The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-03
TOO MUCH PAPER WORK.
It Should Be Reduced in Both Army
and NAVY.

Every effort should be made to bring
the army to a constantly increasing STATE
work save that directly in the line of
such service should be required The pa
should be greatly reduced What is need
ed Is proved power Of command and ca
slant care is necessary to prevent dry rot
in the transportation and commissary de-
Our army is so small and so much scat
tered that it is very difficult to give the
GERS and the enlisted mem a chance to
practice manoevers in mass and
need no amount of individual excellence
would avail against the paralysis which
herent whole, under skillful and daring
leadership The congress should provide
have field exercises by at least a division
of regulars, and if possible also a division
exercises might take the form of field
manoeuvres; or, if on the gulf coast or
region of the great lakes, the army corps
when assembled could be marched from
water, there embarked, disembarked after
a couple OF days journey at some other
by actual handling and providing for men
IN masses while they are marching, camp
be possible to train the higher officers to
perform their dgties vel i,nsI, smoothly
to the men of the American navy. They
reach the highest point of efficiency, so
that they may be able to respond in
to f n iny Of the npfon and
the honor of the flag The individual
Ahole ghgg on
than the regular of any other army Ev-
and in return the highest standard of use
fulness should be exacted from him. 1t is
slider whether the pay of enlisted men
upon second and subsequent enlistment
should not be increased to correspond
with the increased value of the veteran
REORGANIZATION ACT
Much good has already come from the
act reorganizing the army, passed early in
the present year; The three prime reforms
all of them of literally inestimable value
are: first, the substitution of four-year
details from the line of permanent APP
second the establishment of a corps of
artillery with a chief at the head; third,
for the army. 1t would be difficult to
overestimate the Improvement in the eff
fciency of our army which these three re-
forms are making, and have in part al
ready effected
The reorganization provided for by the
act has been substantially accomplished.
The improved conditions in the Philip
pines have enabled the war department
materially to reduce the military charge
upon our revenue and to arrange the
number of soldiers SO as to bring this
number much nearer to the minimum
than to the maximum limit established by
mentary legislation. Thorough military ed
ucation must be provided. and in addition
to the regulars the advantages of this
education should be given to the officers
of the national guard and others in civil
life who desire intelligently to fit them
selves for possible military. duty. The
officers should be given the chance to per-
feet themselves by study in the highest
branches of this art. At West Point the
education should be of the kind most apt
to turn out men who are good in actual
field service; too much stress should not
be laid on mathematics, nor should pro-
fciency therein be held to establish the
entry a
typical American officer of the best kind
need not be a good mathematician but
he must be able to master himself, to
control others and to show boldness and
fertility of resource in every emergency.