The National tribune., 1903-09-03
THE COMMAND OF TIE ARMY.

| 1h6 COnMANU VI Ih6 AhmX.
| General Orders, issued Aug. IA, estab-
fishing and prescribing the duties Of the
General Staff Corps endeavor to end the
long struggle in regard to the actual COM
mand Of the Army, and to place this upon
a foundation upon which there can be no
dispute. In defining the duties Of TIE
Chief Of Staff, paragraph 10 says:
40. Under the act of Feb. IA, 1908, the
command of the Army of the United States
rests with the Constitutional Commander
| in-Chief, the President. The President
will place. parts of the Army, and sepa-
rate armies whenever constituted, under
| commanders subordinate to his general
command; and, in case Of exigency seem
| ing to him to require it, he may place the
| whole Army under a single commander
subordinate to him; but in time of peace
and under ordinary conditions the admin
| iStration and control of the Army are ef-
| fected without any second in command"
The paragraph goes On to fully explain
the relations of the President and his SU-
bordinates to the command of the Army,
and seems to leave no point uncovered.
THE Presidents command is exercised
through the Secretary of War and the
Chief Of-Staff. The Secretary of War is
charged with carrying out the policies Of
the President in military affairs. He d.
rectly represents the President and is bound
always to act in conformity to the Presi-
dents instructions. Under the law and
the decision of the Supreme Court his acts
are the Presidents acts, and his directions
and orders are the Presidents directions
and orders.
1.-The Chief-of-Staff reports to the Sec
rotary of War, acts as his military ad-
visor, receives from him the directions
and orders given in behalf of the Presi-
dent and gives effect thereto in the man
ner hereinafter provided.
Exceptions to this ordinary course OF
administration may, however. be made at
any time by special direction of the Presi
dent if he sees fit to call upon the Chief
of-StaH to give information or advice, or
| receive instructions. directly.
Wherever in these regulations action
by the President is referred to, the action
of the President through the Secretary
of War is included, and wherever
| the action of the Secretary of War
is referred to, the Secretary of War
| is deemed to act as the representative of
the President and under his directions
That is, the President actually com
mands the Army and exercises that COM
mand through the Secretary of War. who
in turn commands through his subOrdi-
mates, who are as much under him as he
| is under the President.
| The next section of the order proceeds
| to carefully define the relation of the
Chief-of-Staff to the President and to the
Secretary of War. saying:
"The Chief of Staff is detailed by the
| President from officers of the Army at
large not below the grade of Brigadier-
General. The successful performance of
| the duties of the position requires what
the title denotes-a relation of absolute
confidence and personal accord and sym
pathy between the Chief-of- Staff and the
President, and necessarily also be
tween the Chief-Of-Staff and the Sec
rotary Of War. For this reason. with
out any reflection whatever upon the Off
Ger detailed, the detail will in every case
cease, unless sooner terminated, on the
day following the expiration of the term
of office of the President by whom the
detail is made: and if at any time the
Chief-of-Staf considers that he can no
longer sustain toward the President and
the Secretary of War the relations above
described, it will be his duty to apply to
be relieved"
The feature of this that is unexpected is
that which makes the Chief-of- Staff
strictly 4 personal appointment, terminal
ing with the retirement from Office of the
President and Secretary of War who have
appointed. or rather detailed, him for the
duties. The moment they go out of Of
hce he retires also and returns to his
former place. This IS a wide departure
from the previous practice where the Of
ficer ostensibly in command of the
Army was designated by the President
and retained that position through the
succeeding Administration, until his re-
tirement from the Army. 1t has been So
since the foundation of the Government,
and each of the Generals who have held
that position have had more or less trou-
BILE, not only with the Administration
which succeeded, but even with that which
appointed him.