The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-04-28
SECRETARY TAFT
CHANCES HIS MIND
Thereby Ends A Controversy About
Army Camp Sites.
CONGRESS VS.. WAR OFFICIALS
Chaffee Recommended Leaving Pur-
chase To Latter, But The Secre-
tary Finally Reverses Approval.

Secretary of War TAFT has reversed
his first recommendation regarding
the purchase of four national camp
sites for the army and organized mill
tia, and in a letter written to the Sen
ate Committee on Military Affairs ap-
proves the bill for the purchase. as
provided in the bill, of four camp
sites. These are to be located in the
Conewago Valley, Pennsylvania; Har-
ris' Ranch, California: one in Wiscon-
sin and one in Texas
The importance of Secretary Taft's
action of today is that it ends the con
troyersy between the general staff of
the armv and Congress. When the
Camp Site bill, providing for the pur-
chase of four specified sites, was adop-
ted by the House Military Committee
and was referred to the War Depart
ment by the Senate Committee on
Military Affairs for remark, Lieut.
Gen. A. X. ChafTee, chief of the gen
eral staff, recommended that the bill
not pass on the ground that. in his
opinion, the selection of sites for mil
itary maneuvers should be left to the
War Department and not made man
datory by any act of Congress. This
recommendation was approved by
| Secretary Taft, who then had little
kno Wedge of the matter, and aroused
much dissatisfaction among Congress
men, who held that it was the prerog-
ative of CONGRESS and not the War
Department to choose the land to be
purchased
1t seems that former Secretary of
War Root, before he resigned from the
Cabinet, appointed a committee of
army and militia officers to select
camp sites, and that they recommend
ed the four sites provided for in the
/ Congressional bill. The House Com
mittee on Military Affairs also held
extensive hearings on the subject and
voted that the four sites provided for
in the bill were the most desirable for
Government purposes,
1t was felt. therefore, that the gen
eral staff had assumed too much when
it recommended that the selection of
the property to be purchased be left
to the War Department.
The controversy became more and
more bitter and mem bers of Congress
saw Secretary TAFT personally and
explained in detail the situation to
him. By his action today in revers-
ing his first approval of the recon,
mendation of General Chaffee Secre-
tary Taft has conclusively shown, it
is said, that it will be his policy to
decide personally all matters of mill
tary legislation, Notwithstanding any
recommendation the general staffmay
make. In his letter to the chairman
of the Senate Committee on Military
Affairs Secretary Taft says in part as
follows:
'On March 2S, 1904, the chief of staff,
Lieutenant General Chaffee, submit
ted to me memorandum upon bill
Is. 5170 appropriating certain sums
for the purchase of four permanent
camp grounds and authorizing the
enla rgement of the Chattanooga and
Chickamauga National Parks for the
instruction and maneuvering of
troops of the regular army and ma
tional guard The Chief of Staff
pointed out his objections to the
method of purchase and certain criti-
cisms upon some of the camp sites Sc
lected | concurred in this memoran-
DUN and forwarded it to Senator
Quarles, as member of the commit
tee, by whom the bill had been sub
mitted for consideration by the gen
eral staff and the Secretary of War. |
have, since sending that communal
cation, had a good many conferences
with members of Congress and of the
Military Committees of the House and
Senate. After what | hope is due
reconsideration | have reached the
conclusion that it will be greatly in
the public interest if bill like that
reported by the House committee
should pass both houses at this ses-
sion.
81 was not aware at the time of my
concurrence in the criticisms of the
Chief of staff how much investigation
had been made into the question of
camp sites and how far my predeces-
sor had gone in his conclusions as to
the wisdom of buying as recommend
ed by the House committee. 1t is
possible that if a bill were passed in
the form recommended by the Chief