Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-19
NEW STAFF CUBPS LAW.
INTERPRETATION oE-IT BY THE
PRESIDENT.
Promotion of COL Randpifh-Duties of
the New Body-Gen.Young, It is
Believed, Will Be First Chief.

In nominating Col Wallace F. Randolph
chief of artillery, to be alsfi8adier general,
to take effect at once, the. President has
made what one eminent legal authority re-
CARDS as a somewhat remarkable interpre-
tation of the general staff corps law by
virtue of which the appointment was made.
The general staff bill is made up of five
sections and the fifth section reads as fol-
lows: -
SEC. s. That the chief Of artillery shall
hereafter serve as an additional member of
the general staff and by and with the ad-
vice and consent Of the Senate shall have
the rank, pay and allowances Of a briga-
der general, and when the next vacancy oc-
ours in the office of brigadier general Of the
line it shall not be filled, and thereafter the
exclusive of the chief of artillery shall not
exceed fourteen; and the provisions of the
foregoing sections of this act shall take eff
feet August Is, 1893"
In order to permit of the immediate an
pointment of Col. Randolph as a brigadier
general the President, acting on the advice
OF Secretary Root, who deservedly takes
high rank as a lawyer, construed the
phrase in section 5, land the foregoing sec
tions of this act shall take effect August
10, 1903, to apply only to the first four
sectlons Immediately preceding section 5,
and not to that section of which it was the
closing part.
The staff bill Is model of brevfty. It
creates general staff corps under rules
to be established by the President and
thus defines its duties:
Duties Of the Staff Corps.
ITO prepare plans for the national defense
and for the mobilization of the military
forces in time Of war; to investigate and
report upon all questions affecting the
efficiency Of the army and its state of
preparation for military operations: to rem
der professional aid and assistance to the
Secretary of War and to general officers
and other superior commanders, and to act
as their agents in informing and co-ordinat-
Ing the action Of all the different officers
who are subject under the terms of this act
to the supervision of the chief of staff, and
to perform such other military duties not
otherwise assigned by law as NAV be from
time to time prescribed by the President"
The corps Is to consist of chief of staff
two general officers and the brigadier gem
eral, chief Of artillery, four colonels, six
lieutenant colonels,- twelve majors and
twenty captains and lieutenants, who while
on the staff, rank as captains, to serve for
-FOUR years and then return to the branches
of the army in which they hold permanent
commissions, and to serve there for two
years before becoming eligible for another
staf detail. An important provision allows
the temporary detail of STAFF corps officers
to duty with any arm Of the service. The
chief of staff, under the direction of the
President or of the SECRETARY Of War under
direction Of the President is to have super
vision of all troops Of the line. and of all
the existing staff bureaus and departments.
Gen. Young to Be Chief of Staff.
The execution of this Important legisla-
zion requires considerable preparatory work
by the War Department. the most difficult
feature of which is undoubtedly the prep
aration of rules for tie government and
operation Of the general staff The Army
War College board. of which Major General
Young Is president has. been charged with
the preparation o. these rules, subject, of
course, to the approval of the President and
the Secretary of War. = 1t is, generally ac-
cepted as foregone conclusion that Cen
eral Young. who is to be made lieutenant
general on the retirement Of General Miles,
August next, will be detailed to duty as
chief of the general staff