Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-28
To Effect Desired Reform.

tors, quartermaSterS or medical bureaus
for months at time.
To Effect Desired Reform.
''The most efficient means that can sug-
gest for effecting the desired reforms
which 1 am convinced are Indispensable, is
to create at once general staff for the
army, to which may be committed the mat
ter not only most urgent Of suggesting
means for reorganizing the War Depart
ment. but to assist the Secretary in con-
Quoting the vast business that Is now CEN
tered on his desk The following steps in
this work almost suggest themselves:
'ta) To discontinue the practice of as
signing a general officer to command the
army, function that no other than the
President can perform.
''(b) To select from the whole army the
officer best qualified by talents, deserts and
experience to perform the duties of chief
of staff assign him to duty in the War De-
partment, and II not now Of the rank to
confer on him the temporary grade of
major general, this office to have an official
tenure during the pleasure of the President
''tc) To detail from the present line and
staff a corps of officers best qualified by
experience, capacity and mental endow-
mentS to cooperate with the chief in ac-
complishing the objects for which the corps
is created. At least one representative of
this corps shall be on duty with each geo.
graphical or separate army command and
with each separate brigade.
I'D To so arrange the details that there
would be representation in the staff proper
tiOnate to the importance of the arm or
corps to which the detailed men belonged.
'tc) AS respects the regimental officers
detailed treat them and their organization
in the same way that is now done in the
case of regmenta officers detailed In the
adjutant's, inspectors. quartermaster and
subsistence departments, but by law forbid
the detail absolutely to this staff of any Of
fcer who. personally or through friends,
applies for a detail or appointment, or uses
hate -,
80 Commit to the general staff under
the Secretary of War, the general supcrvis-
ion over army training. discipline, opera
tons, inspections, the service schools the
war college and the Office of military infor-
nation.
"{g) Organize as possible bu-
reau of finance and material charged with
the conduct of everything relating to sub
sistence, clothing, equipment, remounts.
arms. transportation. tools apparatus, med
icines, cemeteries and disbursements for all
purposes. Perhaps the finance bureau
should be separate from supplies.
'(h) Place all executive records pertain
ing to the personnel of the forces and mill
tary operations in bureau to be styled
bureau of records and assign officers to
it to be styled military secretaries" Dis
continue the adjutant generals bureau.
"O Transfer construction and repair of
barracks, roads, hospitals, storehouses,
wharves. sewers. waterworks and tele-
graphs to the engineers. and discontinue
the Signal Corps-which as separate BODY
would disappear.
% Provide body of enlisted clerks,
mechanics. laborers. transfers. etc, for
conducting the work of the supply and
finance departments out of Washington.
(k) All ordnance officers to be detailed
from the artillery, and their duties con-
fined to experimentation, and to inspect
ing and testing the. material manufac-
tured exclusively in private factories. the
existing ordnance manufactures, also the
clothing mandatory to be used as gem
eral depots, military posts, or sold. The
consultations and reorganizations sug-
gested would leave the staff and staff bu-.
reaus as follows: The general staff, rec
ords bureau, supply and finance bureau,
ordnance bureau, engineer bureau medical
bureau, law bureau.
Besides, there would of course remain
under the secretary the river and harbor
work, and that carried on under the boards
and commissions as now. mass of re-
sponsibilities that could well and con-
stantly employ an assistant secretary of
war as administrative head.
A Herculean Task.
To bring all this about will be a Her.
culean task but nothing short of such or
ganization will, in my opinion, give to
the head of the branch Of the government
charged with control over military affairs
efficient machinery for discharging his
enormous tasks.
1.-The great business and industrial con-
Germs conducted by Americans are so we'll
and economically managed that other ma
tions look on us with amazement at the
promptness which attends the filing of or
ders the excellence of the output. and its
small cost. We can produce breadstuffs
and other foods and sell them to Europe in
competition with goods OF the same kind
that are of local origin. Is it possible that
the military establishment does not pos
sess the requisite abilities for providing
and applying means for purging itself, not
only reforming its own obsolete business
methods, but as well to develop modern
liancy Of accomplishments would cnrnneI