The San Francisco call., 1899-10-14
ARTILLERY ARM
BADLY MANAGED
Merritt Criticizes the
Service.
SYSTEM RADICALLY WRONG
GENERAL URGES REMEDIAL
LEGISLATION.
SYSTEM RADICALLY WRONG
officers at Present Have No Voice in
the Selection of the Ordnance
They Are Compelled
to Use.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Oct. I3.-The annual
report Of Major General Wesley Merritt
commanding the Department of the East,
headquarters at Governors Island, New
York, was made public at the United
States War Department to-day. The re-
port is a strong arragnment of the whole
situation in the artillery branch of the
service, being particularly directed
against the ordnance bureau and Incl
dentally the quartermaster's department.
the latter for failure to furnish what
General Merritt considered proper quar-
ters at artillery posts.
General Merritt says 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
selecton 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
artilleryman 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 on January I
last, since which time most of the in
fantry and cavalry in the department
have been ordered to foreign service,
leaving at present only IOur troops OIL
cavalry and three companies of infantry.
He says he has no specific recommends
JOnS to make regarding any one place.
The officers are known to be intelligent,
Industrious and serious in their efforts
TO improve the efficiency Of their COM
mands,
THAT the coast artillery is not to. day
in an efficient condition. General Mer-
rift says. lis due to causes over which
artillery officers have no control; nor can
these impedimentS be reached by the de-
partment commanders. Some require the
action Of the Secretary of War and 9th
erS can he remedied only by Congress.
The needs Of the artillery are most ably
presented III the report Of the department
artillery inspector, TO which | invite at
tcntiOn. l 90 not feel called upon TO urge
the specific remedies which he proposes.
but / certainly coincide with the opinion
he expresses that the artillery is in need
OF remedial legislation. l deem ii my
duty TO direct attention TO the defects on
which Major Storey treats in detail and
then leave the question Of how they shall
be removed to the law-making authorities
and their advisers.
Our cavalry and infantry to-day are
organized OE 4 modern basis. are SDlen-
dtdly Ott1Cered and equipped and with reg
uIar supplies OF food, clothing and ammu-
milton contain within themselves the ele-
mentS Of complete efficiency This is not
true Of the artillery. The officers are well
educated and jealous. but their efforts
are cramped by imperfect organization
and responsibility for the efficiency or
1nefhciecy Of their arm lies not as it
should, with themselves. but very largely
In other quarters. Either through defects
OF law or their own inefficiency the sup
ply departments upon which the artillery
is wholly dependent has frequently failed
TO Loyalty serve its interests. The TACT
that the engineer department. working
under the same law has under its pres-
ent chief Given the artillery no cause for
complaint would seem to Indicate that
something is wrong besides the law
Ihis condition gives rise to the oft
expressed desire Of the artillery for 8
chief OF that arm OF the service. who
would see that 1t Is supplied with what il
needs to be effective. but l. personally.
have grave doubts as to this being the
most suitable remedy, as il may result In
adding another bureau to the War De-
partment which may be as difficult 20
make efficient
Il desire, in addition. to call special at
tenton TO the following points in the re-
port Of the artillery Inspector:
i The failure of the quartermaster' S
oepartment 10 make timely provision for
housing the garrisons at new artillery
posts.
p The necessity for providing at artil-
Iery posts permanent post nOn-com-
misSloned staff Of specialists, electrician
and observer sergeants.
''3 The recommendation that the
strength Of the coast artillery be fixed at
the number OF men ana officers REQUIRED
TO fully man the guns.
1t is observed that the artillery should
be inspected by the artillery officers and
the fact that the department command
er,S artillery inspector has no power In
inspect is a patent absurdity and one
which | urge may he disposed of at an
early gate The means Of making any
arm Of the service all ii should he sbOuld
rest with the general commanding the
geographical department I'm which the
SAID arm OF the service is stationed. g."