The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-27
GENERAL STAFF REFORMS
THE NEW ARMY MACHINERY Is NOW
WORKING SMOOTHLY.
Examples of the Manner in Which
Military Business Is Now Conduct
ed-Red Tape Cut.

a
emerged from the suite of rooms in the War
Department formerly known as the head
quarters of the army with an important
document in his hand. In an hour he was
back again with the same document con-
tanning six or seven sets of initials. ind-
eating that the officer to whom each set
belonged had read the contents, and had no
comments 10 make thereon. The subject
matter of the document was then at once
thrown into the form of report, for sub
mission TO the general council Of the gen.
eral staff OF the army. and a few hours
later the mails were bearing away. to the
several commands affected by it, all order
based on the report.
The officer was a subordinate OF the first
division OF the general staff. which is super
vised by Gen. William II. Carter. and occu-
pies General Miless old quarters The er-
rand he accomplished so quickly would have
consumed possibly week under the old in
dependent staff system-or lack Of system
and the document he carried would have
come back with lot OF purely formal and
meaningless Endorsements in which the con-
tents would have been respectfully re-
ferred to Col. So.-and-so for his opinion as
TO the practicability of the plan described
herein and respectfully returned TO Brig.
Gen. Such-and-such, with the recommended
ton that the within described plan be APP
proved" and 50 on Back and forth, back
and forth, like the swing of the shuttle In
the loom, the document would have gone,
TIL IL had Increased perhaps to twice it's
original bulk with the Endorsements OF the
o61osrs TO whom Ii had been sent, and by
whom II had been returned In each instance
without the addition OF single new idea.
And yet the same document. with the ini-
tials OF the officers who had read IL without
being moved TO comment serves just as
satisfactorily as a record OF their joint
opinion as three volumes OF routine phrases
The rule Is now plainly laid down, and will
be strictly enforced, that no officer is TO
write on an official paper submitted to him
any Endorsement which does not convey a
recommendation or information not already
in the document. That means a saving or
tons OF stationery and no end of time for
merly wasted on the purest red tape.
a SAVING OF TIME.
On Tuesday there went out to the depart
ment commanders all over the United
States and it's possessions a copy OF new
regulation, transferring to these command
ers the duty and responsibility OF purchas-
ing all fuel, food, forage-practically every
thing in daily use by their troops except
weapons and ammunition. The law OF con-
tracts prescribes the preliminaries TO every
purchase and the formalities of the pro-
cess, such as advertising for proposals, open
competition, award TO the lowesL RESPONSE
nile bidder. etc. That is unchanged. but
the difference the general staff has brought
Into this branch OF supply work Is that
the cumbersome method of correspondence
with Washington, consideration here, the
issue of advertisements from here regard
less OF how remotely they are TO be pub
nshed, and all the delays incidental to long
range operations. are done away with. and
direct. practical. rapid system substituted.
1T Is calculated that this will make differ
ence OF from 20 to 40 per cent. in the cost
OF the material purchased In favor Of the
new practice. as contractors got into the
habit or adding a considerable advance to
their normal figures to guard against the
chances of a protracted wait and rise in
market prices. Besides decentralizing a
class OF duties which the department itself
could not continue to monopolize without
breaking down I'm hours OF great stress. the
new plan will have another advantage. in
the training IL will give to commanders and
stan officers In the field by making them
do In time Of peace what they would have
TO do I'm time Of war
In the old days il would have been i'm
practicable 10 put through certain meas
IRE which had just gone into effect without
any visible friction. This is the decision
that IL Will be cheaper and better to bring
back i've whole regiments from the Phil
ippines and recruit them here, or send five
fresh regiments out to take their places
than simply send enough recruits out tc
the islands TO fill up the regiments there
which are most largely reduced by the ex-
pira OF terms OF enlistment among their
men, Under the former system the quar-.
termaster general would have attended to
his share Independently, the comissary gen.
eral TO his. the recruiting officers under the
adjutant general TO theirs. and so forth
and the number OF men needed to reha-
bllitate the reduced army would have beer
enlisted here and sent out by themselves
At San Francisco, the port of embarkation
they would have been herded for a time
while waiting for the transport. Mean
while the returning soldiers must either
have been sent 10 this country in charge OF
officers who could I'll be spared from the
islands. or else in convoy of company OF
soldiers still under discipline: otherwise
they would probably have become disor.
Derby. and developed sickness as we'll a bad
behavior on the trip. These returning mer
would have been mustered out at San Fran
cisco and received their individual mileage
at cents mile. TO their several homes
wherever these might be. A whole regiment
coming back. however, can be sent directly
from San Francisco to the point nearest
the homes of the men-it may be Chicago
or ST. Louis. or Pittsburg-and mustered
out there: and the government can make
a contract with a railroad company fol
the transportation of a thousand men In
bulk from the port of arrival to any par
of the United States at a modest fraction
of the cost OF transporting the same thou
sand men individually at cents a mile.
ROUTINE SIMPLIFIED.
The difference I'm method shows at leas
its surface. every advantage in favor o.
the newly adopted plan. yet until the pres
ent general staff was organized it would
have been practically impossible to max,
such a change for the test OF an innova
ton. Now all that is necessary is for tn,
officer interested in such an experiment I,
suggest IL to the chief OF staff. If the latte
Is in doubt as to its wisdom he submits i
for inquiry to the general council, wher
f. is considered. submitted TO the bureau
of chiefs who would be affected by it, an,
reported on. II the report indicates tina
the expenditure required 10 make the ties
would be very large. or tina. decide'
change OF policy is involved. the chief o
stan submits the question to the secretar
OF war: otherwise he decides IL himself
and in few hours the thing is settled an
the necessary orders issued
Strictly speaking. the general staff is nov
Going, with the authority of law, substan
tally what the acknowledgement has bee
doing for the last five years without an
such authority General Corbin is a boil
man. and maker of precedents where n
nnds none IN existence. When somethn
had TO be done. and done quickly durn
the war with Spain. and a
hand 10 cut red tape and do II. Corbin use
10 do IL himself and take the chances.
he had not, IN one instance, at least. wit
the numbering methods then i'm vogue W
should still be recruiting the first big lev
Tor the war. But this blinking the Law
while IL might be tolerated, and even justi
ned, during an emergency. was no practic
TO continue indefinitely. The adjutant-gen
erals department. properly. is the office q
orders. correspondence and record not O
HmttlesS scope as To inauguration or execu
mi a