The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-01
Army Reform.

tain respects. 1t is open to criticism in
some Details for while the general pur-
pose seems to be in the right direction,
under the provisions of the measure, il
must be admitted that a great deal
of margin is left for the operation of that
political tavoritism which was the curse
and scandal of the service during the
Spanish war. Where the bill is particular
ly faulty is in that II does not at once
strike at the root of the evil in our mill
tary organization, which is its lack Of ad-
| justment to modern conditions and stand
ards as recognized by the general stats
and professional writers of the great mill
tary nations of the world
If We are to have Army reform, we
| should begin at the beginning. We should
abandon our small grand unit which was
well enough in the time of Steuben. when
1t was adopted, and civilize our tactical
battle formation. We should have larger
regiments, make the brigade provisional,
reduce the number of headquarters through
which an order must come finally TO n
given part Of the firing line from the gen.
eral in chief command in the field, and do
away with the fixed grade of brigadier
just as other first-class powers have, and
as We have the corresponding rank of COM
modore In our Navy. We should have
full general commanding in chief, who
should be also general chief of staff, as
Moltke was. To him all the staff depart
ments and their heads should be directly
and absolutely subordinate. There should
be lieutenant generals, TO command corps
d'armee, and major generals to command
divisions and hrigades when the total
force engaged in campaign is too small
to separate into full divisions Under this
system the senior colonel of a detachment
of two or more regiments. in the absence
of general officer would become a briga-
der Professionally.
We may say that the great fault of Sec
rotary Roots bill is that instead of pro-
noting a modern staff organization by
Starting with the chief of staff, it still
further places the great departments of
the Army under the political and personal
civilian control of the White House ard
the Secretary of War all of which is
against good military policy and the best
interests of the service. In some other
respects We are in accord with the pro-
visions of the measure. 1t is well that
there should be some chance for promotion
other than by seniority. and there can be
no question that it is Chinese barbarism
to maintain permanent staff corps, the
members of which are innocent OF mill
tary experience, save that acquired as
commissaries. quartermasters, adiutants,
or inspectors.
Perhaps we should not be so ready TO
question the bona fides of the measure,
considered as a whole, if there were not
an innocent little scheme attached to #
in fact. in the shape of separate bill
which the House Committee on Military
Affairs, we are sorry to see, has agreed
to report favorably. ostensibly it relates
to army chaplains Actually it is bill
to make the Adjutant General of the Army
a major general and to retire Brigadier
General Shafter with like rank For the |.
credit of the country and the service it
would have been better If Secretary Root |
had refused his sanction to this scheme. !
II he docs not know what it will lead TO |
when the matter shall become subject to
open discussion. somebody ought TO tell |
him, and tell the President. The latter !
at least should realize the polite reserve |
which the press of the country has OBJ |
served toward him and toward certain OF !
his suDordinates, out of consideration for |
him, during the past two years. His Ad- |
is already saddled with the |
of mistakes enough in con-
nection with Algerism, Eaganism, Samp-
sonism, otisism, and SO on, to admonish |
it against inviting new Army scandal
quite as bad as any that have been I'M
earthed before,-if not positively worse.
And this, 1t would be well for Mr.. Nc
KiDley to remember, is Presidential year.
But, leaving the personal equation as
much as possible out of the matter, new
honors to Shafter, the officer who, In his
hammock five miles away from the firing
line, thought of an American retreat to
be effected on July 4, 1898, do not con-
stitute popular proposition. Neither will
anybody outside of the political circle
justify the elevation OF the
Adjutant General to rank above that
held by other chiefs of staff departments.
The Adjutant General normally considered,
Is the adjutant of the General Command
ing the Army. From a military point of
view neither his office nor his personality
is more important than the offices and
of the Inspector General, the
General, the Quartermaster
General. or the Surgeon General. His de-
rivative authority as one speaking by
of the proper chief of staff, is
superior to that of the others but so is
the authority OF a major and adjutant
general, properly speaking in the name of
The division commander, superior to that
Of brigade general in the command In
,ther words the plan half way concealed
N this movement to increase the power
IF the Adjutant General at the expense OF
hat of his staff colleagues, is to work
he Adjutant General abnormally and OBJ
into the position Of general chief
,f staff. We are entirely confident that
he country would not stand such a thing,
sven assuming the present incumbent of
he Office to be the most popular and I'M
issaiiabie person In the employment of i
he Republican party. |,
Popular Taste fn Music |,
Atlanta Ga, is in a state of considerable
over the recent visit OF
1t is charged that a great :
many people in that thriving city feel hurt