The Washington times., 1902-12-01

organization 1T VIII be possible % or
ganize reserve volunteer artiIlerymen
among citizens living in the neighbor-
mood OF tOrtifCations 20 man these fortf-
hcatiOns in time OF war.
For a General StaH.
The most important thing to be done
now for the army. says the report. is the
creation Of a general stad. The military
system is declared 90 be still defective at
the top, although it has a personnel un-
surpassed anywhere and a population
ready to respond 70 calls for the increase
.of the personnel in case OF need. The
administrative stan and supply depart
ments, as a rule. have at the heads com
petent men, says the report. bur when
II comes to the coordination and iirec-
ton Of all these means OF warfare so
that all parts OF the machine shall work
true together, Mr.. Root saws the system
Is weak The system, he believes. makes
no adequate provision for the directing
brain which every army must have 10
"nrk successfully. Continuing. be says.
Neither our political nor our military
system makes IL suitable that we should
have a general staff organized like the
German general stan or like the French
general stan. but the common expert
ence OF mankind is that the things which
those general stams do have TO be done
In every well-managed and welI-dirccted
army. and they have 20 DE done by a
body Of men especially assigned to do
them. We should have such a body OF
men selected and organized i'm our own
way and in accordance with our own
system 20 do those essential things. The
most ineligible way to describe such a
body Of men, however selected and or
ganized. is by calling ii a general stan
because its duties are STAFF duties and
are general in their character.
'The Commanding General"
Experience has shown that it is i'm
possible for any officer to really exercise
in this country. in time or peace. the
powers which appear and are assumed
20 be conferred along with the title Of
| Commanding General OF the Army This
follows from the constitution OF our
[ Government The Constitution REQUIRES
| tho President to be the commander OF
the army, and great variety OF laws
Z require the Secretary OF War. who
directly represents the President. 10
supervise and direct the expenditure OF
the vast sums OF money appropriated
annually by Congress for the support OF
the army. As every important movement
requires the use OF money, 30 long as the
Secretary OF War performs this duty
faithfully he must practically control
the operations OF the army in time OF
peace. and there cannot be any inde-
pendent command OF the army except
that which the President himself exer-
cises over the Secretary Of War and
| everybody else Ia the military estan-
lishment
1T was tho inability 70 exercise the
power which the ti-Ie Of Commanding
General OF the ATIny appears o. carry
with II, but which does not really exist.
that led General Scott to leave Wash
ington and establish his headquarters in
-Sew York and General Sherman to re-
move to St Louis. both Of them aban-
doning the attempt 10 DO anything In
| connection with the administration Of
the army in Washington And this dim
Guilty has been the cause OF almost con
stauJ conflict end bitter feeling ia the
administration OF the army for the past
fifty years, TO the very great injury Of
the service and very great loss OF eff
ciency.'
The Canteeu.
On the cantcen the report says in
part L am convinced that the general
effect OF prohibiting the use OF beer and
light wines within the limited area OF
the army post is 10 lead the enlisted
men 10 90 out or the post. 10 frequent
vile resorts which cluster ia the neigh
! borhood. to drink bad WHISKY to ay-
cess and to associate intimately with
abandoned men and more abandoned wo-
men. and that the operation OF the law
I is 70 increase drunkenness. disease OF
/ the most loathsome kind. insubord ina -
+ ton and deserJion and moral and physi-
| cal ceRsu sueratlon.' %
The Friar Lands.
a long chapter upon eIvH government
in the Philippines concludes the report.