEhAlL NELSON A. MlsES.
an officer who is not working in harmony
with him."
The report now takes up the war depart:
ment and its various chiefs of subdivisions,
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 every proper de-
mand made upon him by commanding Off
GERS.
mo testimony has been presented show
ing intentional neglect of duty nor any at
tempt to serve personal interests. The
charges made that the secretary Of war
was pecuniarily interested in contracts,
purchases and other transactions of the
war department have been thoroughly ex-
amined and found baseless
In the judgment of the committee there
was lacking in the general administration
of the war department during the con-
tnuance Of the war with Spain that COM
plete grasp Of the situation which was es-
sential to the highest efficiency and disci-
pline Of the army.
The commission has refrained from crit
icizing certain of the heads of bureaus for
not having acted with foresight in prepar-
ing their various departments for active
war before the war was actually declared
because 1t has appeared that the national
defense fund provided by the act of
March 8. 1885, was not made available for
use, except for the navy and for coast
oefenses and the expenditures incident
thereto. until after the declaration of war"
"Adjutant Generals Departments
Brigadier General II. C. Corbin, Ad-
tutnnt General, q. s. A., in Charge.
This department, which was Organized
and trained to take care ofsa small regu>
lar army. was required to rapidly provide
Tor organizing and mastering in 250,OO SOL
diers, and within six months to muster out
100000. The adjutant generals department
OF the army having full knowledge of the
condition of the army when the declara-
ton OF war was made, 1t could not be sur.
prised at the inability of the DEPART
ments to Immediately respond to the de-
nanos. The economy of previous years.
py which nearly every article of equip
ment not Immediately needed by the army
was disposed of. and no provision made for
emergencies, rendered immediate effective
expansion Of the army impossible. In the
organization of the army for active duty
provision was made for eight corps. seven
OF which were fully equipped and placed in
the field.
Equippfng the Troops.
The suggestion has been made, and
opinion given, that II would have been bet
ter to have offered the army and eouip-
ped the troops in each of their states be-
lore they We're concentrated and modified
INTO brigades, divisions and corps, but the
war department had not the officers to
send to each state to organize muster
ieed ana equip them, nor had it officers OF
suflcient rank to command drill and dIscl.
pine the troops while in state camps. Early
removal of troops from state camps has
the advantage of avoiding the disturbine
influences of home locality. During the or.
ganization and equipment of the army q
daily telegraph report was received from
each camp. Where important deficiencies
were reported, the secretary of war called
the attention to the fact and in most cases
1t was found that such deficiencies were
cue 10 the non-existence of the article
There were about go regiments, battal
ions and separate organizations in tn,
army. from only twenty-five of which cam,
complaints. aside from those affecting tn,
medical department Investigation ha.
shown that the most of these complaint
We're because OF lack of supplies not OBJ
tainable at first, or We're due to the mex
perience of officers in command, not. so ia,
as We can discover, from any intentiona
neglect. -
1t was found necessary to go outside ant
appoint officers from civil life, the selec
tions being frequently made from ofiicer
who had had experience in the nationa
guard. graduates from military colleges an,
schools, and citizens whose business or pro
fessions fitted them for the positions TO
which they were selected The testimon,
shows that they were honest and manifest
ed desire to become efficient. No one ha
been court-martialedr and but few droppe,
as incompetent.
THE adjutant general testified that ther
had not been a deficiency of 81 reported OF
the part of a volunteer staff officer. an,
that he wished to. make 1t a matter of rec
ord that in this distribution of many mill
ions of dollars dtlrfev cfyiS war tbera MA