The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-08

trict OF Columbia, by a joint select com
mittee of the two houses which made
its report in March, 1898, created in the act
approved June 6, 1900, board of charities
for the District of Columbia, to consist
Of five residents of the District, appointed
by the President of the United States, by
and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, each for a term of three years,
to serve without compensation. President
Mckinley appointed five men who had
been active and prominent in the public
| charities of Washington all of whom
upon taking office July 1, 1900 resigned
| from the different charities with which
they had been connected. The members
of the board have been reappointed in
successive years The board serves under
the Commissioners of the District of Co
lumbia. The board gave its first year to
4 careful and impartial study of the
pecial problems before it, and has con-
tinued, that study every year in the light
of the best practice in public charities
elsewhere. It's recommendations in its an
nual reports to the Congress through the
Commissioners of the District of Columbia
''for the economical and efficient admin
straton of the charities and reformatories
Of the District of Columbia as required
by the act creating it, have been based
Upon the principles commended by the
joint select committee of the Congress
in its report of March, 1898, and approved
by the best administrators of public
charities, and make for the desired sys-
tematization and Improvement of the af
| fairs under it's supervision. They are
worthy of favorable consideration by the
| Congress.
THE ARMY.
The effect of the laws providing Gen
| aral Staff for the Army and for the
more effective use of the National Guard
| has been excellent. Great improvement
has been made in the efficiency of our
army in recent years. Such schools as
| those erected at Fort Leavenworth and
Fort Riley and the institution of fall
vancouver accomplish satisfactory results.
The good effect OF these manouyers upon
| the National Guard is marked, and ample
appropriation should be made to enable
| the guardsmen of the several states to
share in the benefit. The government
should as soon as possible secure suitable
permanent camp sites for military manou-
vers in the various sections of the country
The service thereby rendered not only to
the regular army, but to the national
guard of the several states, will be so
great as to repay many times over the
relatively small expense. We should not
rest satisfied with what has been done,
however. The only people who are con-
tented with a system of promotion by
mere seniority are those who are contented
with the triumph of mediocrity over ex-
cellence. On the other hand a system
| l, L Sc To1
or political favoritism in promotions would
be even worse. But it would surely be
easy to devise a method of promotion
from grade to grade in which the opinion
CT the higher officers of the service upon
the candidates should be decisive upon
the standing and promotion Of the latter
Just such system now obtains at West
Point. The quality of each years work
determines the standing of that years
class, the man being dropped or graduated
into the next class in the relative po-
sition which his military superiors decide
to be warranted by his merit. In other
words, ability, energy, fidelity, and all
ether similar qualities determine the rank
of a man year after year in West Point
and his stading in the army when he
graduates from West Point but from
that time on, all effort to find which
man is best or worst, and reward or pun
ish him accordingly, is abandoned; no
brilliancy, no amount of hard work, no
eagerness in the performance of duty, can
advance him, and no slackness or indif-
ference that falls short Of court martial
offense can retard him. Until this sys-
tenn is changed we cannot hope that our
officers will be of as high grade as we
have a right to expect, considering the
material upon which we draw. More
over, when a man renders such service
as Captain Pershing rendered last spring