Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-12-15
ARMY IN GOOD SHAPE.
Secretary Roots Annual Report Com
mends General staff.

SGCrGLaFy AoOtS Annual Report Conn
mends General staff.
Secretary Root devotes a large por.
ton of his annual report of the opera.
tons OF the War Department to the or.
ganization and work of the general staff.
He quotes the statute and regulations by
which the general staff is authorized, and
continues:
1T will be perceived that we are here
providing for civilian control over the
military arm, but for civilian control to
be exercised through a single military
expert of high rank, who is provided with
an adequate corps Of professional as
sistants to aid him in the performance
of his duties IN this way it is hoped
that the problem of reconciling civilian
control with military efficiency wf-h
which we have been struggling for so
many years will be solved.
1T is gratifying to report that the new
system of control has been accompanied
by most harmonious effort and cheerful
good will on the part of the members of
the general staff, the chiefs of all the
War Department bureaus and the officers
of the army at large"
Following the same line of policy the
report says the Secretaries of War and
the Navy entered into an agreement for
a joint army and navy board to secure
joint action and cooperation Of the two
branches of the service. or the results
expected, the Secretary says
The common understanding and mu-
tual assistance between the two services,
which it is within the power of this
board to bring about, may be made to
cover a wide range. If the two forces
are ever to be called upon to cooperate,
the time to determine what each shall do
and the time for each TO learn what the
other can do, is before the exigency
arises
The full strength Of the regular army
Oct Is, 1903, was 1861 officers and 90
800 enlisted men, Of whom Si3 officers
and 1867 men were on duty in the
Philippines. There were also in the ser
vice 26 officers and 500 enlisted men in
the Porto Rico regiment, 80 officers and
4,S05 enlisted Philippine scouts and
2.S07 hospital corps men. These figures
show net decrease during the year OF
1913.
The Secretary commends the act to
DTOutOlt NVt eIilfltufN Dl llie ullllliu anu
providing for calling it into the service
of the national government in time OF
war. The total number Of organized mill
tia available for this purpose is 9,120
commissioned officers and Sl,007 men.
New York leads with 1860 men. Penn
sylvania comes second with 9,0GS and
Illinois third with G.GG9.
The Secretary favors n further reduc-
ton Of the troops in the Philippines, but
does not think it desirable until the con
struction Of barracks and quarters in the
United States has made further progress.
The total expenditures of the depart
ment for tba year ended June 30. 1903.
were S108,577, 1872, Of which the military
establishment took $40. l41 500, the civil
establishment S2,02s,372 aud public
works, including Notifications and ma
tionaI defenses, $30,341 ,047. The est.
mates for the present fscsl year aggre.
gate S125, $50 ABS. Of which 81 .9S6.515
is for the army and S4O,1i5,Gl3 for pub
lie works.
Aside from such actor as may be
needed for coast defense, the Secretary
says he does not think any important leg
islation regarding the army will be ad.
visable for some time 10 come, and not
until the army shsll have time TO work
ont the new methods under the direction
OF the general staff.