The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-04
KEEP ARMY UP TO HIGH
POINT OF EFFICIENCY.


It is not necessary to increase our
army beyond its present size at this
time. But it is necessary to keep it at
the highest point of efficiency The in
dividual units who as officers and en-
listed men compose this army, are, we
have good reason to believe, at least
as efficient as those of any other army
in the entire world. It is our duty to
see that their training is of a kind 10
insure the highest possible expression
OF power to these units when acting in
combination.
The conditions of modern war are
such as to make an infinitely heavier
demand than ever before upon the in
dividual character and capacity of the
officer and the enlisted man, and to
make il far more difficult for men to act
together with effect. At present the
fighting must be done in extended or
der which means that each man must
act for himself and at the same time
act in combination with others with
whom he is no longer in the 0ld-fash-
Toned elbOw-tO-elbOw touch. Under
such conditions a few men Of the high
est excellence are worth more than
many men without the special skill
which is only found as the result of
ceptiOnal physique and morale. But
nowadays the most valuable fighting
man and the most difficult to perfect is
the rileman who is also a skillful and
daring rider
The proportion of our cavalry regiments
has wisely been increased. The American
caValTyman. trained to maneuver and
eight with equal facility on foot and on
horseback. is the best type of soldier for
a ne ~
world The ideal cavalryman Of the
present day is a man who can fight on
foot as effectively as the best infantry
man, and who is in addition unsurpassed
tn the care and manag cement of his horse
and in his ability to fight on horseback.
Should Be General staff.
a general. stan should be created. As
for the present staff and supply depart
ments, they should be flied by details
from the line, the men so detailed re-
turning after while to their line duties.
1t Is very undesirable to have the senior
grades of the army composed of men
who have come TO fill the positions by
the mere fact of seniority. A system
should be adopted by which there shall
be an elimination grade by grade OF those
who seem unit to render tho best SER
vice in the next grade. Justice to the
In the army would seem to require that
IN the matter of Tetirements they be
given by law the same privileges accorded
TO their comrades in the navy.
= The process of elimination of the =
= least mt should be conducted in a >
= manner that would render it Drac- 3
= tically impossible to apply political >
3 or social pressure on behalf of any =
= candidate. so. that each man may be =
> Judged purely on his own merits. .
= Pressure Tor the promotion of civil &
= officials for political reasons is bad ,
2 enough but 1t IS tenfOld worse wHtre =
= applied on behalf of officers of the +
= army or navy. Every promotion and 3
= every detail under the war depart )
= ment must be made solely with re- =
= gard to the good of the service and =
= 70 the capacity and merit of the man =
= himself. No pressure. political, So =
= cial or personal, of any kind, viii be >
= permitted to exercise the least effect .
= In any question of promotion or de- =
= tail; and IL there is reason TO be- =
, heve that such pressure is exercised =
= at the inStgatOn OF the officer con- >
= cerned. il will be held to initiate ,
= against him In our army we can ,
= not afford to have rewards or duties =
= distributed have on the simple =
: ground that those who. by their own
= merits, are entitled to the rewards >
= get them, and that those who are =
= peculiarly lit TO do the duties are
= chosen to perform them.
Constant Work is Necessary.
Every effort should be made to bring
the army to a constantly increasing state
of efficiency. When on actual service no
work save that directly in the line OF such
service should be required The paper
work in the army, as in the navy, should
be greatly reduced What Is needed is
proved power Of command and capacity
10 work well in the field. Constant care
is necessary to prevent dry rot in the
transportation and commissary depart
meuts.
Our army is so small and so much scat
tered that II is very difficult to give the
higher officers (as well as the lower Off
GERS and the enlisted mem a chance to
practice maneuVeTs in mass and on q
comparatively large scale In time of
need no amount of individual excellence
would avail against the paralysis which
would follow inability TO work as CO.
herent whole, under skillful and daring
leadership. The congress should provide
means whereby ii will be possible to have
field exercises by at least a division of
regulars, and if possible also a division If
national guardsmen, once q year. These
exercises might take the form of field
maneuversi OF, If on the gulf coast or the
Pacific or Atlantic seaboaTd, or in the
region Of the Great lakes, the army corps
when assembled could be marched from
some inland point 20 some point on the
water. there embarked. disembaTked after
a couple Of days journey at some other
point. and again marched inland. Only
BY actual handling and providing for men
IN masses while they are marching,
camping. embarking and disembarking,
Will IL be posse to train the higher
officers 10 perform their duties well and
smoothly.
Nations Debt to Fighting Men.
A great debt is owing from the public
to the men Of the army and navy They
should be so treated as TO enable them to
reach the highest point Of efficiency, so
that they may be able to respond in
stautly 10 any demand made upon them
to sustain the interests of the nation
and the honor OF the flag. The individual
American enlisted man is probably on
the whole q more formidable hghting
man than she regular OF any 9th r army.
Every consideration should b shown
him. and IN return the highest tandard
Of usefulness should be eXactEd from
him. 1t Is well worth while for the con
gress 90 consider whether the pay of
enlisted men upon second and subsequent
enlistmeuts should not be increased TO
correspond with the increased value Of
the veteran soldier.
Much good has already come from the
In the present year. The three prime
reforms. an of them of literally inestim-
able value. are, first. the substitution %
four-year details from the line for perma- !
lent appointments in the so-calsed staff
divisions, second. the establishment Of q
corps of artillery with q chief at the
iead third the establishment of a maxi
mum and minimum limit for the ARMY.
1T would be difficult to Ogerestimate the
Improvement in the efficiency of our army
which these three reforms are making.
and have iR part already effected.
The reorganization provided for by the