New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-15

rvsn when the Inspector general is de-
~l = supergise practice IN the army and 20
thAs1 s.,artures from the theories OF the first
~ ,,e-7her. there cannot be a satisfactory
HlAl--... ~ efficiency IN preparations for war.
-.foqles % tho Admiralty are serviceable
IL a. -orl Eshcr's committee and for leader
~ tYt q Is evident that a chief 81 stan.
w. ,s-re general stan behind him. is the
w. .vs-u,ive head o. n modern army.
-. he Army Council and the Admiralty
- VIII have two centralized agencies
~ -,.s-v and naval administration. and the
o -. for War and the First Lord Of the
&c will be responsible Cabinet advisers
- and way. Lord Esher's committee. not
~ - v-i+b these normal ana reasonable ex-
-. n cabinet government. creates another
80 the work Of the military and naval
=, ran be c0-ord.Dated The germ OF the
-. committee can be found long way
-. !, she report OF the Harrington Commits
bl'' - -, 5o,elop-a,ut II the idea has been
- uncertain. During the Boer war there
81" -.bioet committee which was theoret-
-. uncovered % exercise supervision over
.-rrs-y and naval services. but Il was not
- rracticaI value in bringing them into
- -eistions. Mr.. Baifour has assumed the
.-,-.-.--fp r, the committee ana reinforced
.-,s-t talent. the Secretary for War and
Tvs, Lord o. the Admiralty attending With
& -I-,,.o- Of Intelligence Of each service. A
-. o7ce clerk has acted as secretary and
100 vlth the duty Of keeping minutes
-.oor5s. Lord Esher's committee now pro-
'-- -,o.vert this committee into an advisory
- responsible 10 the Prime Minister alone.
-ts-. NIL be q permanent secretary, with a
- ~ officials under him-two from the army.
-, s-o-r the navy. two from India, and others
s-,-, the colonies. These experts viii not be
,a,ers q high rank and their appointments
,.u he for a short term The department VIII
10 a iolnt intelligence bureau for the army and
navy entirely independent % the War ONCE
,rs ne Admiralty. and charged with the special
5r,v az giving the Prime Minister good advice
,bsnever n is needed hy the eNigencies Of the
eulplre II is not by any means clear that this
ron6escrlpt committee win harmonic the poll
ces OF the War Office. the Admiralty and the
Indian and Colonial armies. now that Il VIII be
a rrsctical means OF focusing questions of
national defence without involving constitu-
tionsl changes which would be undesirable, II
not iraprscticabie" Even Il: Il does not offer
interference with the internal administration OF
the army and the navy, 81 cannot be a suosti-
fute Tor an efficient general stan. and its chief
function VII he that Of supplying gallery
where Colonial and Indian foundations can be
exhibited as agureheads for the future imperial
constitution.
The rough draft of this report on army re-
organization hardly justiles the exaggerated
praise with which Il has been received by the
press Lord Esther, Sir John Fisher and Sir
George Clarke are practical men, who have
col n ID n
without working out their plans in detail in
their subsequent reports they may ren1er IN
telgible much that now seems artificial Much
VIII depend upon the appointments 10 the Varl-
Gus posts which are 70 be made. II the Adju-
tant General, Quartermaster General and d.
rector Of Ordnance now on duty are converted
into members OF the Army Council. no great ad-
vance VIII be made toward the solution q the
problem of bringing the brain @; the army into
touch with the officers and troops. II the Duke
o. Connaught were 10 he appointed Inspector
General and Lord Kitchener were 10 become the
FIRST military member the scheme Of reorgariza-
ton would az once become an effective method
~ decentralization and systemstzed inspection.
At present the safest conclusion is that the War
once and military headquarters have needed
thorough shaking UP. and are likely 10 have Il
when the recommendation Of Lord Esher's com
rittee are carried out When the Boer war
came on Lord Wolseley was commander IN
chief with a small staf under him: Lord Lans-
dovne was Secretary for War, with a large
corps OF officials winding and Uncoiling spools Of
red tape, and Sir Redvers Butler started for the
Cape with one army corps where ten were
needed, and that one badly equipped for IS
work With these three heads at cross purposes
everybody blundered ana was the victim Of a
system which broke down unexpectedly under
che pressure cf an unexpected war unique ir
6ificultv 11r. Brodrick attempted 10 reform the
Eystem by revolutonizing the organization %,
The army by o specious paper scheme, and now
Lord Esher's committee proposes 10 reconsti-
tute the War Office and the conditions Of i'm
perial defence on entirely new lines Neither
Mr. Br0drick nor the drastic reformers have
supplied the army with well organized staf
headed by an alert. energetic chief; and tha;
would seem 10 be the only practical method Of
supplying what the leader writers describe as
she brain o. the imperial forces Army reform
ers az Washington, as matters stand. can con-
sole themselves with the reflection that they
have little TO learn from the various phases Of
military revolution here. J. y r