Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-07-12
ANN eoss1F IN wAsnINeroN.

ARMY GOSSIP IN WASHINGTON.
Matters OF Interest Cleaned from the
! Army and Navy Register.
! Colonel r. H. Crowder judge advocate
and member Of the general stan Of the
army, has been appointed chief Of the
! first division OF the general stan a posi-
| ton he occupied before he went 20 Man.
| churia as the senior military attache rep
! resenting this government with the Japa-
nese army in the field. An order has been
! issued from the Office Of chief Of stan an
! nouncing the composition OF the chief OF
stan and the special committees thereof.
Attached TO the Office Of the chief Of stan
will be Captain Hutchinson and Captain
| Niche, the latter the secretary OF the
! general stan, succeeding Lieutenant Colo
/ mel AlvOrd. In the first division will be
! Colonel Crowder, Lieutenant Colonies
Kerr and Miller, Majors Mallory and Ker-
nan and. Captains MoRae, G. w. Read,
Ninth cavalry, recently assigned to the
general stan. and March. with the sec
ond division will be Major Beach and Cap
tains Hale, Muir Menoher, Rhodes and
Nolan. the present composition OF the
/ military information division. with the
| third division will be Lieutenant Colonel
Wotherspoon. Majors Cocktails Mann, Ma
comb Harrison, Reber and Gaillard and
! Captains Lynch, Dickman. Thompson (who
| is now the disbursing officer on duty with
| the Taft party en- route to the Philippines,
Wright, Ramsey and Cloman. on the spe-
| cial committees Major General ]. c. Bates,
Major Mann, Major Mallory, Major Ker-
| nan, Captain Hale and Captain Ramsey
will look after infantry affairs; Lieutenant
Colonel Kerr. Major Beach, Captain Dick
man. Captain Hutchinson, Captain Niche
! and Captain Rhodes will have to do with
cavalry affairs. while the artillery sub
jects will be referred to the chief OF ar
tillery, Major Macomb, Major Harrison.
| Captain Weaver and Captain March.
An important work which has been I'M
dertaken by the general stan Of the army
is that Of preparing a manual of the
saber and manual of the bay
onet This is rendered necessary by the
adoption, on the advice of the general
| stan, of a practical saber and a bayonet
Of similar merit. Hitherto the manuals
relating to the saber and bayonet have
been very exacting and required a large
amount of practice, which no one could
hope to undertake without the aid Of
fencing master. There was too much of
the fancy work in the manipulation of
both instruments. and II has now been
decided that in the revised manuals there
shall be nothing that is not practical and
at the same time of the most simple char
acter. 1t is realized by the experts that
the saber and bayonet are instruments of
utility which will have a very practical
value on the field of battle. 1t has been
decided therefore, that the provisions of
the new manuals shall be limited to work
which will be acquired by a reasonable
amount of soldierly skill under oficers OF
practical ability in the use Of the wea-
pom. This is an important step, and It
is in the line of the policy which the gem
eral staff has very properly committed IT.
self to by the adoption of a saber and
bayonet Of use. The new manuals will
be unhampered by technical rules which
do not in any sense improve the efficiency
of the weapons.
The annual reports of the inspectors
general of the army will touch with some
particularly on the subject of assertions
in the army. There is reviving interest
in the subject, not because there is any in
crease worth mentioning in the percentage
of assertions, so much as the possibility,
which now exists, that the department is
on the right track of keeping these illegal
separations from the service In check
There is no problem which is so vexatious
in every way as this one of assertions,
and 1t is all the more exasperating because
1t has engaged the attention of many alert
and penetrative and ingenious minds for
many years-without much result one way
or another. The numerous propositions 70
help the situation have proved of little or no
avail. Men have gone on deserving in sub
lime indifference to the many advantages
which have been given them to leave the
service in a Ia wful manner and with equal
contempt for the provision for entertain
ment made by an indulgent government
Not even the restoration of the post can
teen effecced the change for the better and
tnaL is saying a good deal. 1t is believed
that, under the system of recruiting at
the general depots, there will be an Inn
provement in the situation and If such
proves to be the result after a thorough
trial of the plan, it is destined to be even
more faithfully applied by the establish
ment Of depot or two on the Pacific
COAST Lieutenant General Chaffee takes a
special and personal interest in the matter
and has given instructions, which have
been carried out by Inspector General Bur-
ton in his regular inspections OF the de-
pots, for the guidance of the commissioned
officers and CT the members of the nom
commissioned force stationed at the de-
pots. General Chaffee requires that a GER
tain amount Of kindness OF tone, without
any indication Of softness or lack OF disci-
pline, shall be employed whenever possible
1t remains to be seen whether this fine
graduation of bearing can be effected by
all of the people in authority. But General
Chaffee believes it can be done TO the end
that the recruits may not become tired
of the service before they have really
become accustomed to its rules and regu-
lations and know fully its benefits. 1t is
believed that much can be accomplished as
a means of stopping desertion by taking
initial steps in the early days Of a mans
enlistment.
The War department will take occasion
on the first opportunity after the conven-
ing Of congress TO suggest that provision
be made for giving officers and men of the
regular establishment one months pay In
advance prior to their departure for the
Philippines, on the occasions when they
are under orders to the Islands. There has
been nothing in the way OF a decision
which will give more Individual embarrass-
ment than this ruling of the comptroller
that the law under which army paymasters
have been giving a months pay TO soldiers
. -.