The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-07-06
GENERAL
ARMY STAFF
What 1t Will Do for
Uncle Sam SFishttrS.
10 TAKE HOLD AUGUST 10
Changes That Will Be Effected by the
New Scheme of Organi-

Washington. July 1.-THE most
important thing that has happened
to the army of the United States du-
ring the past forty or fifty years. IN
the opinion of all military authorities.
is the adoption Of the general stan
plan of organization. Congress pass
ed the law authorizing the change
last winter, and for a number OF
weeks the president and secretary OF
war have been working out the de-
tails and getting ready 90 put the new
scheme into operation
Aug. Is is the date when the gener-
al staff takes hold. On that day Gen
eral Nelson A. Miles will go on the
retired list. and the office of general
commanding the army will be abolish
ed From that time on the army VIII
be commanded by the president and
the secretary Of war, assisted by a
staff of fOrty-tWO officers, at whose
head will be a chief Of staff, General
S. B. NJ. Young.
In order that an ordinary civilian
may understand what the general
staff is to do. it is only necessary to
cite the organization Of any large
mercantile establishment. Take a
large department store for example.
It has a general manager. or owner.
who is responsible for the whole al
fair. Under him are heads OF de-
partments who are responsible lON
their divisions of the work. There IS
the credit man. who looks after all
accounts and dealings where the re-
sponsibility of the purchaser is in
VOWED. There is superintendent of
delivery. who has TO get the goods out,
and who is master Of all the problems
of transportation. There is a buyer,
or a number of buyers, who are eX-
perts on Judging the trend Of the pub
lie S purchasing inclinatiOns, and there
is a person who has charge Of the per
sonnet of the establishment main
tanning discipline and making appoint
ments and separations. There are
heads of specialized departments who
are supposed TO be experts, familiar
with all the details Of the branch OF
the Establishment with which they
have to do.
The head Of mercantile Organi-
cation must be familiar, in general
way, with all the departments under
his command. He cannot, however,
the details Of each branch, or
personally look after all the business
which may come to all the depart
ments. He has staff, and they do
this for him. He holds them account
able for results.
Theory of Organization.
That is the theory Of the new
scheme of army organization. An
army has many functions, like those
of an industrial organization. It's
main business is fighting but before
it can be an effective fighting ma
chine it must be an effective Organlza-
ton. A modern army conducts vast
amount Of business. 1t buys foods,
arms. tents. houses. horses and rail
roads. 1t pays rent. conducts man
works out patents, erects
lays out roads, holds Gene
teries and does a thriving trade in az
tificial limbs and drugs. No one man
can be an expert in all these lines;
nor can any two or three men. The
head OF the army organization must
have a lot of trained specialists.
These trained specialists the staff is
20 furnish.
But an army must do more than
keep itself organized. 1t must study
out the problems of war. 1t must be
preparing in time Of peace, for any
and all contingencies. The German
army, today, has plan of campaign
all laid out 10 be used in case of a
declaration Of war with the United
States. 1t has orders all prepared
for the mobilization of troops and for
their transportation and for the move
ment of the naval arm Of the service
The German war department has
maps Of our harbors, full details as
to the number of our troops and their
nature and strength of our coast de-
lenses. Germany has this informa-
ton collected and prepared by the
staff officers, and one word only
would be necessary to put all into
operation. Germany has this data
not only for the United States, but
for all the countries with which she
might by an possibility become in
vOlved in war.
Present Scheme Anticipated.
The organization of the United
States army is at present loose and
Intellectual. 1t has grown up under
a system based mostly on seniority
and military rank, without regard to
the growing needs of the army as an
Much of the work which
will be assigned to the staff has fallen
into the hands of civilian bureaus
which have grown up in Washing
ton and much more of the work has
never been properly done The trifi-
ing calls of the Spanish war were sui
tiCIent to demonstrate the weakness
OF the system, the early efforts to