The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-25
TINE BRITISH MILITARY sYsTEk.
Its Fatal D%encisncies Pointed Out by st
Charles W. Dixie
Pyom a. Lond~s Daily Mad.

NnutIes w t'iihE'
Fyom a. Lond-s DaIy Mad.
addressed your readers In 1919 10 porular.
ize discussion upon the Army. TO POINT out why
the Army IL needed. and especially To dcmcn-
,trnte IN. lmpos.lbility OF bringing wars 10 10
end. by tho securing Of M honorable r"ocs.
without the existence Of an expoditioniry
force, II was then shown how little We PCS.
ses.ed IAN Army III nj n sudden call Tor any VI
the duties" which had been set forth.
The regular army wns shown 10 hnvc Q
smaller unconditional supply o! field artillery
than nnv other army In tho world; ami tho
British elcctor was aljured 20 give az l, pref.
.rcnce Cor enormous expenditure ulpr ~.
den,ary dsfenc. and to recognize the fact thss
offensive operations might ehsily he Essential
to our national existence IN many rltuum.
stances tina, could he fore-"en. sthcr thu arti-
Gle. were written and endorsed by ypu W.
have escaped the danger OF a war with France
over the FashoJa question. ami "srapel q
through the known Efficiency OF Che British
feet. The sudlrn and enormous defensive
preparations ol france In Tlnls at the tn" 4
Fashoda, which are now fully described 10 10
IN Nr. lockroy's book, show what n" French
| military aud naval advisers %lniorne! tleir
Government that We were likely 70 do.
Mat Is now passing IN south Africa. | fear.
may ttach uS ina , hDWeNoE ptIitct may ~ ne
galiantry Of our officers. aud however stDadfa,s
the courage and discipline OF our men, We were
not fitted by our military gator 10
undertake the task OF drawing out the Frenra
feet to b. sunk. or OF brinS u. tn, war to an
end by means OF n counterstrOke on laui lt
some spot AS much across the seas" 10 France
~ to Ourselves.
means OF convincing the mselves OF the nature
Of he new French gun can feel that our artll-
-. --.Il =. alb. IA ,-t, will fl.A m
with which France is armed. In the discus
sions oi the last ordinary session OF Parlia-
pent Mr.; George Myndhst,, deiendinT ne
and wlth delightful E loqnence- fuzzy admitted
that the existing condition OF our artillery
porary and transitional. Mr.. Powell Williams
did not attempt TO deny that it would 10
necessary 20 rearm our artillery, but he
best Tyre Of gun, and that experiment.
were being actively pushed. for the result
OF which it was necessary to wait. He seemed
Of Germany. THIS I am not zones ned to
deny. 1t is certainly not, however. the best
gun in the world and the numbers OF our guns
are on a footing which. considering the over.
whelming cost OF our Army. must Be- Iro-
nounced ridiculous. The House OF Commons has
willing to accept every pro!osaI put ttiore u
by the Government and so FAR from parsimony
being displayed. the House OF COMMONS
Excheuuer IA icing too willing to encourage
military expenditure. Our own expenditure
upon land foI GEES and fixed defences In the In.
p,re has now reached a gun far larger than tho
expenditure OF France upon her army and
navy together.
spent pretty steadily l.OOO millions OF francs Q
year-forty millions sterling. We should. but
for south Atrica hnye been spena,ne In the
fixed defences forty-three millions sterling:
and agree with some OF your correspondents
who have repeated an observation in your
| pnlumnu Whiph WE rpfOFnpFa for many ypara
past have often made-that any man OF bus
mess who bad this matter OF the land forces
has to be deducted on account Of Qualifications
undertaken for the Navy and garrison Of urrly
naval stations. But this Is only a small sum as
compared with the enormous figure which has
been named. On the other hand. in spite OF the
gigantic character Of the expenditure upon
India alone has been sufficiently supplied with
cavalry and artillery, and partially supplied
The army at home has constantly been
starved. on account OF the. EXPENSE, in such
matters a. the m~anuuvres In which generals
! should be trained.the nun Der OF tra.ned horses.
the artillery. the caNaiTy. ammunition columns
and the Army Service Corps,
Our military system was shown in your col.
umns to b" such that. although the War Office
boasted OF the existence 81 Army corps. every
real step towari the solid, creation OF such
War Onlco after war had begun. and partly in
the field itself. Everything in these corps was
scratch; = and IL the results have not been
conspcuous'y successful as against Beers,
they would have been even more disastrous
against a European enemy n year earlier.
European armies have siaffs manly composed
OF those who have been responsible for the
same troops In time OF peace. There are some
distinguished m Military critics OF the War ONCE
in the Ladysmith force, and II l. probable that
from them. rather than from any civilian cor.
respondent, came the bitter paragrap h which
appeared in the Lddysmith LIRE early in the
siege. 70 the effect That the telegraph from
London had brought the information tina the
Secon ! Army Corns had been discovered In Q
pigeonhole in the War Office.
Failing the Joint consideration Of the whols
problem 81 defence by a single Minister or by
an effective committee OF Ministers. which
the present Defence Committee of the Cabinet
evidently is not, the next best thing, Of course.
is that n Minister so strong should be placed nc
the War Office that military reform. distaste'ul
70 very many persons OF gr' at power. should
be carried through AZ al cost. Lord Ians-
dpwne Ia most intelligent. but has not the po-
sition In the Cnionist alliance TO enable him TO
conquer either the resistance or the apathy Of
colleagues, | still doubt if il can be done. in
tho first instance, except by a Prime Minister.
AZ a events. IL has not been done, and we are
reaping the sad harvest Of results.