New-York tribune., 1900-07-23

military officer either staff or line On the con-
trsry. the reiterated complaint that regiments
In the field are not efficiently ofneered arouses a
suspicion that officers are shirking their duties
and furthermore. obviously leads even the civil
ian to the conclusion that. 10 true. the more Inn
portant branch OF the service Is made to suffer
from a practice of which the benefits elsewhere
are not visible Again il from twenty to twen-
ty-five commissioned officers are sufficient. in
the estimation of the commanders who control
this matter properly TO handle the I'd Cavalry
and the 11th Infantry in the field. why should
each have figuring on its rolls Official COM
plement of forty-seven commissioned officers
more than half employed elsewhere?
PLENTY OF COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
There are 1855 commissioned officers in the
United States Army. the greatest proportion OF
officers to men in any army in the world IL
is absurd, therefore. seriously to assert that
there are not sufficient officers for mlhtary
needs. The alleged shortage Is. Of course. more
apparent than real There may be too rev com
mssiOned officers In one quarter, but 1t Will De
found that there are too many somewhere else
There officers enough and TO spare, were
they properly distributed some system free
from favortism. The trouble Is that military
officers more and more being diverted from
their proper sphere and assigned to duties
purely civilian in character. Under the un-
checked system of details which has recently
thousand officers the active list II Is doubt
full II there would be any increase in their num-
bers in the regiments in the field. Inexhausdoie
supplies beget extravaganza, and so IL is In this
matter Of details. 1t is conducted on scale
and with careless regard for the welfare OF
the regiments in the field which are almost
criminal
Take the recruiting service, for instance. The
last army list shows that there were ffty-three
recruiting stations throughout the country
Forty-five commissioned officers were absorbed
in this work alone. all detailed from the various
regiments Military experts say that not more
than a dozen commissioned officers really
necessary for II, and that it would not suffer at
all if thirty officers were at once Withdrawn and
ordered back to their regiments. As matter
OF fact, non-commissioned officers and enlisted
men really do the work and there is always a
detail of them at each station. The extrava-
gance of the present system Is fully Illustrated
In the case of New-YOrk City, in which there
arc three independent recruiting stations in
respectively. Over in Brooklyn there is a fourth,
requiring a captain; in Newark. n. j., a fifth.
which absorbs another captain. Here are FIVE
recruiting stations within radius of, say, ff-
teen miles Assisted by efficient non-commis-
stoned officers. it is obvious that a single COM
missioned officer could easily discharge all the
duties required at these stations. and still have
ample time left for his club and social engage
mentS.
In Boston there are two recruiting stations.
one in charge of a captain and the other Of a
lieutenant Near by. at Springfield, a captain Is
III charge of another; at Portland, Me, another
capIalh az, an IS al work ana at providence. r. l.,
still another. Hartford and New-Haven, in the
lltlIe state OF connecticut, each have recruit
ing station. absorbing a captain and lieutenant
ana the captain at New-Haven oversees still q
third at Bridgeport. All these are within a
short distance of New-YoTk. At Chicago there
are two stations requiring major and a cap
tain, both OF the LIST Cavalry. Only eighty
miles off. at Milwaukee, another captain is STA
toned. and but little further away, at Peoria, n
lieutenant
Now 1t becomes obvious that If a CAPTAIN In
cnarSe at New-Haven can successfully oversee
tne Work or recruiting at Bridgeport. which is
tne fact or one at Detroit can also direct that
at Toledo, one officer might we'll direct the work
in New-York and Newark Indeed q competent
authority expresses the opinion that single in
duStrtous officer at New York could as success
Inlly direct all the stations within a radius of
lou miles as dozen or more doing It under the
present system. This does not look unreason-
able TO one thoroughly familiar with the duties
or the so-called recruiting officer who prac-
ucally does nothing but the Responsibility act
DOING NOTHING BUT DRAW PAY.
The innocent civilian who wonders where
military officers are If not present with their
commands in the field will cease to wonder
after short study of the foregoing Illustration.
There are others equally instructive. At a rough
guess there are at this moment not less than
two hundred officers. staff and line, doing prac-
tcally nothing, yet constantly ringing in their
officers in the commands in active service. 1t is
shameful, but 1t is true, that not less than five
hundred officers of the United States Army,
under the new usage, are constantly diverted
from their proper duties every conceivable
alleged public service, or more properly no
service at all Among other military reforms
now deemed necessary is strict law regulating
and greatly restricting the evil of indscriminate
details which has recently nearly paralyzed some
OF the regiments in the field