Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-13
REPLIES TO CRITICISM
SECRETARY TAFT DENIES THAT
ARMY Is aRorrEN.v
Admiral Dewey Admits That Com
manders Of Naval Vessels Are
Too Old.

Following Is recent criticism OF the
Neue Preussiche Kreuz Zeitung:
The United States possesses sufficient wealth to
Du1ld 100 new battle ships but It Is impossible to
man them. as neither officers nor crews exist The
american naval officers all too cid for the re-
spective ranks they hold. Some admirals are over
sxty-one years OF age, and the average age Of the
naval captains is fifty-seven years. as compared
with forty-efght years in the English and German
navies
The American army is ''rotten,'' and 10 per cent
Of the soldiers deserted during the year 1904 The
army is made up Of miserable material The Rus
sian army is superior TO that of the United States
Americans are patriotic with their mouths, but
are unwilling to become soldiers in behalf of their
country. The American army viii not bear close
inspection.
Secretary Taft's Vigorous Reply.
Secretary Taft has made a characteristic
reply to the criticism of the army He said:
The statement that the American army
is rotten is the result of an extreme preju-
dice and hostility against an organization
concerning which the detractor has no
knowledge. Our army is in an excellent
state of efficiency. 1t is lacking in men for
respect must be increased somewhat in the
next two or three years.
I'm all respects, man for man, our army
will challenge comparison with any army in
1
army than an organization for the field. 1t
Is much larger in cavalry and artillery in
proportion to the infantry than it would be
for campaign purposes. 1t would take a
comparatively short time to increase our
infantry arm, and a much longer time to
increase the cavalry and artillery branches
of the time. .
THE army has not had the educational
benefit of extensive maneuverS that large
European armies have, and perhaps there
would be less experience on the part of our
officers in commanding forces in the field
than there would be among European com
manders.
'In the Philippine uprising it became rec
essary to divide the army into 600 posts, and
thus to have great many independent COM
mandS by captains and ieutenantS, and in
some cases by non-commissioned officers.
This was great strain upon the discipline
of the army. But it showed a capacity of
the American soldier. the non-commissioned
off1cer, and the company commander to ex-
ercise successfully the responsibilities of
separate commands in way, l venture to
say, that could have been equaled in no
other army. The constant offer of better
wages and greater opportunities to improve
themselves furnished in the United States
by prosperous conditions lead a larger pro-
portion of the enlisted men to desert than in
countries where conditions are not so favor
able to earning a living. But in wartime
we have never had the slightest difficulty in
enlisting more men than We needed"
Dewey Believes in Younger Blood.
Admiral George Dewey has prepared a
statement in regard to naval matters, in
which he declares that the officers of the
American navy above the rank of lieuten-
ant are, as a rule, too old for the grades
they occupy. The admiral says:
The nation will assuredly meet with dis
aster in naval war unless younger men
are given command of the ships of our
navy.
Continuing the older men in command
of the ships of the navy would be a certain
menace to the country. In the event of a
war we would see. in all probability, re-
petition of the deplorable events which oc-
Cured in the first year or two of the civil
war. Old men, for the most part, We're in
command of the federal ships when hos
tiities between the north and south broke
out. The officers then were older, by the
way, than those who now are in command
in our navy. You remember that disaster
followed disaster, and 1t was not until
younger men were placed in command of
our fighting vessels that victories succeeded
reverses. And the change in the fortunes
of war on the water did not come until
Congress had passed the act which placed
naval officers who had reached the age of
SXty-tWo years on the retired list.
I'm the recent war In the far east all the
officers in the japanese navy from the ad
miral down We're in the prime of life.
Understand that in no sense do 1 mean
to critcise the officers who are now in
command or have commanded our war YES
sells so splendidly. But l know from expert
ence that in the stress of war we must
have younger men to direct the fighting
aboard the ships. You see,'' added the adj
miral, II can say all this because l am old
myself"