BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-03-07
| General staff F@ The Army.

vemeDt OF the army, sent to Congress on
Friday last, contains by far the most impor.
tanr reforms Of the many which have been
ar yed BY him since he entered the Cabinet. '
The bill provides for 3 large number Of
changes, but the ssgnifiesnt ones are these
consolidating the supply departments aud
creating general staff. The amaigamatlon
of the Qaartermas.eral, Subsistence, and
Pay Departments has already been discussed
and advocated in the interest of eficien-
cy and economy. In coming out bOlc-'
ly for general staff, ut this time, howe
yer, Secretary Root has both surprised
and pleased the progr easive men of the SER
vice, scho see in this proposal the capstone
Of his reforms, without which the new army
system that he has been building up would
be quite incomplete.
| Were the army to be subjected at this
| time to another severe strain similar to that
OF 1898, it soould ba found that man , OF the
glaring weaknesses of the Alger reg ims are
quite uncorrecteA. The reforms that Secre
tary Root has thus far been able to bring
about have made for the modernization OF
different parts OF the military organization,
such as bringing staff and line into closer
touch, and Introducing the three battalion
system for the infantry, as well as the caval-
~. Bat the greatest deficiency in the army
since 1870 has been tho absence of q set OF
officers to plan for the future-to be, as in
European armies, the eyes, the ears, and the
brains OF the service. The necessity for such
. staff was made patent to the world by Won
Moltke; the plan has been officially recog-
nised in this country only since Secretary
Root took office, the Spsn nish war having
demonstrated, even to the most partisan
mind. the anSqustea character Of the Anne
lriman military machine.
The conservatism Of the army in this mat
ter ia all the more extraordinary in vieW OF
the facts that your officers have long urged
the changes, and th at the navy has gradu silly
evolved its geney al staff through its war col
lege and General Board, with little or no
Legislative aid, and with but little expense.
The army has, however, gone on with an
absolutely unbnsinessiike and, so far as ef-
ficiency is concerned, un workable system.
Under this it is no ONES duty to think oi
the future, or to prepare far campaign,
even after war is practically at hand; the
stan departme ats are wholly out OF touch
not only witt. the line, but s0ith each other
the commv Iding General always at swords
Ipoints VII a the civilian Secretary, who III
turn Ia too much occupied bay other matters,
and IL quite unfittsd by train dng to be toe
connee ing link between all branches OF tue
service, and to map out the tu 'ure.
Under Secretary Roots plan the General
Staff Oorpsn will consider the military
policy Of the country, and wepars com
preh ensive plans for the nation ri defence,
and tor ssthe mobilization of the military
| fore es in times of WARP 1t is al 20 to have
l ovaw ~ fha n r and
nav ", of plans of campaign, of the securing
an d utilization Of military inform ation, O
TIN /, system Of army education, rmament
eq uipinent, etc. The consolidate 'aa of thu
eI listing staff departments is still farthel
cs rried on by the gradual amalgal nation o
| Il Inspector Generals Dspartm eat ant
/ u 10 general staff, and the assumption of tn
Siuty Of inspection by the new body. Wher
the general staff has been crea ted, tht
| officers of the Adjutant- Generals. Depart
J, ment, now, under Gen. Uorbin's lee dership
the most important part of the sta q, viii
return to their proper POSITIONS as military
clerks, pure and simple. The head af the
general staff is to be lieutenant-general
aud after Gen. Miles's retirement in 1908
| this officer is 10 be selected from the generals
of the army by the President for . period
of four years. The rest of the general staff
| viii comprise one major general, one
brigsdier general, four colonels, six lleuten..
ant colonels, twelve majors, and twel. 20
captains, all likewise serving for four ye, ars
and then returning to their psrmg .nent
positions in line or staff 1t is charso' eriatic
of the simplicity Of Secretary RootI reforms
that the bill does not call for any additional
expense. except such as is requiU d for the
construction Of . home for the general staff
and War College at Washingk on Barracks.
With the retirement of @ an. Miles fre,rn
the active list the ofiea of Comm andine
General, which has always been useless
and strife creating posity IN, will be discon.
tinned., So far as tn re are any duties
connected with II, they viii be assumed by
the Secretary of W. II or the chic. Of staff
As the latter officer . n be selected by each
President, he win be in sympathy and