Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-21
new CHIEF OF STAFF
Now Has Authority Over His
Seniors in Rank.
TRADITION is SHATTERED
When Gen. Bell Assumed Command Of
United States Army.
HIS STATUS At PRESENT
TRADITION IS SHATTERED
HIS STATUS AT PRESENT
Given Highest Office in Army Without
Corresponding Advance in Rank
Eight Officers Outrank Him.

| Corresponding Advance in Rank
Eight Officers Outrank Him
One OF the most sacred traditions of mill
| tary history was shattered when Brig. Gen.
]. Franklin Bell assumed command of the
United States army as the successor OF
Lieut. Gen. John c. Bates in the Office of
chief Of STAFF. The tradition referred to is
that an officer shall never be subject to the
orders OF inferior rank. Invariably IN the
past when 1t was desired, for purposes Of
public policy. to put an officer In position
OF authority over his seniors In rank 1t was
customary to promote him sufficiently to
overcome all questions of superiorityeo
rank. That was not done, however In the
case of Brig. Gen. Bell. He was given the
oince-o highest power in the army without
any corresponding advance in rank
AS chief of staff he Is actually in COM
mand of the military forces, and his orders
must be respected and obeyed by every
member of the military organization from
the highest to the lowest. AS a matter of
faet. Lieut.. Gen. Miles, who Commanded
the army, under the former organization
never had the power now vested In the
chief of staff under the present organiza-
ton despite the fact that the latter was
theoretically deprived by statute of abso-
lutte authority. Under the old regime all
orders were issued by order of the lieu
tenant general commanding" whereas now
they are issued by the chief of staff osten-
eibly by order of the Secretary of War
AS fact, the Secretary exercises no par
ucuiar supervision of the orders except in
exceptional cases in which he may have a
direct or personal interest.
Gen. Bell Is the senior brgadier general
or the line. He Is also senior by date of
nm n he h,fr ,iar
the head of the staff bureaus of the War
Department-nine in number-and also to
Gen. Samuel NJ Mills, chief of artillery
There are fourteen brigadier generals of
That officer and Gen. 8. M Mills are the
principal assistants to the chief of staff.
Senior to the new chief OF staff are Lieut..
Gen. Henry G. Corbin and Maj. Gems. Mac
Arthur, Wade, Wood. Weston, Grant and
Greedy of the line, as well Gen. F. G.
Ainsworth. who holds the rank of major
general by virtue Of his position at the
head Of the military sceretary's depart
ment, composed Of the old adjutant gen.
erals department and the record and pen
sion office. 1t therefore appears that there
are eight officers superior In rank to Gen.
Bell.
Transfer From Staff to the Line.
The appointment of Gen. Corbin as lieu
tenant general is q transfer from the staff
to the line, and makes no vacancy in the
list of major generals. The office Of adj
jutant general expired with the promotion
of Gen. Corbin. With the exception of Gen.
Ainsworth. who apparently has a life DO
sition at the War Department, all the Of
flcers senior to Gen. Bell are in active COM
mand of military divisions or departments
and consequently more directly under the
supervision and command of the chief of
sta-i than are the nine bureau officers
whose subordinatfOn Is merely relative
PROBABLY the most marked OF
present anomalous situation is that all or
ders enanattng from Brig. Gen. Bell as
chef OF stan are actually issued to the
army by Maj. Gen. Ainsworth, military sec
retary-aS the successor to the adjutant
general. AS one officer expressed it. the
military secretary is simply the chief clerk
OF the chief OF stan, SO far as the army is
concerned
Gen. Bell is a graduate of the Military
Academy, and an officer OF experience and
acknowledged skill in practical military
matters. he reached the grade of brgadier
general In February, 1901 Gen. Ainsworth
is a graduate of the medical department
OF the University OF the City of New York
ana was appointed assistant surgeon in
ene army IN November, 1874. He has been
stationed at the War Department almost
continuously since 1885. and has been in
charge OF the record and pension office since
1892 He was given the rank of brigadier
general in May. 1904.
TO meet the new conditions of things O.
decided change has been made In the form
OF general and special orders to the army,
eInanating from the military authorities at
the War Department. Under the admin
istrataon of Lieut. Gen. Bates all orders
were Issued and countersigned in the fol-
lowing form:
By order of the Secretary of War:
j. c. BATES,
Oficial:
F. c. AINSWORTH,
The Military Secretary.
Form Now Used.
The form now employed to meet the con-
ditions resulting from the reduced lower
rank of the incumbent of the Office of chief
Of staff is as follows:
By order of the Secretary of War:
j. FRANKLIN BELL,
Brigadier General, Chief of STAFF.
HENRY p MCCAIN
Military Secretary
To the superficial observer there is not
very much difference In the two forms In
each case the orders are issued by order
OF the Secretary of War" and are signed
by the officer holding the office of chief of
staff, with his rank given in each case. But
the former form of order was attested as
official by IF. G. Ainsworth, the military
secretary" whereas the present form of
order is attested by Henry P. Mccain,
military secretary" To appreciate the dis
tinctton II Is only necessary to know that
n. u AlnsWorth hOlQS the rank of major
general, while Henry P. Mccain" holds
the rank of colonel, and that Gen. Aims
worth Is 1.-The military secretary" while
Col. Mccain Is one Of several military sec
retaries and moreover that he Is a SUBJ
ordinate in the office of Gen. Ainsworth.
1t Is supposed that the change in the
form. which IL more apparent than real,
was made to avoid the appearance of maxi
ing MAJ. Gen. Answorth the military sec
rotary. subordinate of Brig Gen Bell,
>the chief OF staff. To give color to that ag-
sumption It is recalled that the order an
inouncing the retirement OF Lieut. Gen.
Bates, issued the day that Gen. Bell be-
came chief Of staff, was signed and coun-
tersigned as follows:
WIN. II. TAFT
Secretary Of War.
Offlcial:
F. c. AINSWORTH.
The Military Secretary.
Although the army orders are no longer
signed by Gen. Ainsworth they are pre-
pared in his office as formerly, by direc-
ton Of the chief of staff. and are as much
q part Of his offfcial duties as they ever
WERE an the keeper of all the records of the
personnel OF the army.
Difference In the System.
The only actual difference in the system
Is that the orders are signed by his assist
ant, Col. Mccain, which. however, does not
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