The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-28
Secretary Root Wants to Make
it More Efficient.
ASKS PASSAGE OF BILL
MAKES EXPLANATIONS TO THE
HOUSE COMMITTEE.
One Provision Which Permits Every
Third Promotion to Office Of
Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel and
Major, to be Made by Selection,
VIII Recognize Bravery.

Washington, Feb. 27.-Secretary Root
today appeared before the house COM
mittee on military affairs and made
strong appeal to the committee to re-
port favOrably the bill drafted by him
to increase the efficiency Of the army
The secretary said in part:
/ THE bill is limited to three subjects:
/ %. Promotion in the line %. Tenure
of staff appointments and the rela-
| tons between the staff and the line;
| CD. Reorganization of the artillery.
at is carefully framed to avoid rails
| ing the question of the size Of the
army, which il is understood congress
/ is now ready TO discuss and its prOVls
| ions are made applicable to any army
/ of whatever size congress may deter
mine upon. The provision as 10 line
] promotion is that every third promo
1 ton to the Office Of major. lieutenant
/ colonel and colonel shall be by selec-
/ ton, leaving the other twO-t thirds TO
be as att present, by seniority.
This is designed to afford some
/ slight opportunity for recognition Of
/ exceptional ability and gallantry. I'm
| der the present law which permits pro-
motion only by seniority, the president
i Is prohibited from recognizing meri-
| tOriOus or gallant conduct, the most
| effective and brilliant service must go
/ undewarded, the thoughtful, devoted
and ambitious young man is pTecluded
/ from advancing himself by his own ex-
ertiOn a hairs breadth beyond the in
! dOlent, the dull and the inefficient man
who is just able to perform duty to
/ keep from being turned out of the ser
| vice.
May Be Favoritism.
! The only objections to the proposed
measure are that there may be favor
| ftiSm in selections. The impartiality Of
1.-THE selection is SafeguaTded by the pro-
vision of the bill that the promotion
shall be made from d list Of three ON
| GERS selected from the grade from
/ which the promotion IS to be made by
a board Of officers Of superior rank
| convened for that purpose and sworn
/ to make the selection according to the
merits and fitness of the candidates
{ as Shown by the service records
| From these three the president is to
make the nomination which has again
| to pass the ordeal of confirmation by
/ the senate. The officers of the army
/ have its efficiency and honor and jus
| tice to their fellows more deeply at
! heart than any one else in the world.
/ and this bill puts in their hands the
/ power and imposes upon them the sol
/ enn duty of combining these promo
| tons strictly within the lines of JUS
/ tice.
| THE sections relating to staff or
/ CARNATIONS provide for the abolition Of
/ the present system of permanent staff
| appointments and for the substitution
/ of details from the line or the staff
| for periods of four years unless sooner
/ terminated by the president with the
I requirement that upon the expiration
Of a detail the officer shall serve at
/ least one year in the line before he is
/ eligible for another detail.
Advantages of Provisions.
THE advantages of these. provisions.
I believe, Will be manifold I think the
change will break up and prevent the
! tendency to bureaucratic government.
Of which there is always danger, and
viii increase the efficiency both of the
line and the staff, by breaking down
the division between them, by giving
TO each a more intimate and personal
knowledge and appreciation Of the diff
f1cUltieS and the needs of the other. and
by creating a larger body of all round
men trained in every branch of the ser
vice and competent for any command
instead Of men who have been trained
in one branch only.
The provision which permits the pres
ident to terminate q detail to the staff
/ is Of the highest importance Nothing
could be more impractical than the
present permanent tenure of the cher
Of bureau. Tbs president as com