The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-06
THE TRANSFER OF GEN. coRBIN.

THE TRANSFER OF GEN. CORBIN.
The transfer of Gen. Corbip to the
command of the Department of the
East. with headquarters at New York.
! seems TO be somewhat in the nature Of
a kick up stairs. The post is one of
/ the most desirable in the service. The
1 corollary functions of it partake large
/ ly of champagne. cake and after-din-
/ ner speeches. True, the Department
/ of the East embodies a larger number
/ of soldiers than any other department,
but they are all handled in routine
manner without giving the general in
command the slightest degree of trou-
BILE. And, the headquarters being IN
close proximity 10 the social center
and Delmonicos and Sherry's and the
Waldorf Astoria there is always a
demand for the gold lace and buttons
of the high army officer to grace the
spreads and add TO the eclat of the
dances. The general commanding the
Department of the East has to devote
more of his time to giving a settipg-up
exercise to his digestion and changing
day and the function to be attended.
than to anything else. 1t is one of the
soft snaps reserved for those whose
rank demands social dignity and many
dinners. The place will fit Gen. Cor
bin like glove. 1t has been twenty
three years since he commanded troops,
and then his biggest command was a
company in the Twenty-fourth Infan-
try. But that doesn't matter. Being
an Ohio politician, he will get along
in so smooth a way that nobody will
ever know the difference.
But as to the reason for the kick up
stairs: Gen Corbin now holds the
position of assistant to the chief Of
staff, Gen. Young being the chief. For
a number of years Gen. Corbin, as ad-
jutant general. has been practically the
directing head of the army. He came
pretty nearly to running things as he
pleased during the Spanish and Phil
ippine wars. He made assignments of
officers, directed enlistments and mob
ilizations, looked after the transports;
III oilOl W Go NllG NAAANA VI . elAlAHNL elAN
the person to whom politicians and
others went when they wanted favors.
Being a shrewd politician himself Gen.
Corbin played his position we'll. Now,
since the organization of the general
staff, Gen. Corbin has fallen back into
a subordinate position; notwithstand-
ing which the politicians with d pull
have continued to go to him when they
wanted anything from the army, prac-
ticany ignoring Gen. Young, the chief
of staff. who is not a politician and
has never stood in with the politi-
clans. This condition had begun to
nettle Gen. Young. He was growing
very tired of it. when Gen. Corbin
himself noticed how things were goiag
and called the attention of the Secre-
tary of War to the facts. Gen. Cor
bin, loving authority as he does, is yet
shrewd enough to see when things are
going wrong and soldier enough to
know that a subordinate ought not ex-
ercise the functions of his chief. Out
of this suggestion has come the trans
fer of Gen. Corbin and Gen. Chaffee.
each to the others place. Gen. Cor
bin will like it because it gives him
the SWEETEST command in the country
and abundant opportunities to pose,
and the members of the general staff
viii like it because it removes Corbin
to a place where he will be less in the
way and less an absorber of the func-
tions and privileges of that body.