The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-07-24
Many on Detached Duty.

II is significant that out OF a total com
plement Of III commissioned officers to
which these three regiments are entitled.
torty-hve we're on detached service-nearly
one-third OF The whole. In view OF the
fact that these regiments are in active
service abroad. and not on garrison duty at
home. the large percentage OF detached Of
ficers is most extraordinary. How SO many
officers can be spared from their Onmands
In active service is the astonishing fea-
Jure about this business. Why there
should be cny vacancies in the grade OF
second lieutenant is another almost equal
~ surprising fact. There is a constant
pressure for commissions in the Regular
Army. and plenty OF available material
with which 10 al vacancies OF this sort.
Doubtless many and perhaps all OF these
I special details which are the chief cause
| Of the shortage OF officers with the troops
in the field are necessary. ard therefore
warranted, but II is not likely. Il may be.
/ toe, that they are 20 the general advantage
Of the military service and promote the
I public interest al the same time, but there
l is no positive assurance of the fact. as
| anybody can learn In a two minutes con-
I veTsation with any candid and intelligent
military officer. either staff or line. On the
contrary. the reiterated complaint that reg
| iments in the field are not efficiently Off
cered arouseS a suspicion that officers are
/ sinking their duties. and Furthermore. OBJ
\ viously leads even the civilian - the con
/ clusion that. IL true. the more --np0-tant
| branch OF the service is ma55 20 suffer
| from a practice Of which the benefits else
| where are not visible. again, IL from
| twenty 70 twenty-five commissioned Of
\ fcers are sufficient in the estimation of
| the commanders who control this matter.
properly to handle the Second Cavalry and
the Eleventh Infantry in the field. why
| should eac' have figuring on its rolls an
official complement OF fOrty-seven commits,
| stoned officers. more than half employed
| elsewhere?
Plenty of Commissioned Onicers.
There are 2.5S5 commissioned Officers in
the United States Army the greatest pro-
portion of officers TO men in any army in
| the world. II is regarded as absurd. there
| fore, seriously to assert that there are not
| sufficient officers for military needs The
| alleged shortage is. OF course more ap-
| parent than real. There may be too few
| commissioned officers in one quartz, but
| it VIII be found that there are too many
| somewhere else. There are officers enough
| and to spare. were they properly distTib-
! uted on some system free from favoritism.
| The trouble is that military officers are
| more and more being diverted from their
proper sphere and assigned to duties pure
~ civilian in character. Under the IN
checked system of details which mas re-
| Gently grown into a fagrant abuse, If there
we're five thousand officers on the active
list 1t is doubtful il there would be any
Increase in their numbers In the regiments
in the field. Inexhaustible supplies beget
extravaganza. and so it is in this matter
OF details. 1t is conducted on a scale and
with a careless regard for the welfare of
the regiments in the field which are al
most criminal
Take the recruiting service, for instance
The last army list shows that there were
ifty-three recruiting stations throughout
the country. Forty-fve commissioned off,
GERS We're absorbed in this work alone. all
detailed from the various regiments, Mill
tary experts say that not more than
dozen commissioned officers are really nee
essary for it. and that il would not suffer
at all II thirty officers were at once with
drawn and ordeTed>back to their regi
ments AS a matter OF fact. non-sommis-
stoned officers and enlisted men really do
the work, and there is always detail OF
them at each station. The extravaganza OF