The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-28
REORGhNIZIbG The ARMY
Secretary Root Advocates the Pass
age of the New Bill.
He Appears Before the House Com
mittee ca Military AEnirs and
Measure Some Opposition TO 1t
He Declares to BE Purely Personal.

He Declares to BE Purely feFSoh"i'
The House Committee on Military Affairs
yesterday decided TO fayorably report Rep
resentative Hulls bill providing an army
chaplain for each regiment. and for other
purposes. and his bill to increase the ef-
ficiency OF the military service Of the
United States. By the first bill the au-
thority is conferred on the President to
make General Shafter a major general and
to promote Adjutant General Corbin to
major generalship.
The second bill provides that one-third
Of the promotions to the grade Of colonel,
lieutenant colonel, and major may be made
because of fitness instead Of seniority. and
limits staff appointments to four years. 1t
also provides for the reorganization of the
artillery service, the abandonment Of the
regimental organization, and constitutes
corps Of artillery. to be divided between
the coast and field artillery, with chief
/ Of artillery to rank as a brigadier gem
/ eral. thirteen colonels, and other officers.
/ The bill also gives two veterinarians to
each regiment of cavalry.
| Secretary Root appeared before the com
4 mittee and made Il strong argument III
| favor of both bills The efficiency bill was
drawn by the War Department under Sec
! retary Roots direction.
Mr.. Roots Statement.
J Mr.. Root said in part:
The bill is limited to three subjects
! first promotion in the line; second. tenure
/ Of staff appointments. and the relations
| between the staff and line third. reorgani-
zation of the artillery. 1t is carefully
framed to avoid raising the question OF the
| size of the army. which it is understood
| Congress is not now ready to discuss, and
| its provisions are made applicable to an
! army OF whatever size CcngTes may deter
/ mine upon when it comes to deal with that
subject. The provision as to line promo
! ton is that every third promotion TO the
| Office of major. lieutenant colonel. aHd
/ colonel shall be by selection, leaving the
other twc-thirds to be as at present. by
/ seniority. This is designed TO afford some
slight opportunity for exceptional ABILITY,
devotion to duty proper ambition, maLtfe5t
fitness TO command. and conspicuous gal
lantry in actiGn, to receive reward, ana
at the same time TO gradually bring the
most competent officers in The service into
positions OF command.
Under the present law. which permits
promotion dhiy by seniority the President
is prohibited from recognizing merto! ious
or gallant conduct, the most effective and
brilliant service must go unre Tardea, tie
thoughtful, devoted, aud ambitious your
man is precluded from advancing himssn
By his own exertion a hairs breadth be
yond the indoleRt. the dull. aud the inef-
hcient man who is just able to pert.rm
duty enough 10 keep from being turHed out
Of the service The effect OF the present
law is injurious to the service. because It
fails to bring the best men into command;
it is injurious to the officers because it
withdraws all stimulus to activity and zeal
1t is thoroughsy un-Ameriean,- because it
stifies individual opportunity an1 affords
no reward for individual achievement.
The Objections to the LIi,.
The only objections to the proposed
measure are that there may be favoritism
in the selections, and that jealousies and
heart burnings may be caused. The i'm
partialijy Of the selection is guarded
by the provision Of the bill that the pro-
motion shall be made from q list Of three
officers selected ffcm the grade from which
the promotion ls 10 be made by board OF
officers o. sr-erior rank convened fo7 that
purpose and sworn to make the see ,tiol
according 90 the merit and fitness OF the
candidate as shown by his service records.
From these three the President is to make
the nomination which has again to pass
the ordeal Of conGrma ion BY tire Senate.
/ have no fears that the officers of the
Army Of high rank VINO viii con. titute the
boards Of selection will fail to observe The
obligation Of their oaths or viii be guilty
Of injustice TO their junior officers b. rec
ommending anyone for promotion over his
fellows except upon the ground of coHspic-
uous merit. or that the President and tae
Senate will violate the plain requirements
Of the law and make the selection from
among the three names presented upon any
other ground. The officers Of the Army
have its efficiency and honor and ius TO
their fellows more deeply at heart than
anyone else in the world. and this bill puts
in their hands the power and imposes upon
them he solemn duty OF confring these
promotions strictly within the lines Of jus
tice.
This provision substitutes tke record OF
an officers service for the examination
which is made the fest CT app5n IN Mt aud
promotion in the civil service That is
right because the officers whole life is
one continual service examination; he is
always under the eye OF his superior oil
GERS. and his service record states the re-
suits of that examination and is the true /
test Of his efficiency and capacity.
staff Organization.
The sections relating to staff organlza- |
tion provide for the abolition Of the pres |
ent system Of permanent staff appoint |
menls and for the substitution OF details /
from the line to the STAFF for periods Of /
four years. unless sooner terminated by |
the President, with the requirement that
upon the expIrat ton OF a detail the officer
shall servo at least one year in the line |
before he is eligible for another detail. and 1
with the provision that this year shall be
passed in any branch of the service to
which the officer shall be assigned BY the
Secretary OF War.
These provisions apply to the Adjutaut
General. Inspector General. Quartermas-
ter's and Subsistence and Ordnance De
partments, and Signal Corps. Officers OF
the Engineer Corps, while their appoint
ments remain permanent are required to
serve one year Of Eve with such branch Of
the line as may be designated by the Sec
retary Of War. The advantages OF these |
provisions will / believe. be manifold. !
think the change will break up and pre-
vent the tendency to bureaucratic govern