The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-12
1IFFERS FROM MILES
,rx scHOFIELD ENDORSES NEW
6E"' ARMY BILL.
GAYS HIGH TRIBUTE TO SOUTH
,ERATEs HAD BEST BLOOD
eO' AND BEST ARMY.

,,u.s and the President Not
on Speaking Terms, said the
,,rnndinE GeReral-He Sees
-, for n Mere Nominal Com
.aer-in-Chief-Let Each Presi-
Ut Apooint His own Chief of
s.aG-WouId Like to See Army
.,,,.h one Full General and Three
,,.utenant Generals.
washington, April 1.-THE report of
testimony given before the Senate
u. .,,ttee ON Military Affairs by Gen.
o.saseld formerly the commanding
oral of the army, on the bill to ere
General staff. was made public
dow He Endorsed the bill. saying
49, be had long since come to-the con-
ten that there is no room under our
nstitution for two commanders, and
.sa+ the President, whom the consti-
.,+ion makes the supreme commander.
,et act through the Secretary of
War. He added:
aTbe very exalted individual office,
81 called, of commanding general of
the army, must disappear. He must
ho what other nations of the earth
have. a chief of staff, not a command
ing general.
In reply to a question by Senator
Scott. calling attention to Gen. Miles
statement that the effect of the pro-
nosed legislation would be to German
ne and Russianize the American army,
Cen. Sehofeld said:
81 am not afraid of that. I think
We might Germanize other things a
little with advantage, possibly.
"If we had at the head of the army
for years the same distinguished gen.
eral other things being satisfactory,
that would be very well; but what is
the use of a great general as the NOM
ipal head of the army, If the Presi-
dent will not even talk to him, except
to criticise him, or if the Secretary of
War and he do not even see each
Other?"
Senator Burrows-Why would not
The same condition of affairs exist be-
tween the chief of staff and the Presi-
dent?
Gen. Schofield-Because he would re-
lieye him and get another. You must
give to the President discretion to Sc
lect that man.
Senator Burrows-Why cannot the
commander in chief, the lieutenant
general of the army, and the Presi-
dent confer as it is?
Not on Speaking Terms.
Gen. Schoheld-They are not on
speaking terms.
Senator Burrows-Not >on speaking
terms?
Gen Schofield-No sir. You will have
to get rid of that intolerable condition
by which this man close to the Presi-
dent, the only man who is available to
do these things, is a man whom the
President does not talk to except to
Crlticise him. The result is bad; very
bad. The President feels the need of
such a man, as did the Presidents
whom l have known. They would say:
Il cannot do these things; 1 must have
military man to help me-" Then, in
that situation, he, perhaps sends for
colonel or major so and so, and he
finds that he is bright young fellow
and knows about these things, and in
few days it gets to be known that
Tom so and so" is commanding the
army.
Gen. Schofeld expressed the
opinion that during the
Clyll War the Southern system of Sc
letting high officers was far better
Than that of the North. Speaking of
the rank of lieutenant general he said
ne would give the proposed chief of
SIAN even higher rank, adding:
would make one general at the
mead of the army and l would have
tnree lieutenant generals and then the
proper number of officers in the grades
under that. The Confederates, during
me Civil War, were a great deal wiser
man we were in that respect They
were better soldiers and better edu-
Gated, and knew more about it, They
carried off the greater proportion of
inc best blood that we had, to tell the
ruth, and they organized their army
Scientifically"