The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-02-06
PROMOTIONS I'm THE ARMY
Gen. ]. F. Bell viii Become Chief
d staff to Succeed Gen. Bates.
LATTER NOW LIEUT. GENERAL

speeuIattons of Army oHicsrs Now at
an End Regarding the Possible Pro-
motion Of Gen. Leonard Wood 10 the
Highest Position III the Arlny-Ge
Corbin to Succeed Bates.
Washington, D. Changes of great
Importance in the high places in the
Army were announced at the War De
partment by Secretary Taft. The most
interesting feature of the announce
ment, as well as the most surprising,
was that Brigade General J. Franklin
Bell, now President OF the Infantry
and Cavalry School, at Fort Leaven-
worth, Will on April IA next, the date
of the retirement Of General John C..
Bates Dominated by the President to
be Lieutenant-G General and Chief Of
Staff, succeeding Lieutenant General
Chaffee, who just retired be made
Chief Of Staff of the Army, to succeed
General Bates While it was known
TINT General Bells name had been con-
sidered for the place it was believed
that there were other officers who had
better chance of being selected.
The question of filling the vacancy
which will be created by General
Bates retirement has been under con-
sitieration for months 1t was deter
mined several weeks ago that Major
General Henry G. Corbin, recently re-
lieved Of command of the Philippine
Division. should succeed General Bates
as Lieutenant General, and that Major
General Arthur Macarthur should sue
coed General Corbin upon the Iatter's
retirement from active service next
September. The question Of who
would be Lieutenant General until
June. 1900 was thus disposed of, but
no decision was reached as to who
should be Chief of Staff after the re-
tirement of General Bates. 1t was not
deemed necessary or wise to have the
Lieutenant-G General of the Army also
the Chief of Staff.
The appointment of General Bell
clears the military atmosphere cOnsid-
erably. General Bell will not retire I'M
til 1914 at the earliest, and so the office
of Chief Of Staff will not be again
filled by the Roosevelt Administration.
So it will be with the Lieutenant-Gen-
eralcy, for General Macarthur will re-
tire soon after the retirement of Mr.
Roosevelt from the Presidency
The decision to appoint General Mac
Arthur Lieutenant General and Cen
eral Bell Chief Of STAFF disposes of the
question much discussed in Army cir
cles for the past few years as to
whether Major-General Leonard Wood
was to be made Lieutenant-G General
and Chief Of Staff, or either. On ac-
count Of their old friendship and the
fact That General Wood was Colonel
of the Rough Riders when Mr.. Roose-
welt was Lieutenant Colonel, many
Army officers were led TO suppose that
the President would before leaving
Office appoint General Wood to the
highest rank in the Army. The present
selections apparently preclude any. such
action.
simultaneously with the announce
ment that General Bell will be the
next Chief of Staff and Major Gen
aral, it was announced that the nomina-
ti0n OF Brigadier- General Adolphus w.
Greedy, Chief Signal Officer of the
Army to be a Major General filing
the vacancy caused by the promotion
of Major General Bates to the Lieu
tC4ittlll-A itlu zUtt4l St1ll ~ tuE
Senate together with the nomination
OF Colonel James Allen senior Colonel
Of the Signal Corps. to be Brigadier-
General and Chief Signal Officer, sue
ceeding General Greedy.
a general order for the retirement
from active service of Lieutenant-G GEN
eral Chaffee was signed by Secretary
Taft. The order was SO purely formal
in tone, differing in that respect from
one or two others of a similar nature
made recently, in which were included
some reference to the efficient services
of the retiring officers, that some COM
ment was made. In explanation Secre-
tary Taft issued a statement in which
he said that while he believed that no
officer was more entitled to commenda-
tion than was General Chaffee. the
Army regulations prohibited any eulo-
CYSTIC remarks in general orders. and
that the rule would be hereafter adj
hered to. In the statement, however,
MIR. Taft was most free in his praise
of the retiring Lieutenant- General.
General Chaffee called at the War
Department and said good-by to his
many friends and fellow officers there.
He is going to West Point in q day or
two to visit his son. Later he. Mrs.
Chaffee and Miss Chaffee are going to
Cuba for n brief tour, and then to
Mexico They will. return to Washing
ton in May, to depart soon thereafter
for Los Angeles, where General Chaffee
will make his future home.
yARDAMAN SAVES A NEGRO.