Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-24
NEEDED REFORM


InNE paragraph in the presidents
III message has not been received
~ with good grace by many army
officers. It is the paragraph in which
is embodied Mr.. Roosevelt's recon-
mendation that from the rank OF major
up promotions should be made by
selection and on merit. The presidents
views are thus briefly set forth:
among the officers there should be
severe examination to weed out the
unfit up to the grade of major From
that position on the appointments
should be solely by selection. and it
should be understood that man of
merely average capacity could never
get beyond the position of major, while
every man who serves in any grade a
certain length of time prior to promo
ton to the next grade without getting
the promotion to the next grade should
be forthwith retired"
1t is said that nearly every commits
stoned officer in the army is up in arms
against the proposal of the executive.
which they regard as an assault upon
a time-honored and therefore revered
custom of the service. But, Of course,
the fact that the custom is an old one
and that any suggestion looking toward
a change in procedure should evoke ad-
verse criticism from the army itself is
not a sound argument against the con-
tentions of the president. Likewise the
fact that every West Point graduate Is
assured, under the existing order OF
things. of comfortable berth at the
expense of the government, is no argur
ment in favor of the maintenance of the
present rule.
According to the present plan, we
believe, every man who has secured
second lieutenant's commission knows
that, if he live, at the age, of 64 he will
be retired from the army with the rank
of colonel unless fortune has smiled
upon him more broadly than upon the
average man in the army. This is so
because when weighed in the scales
against merit alone seniority of service
counts most heavily under the existing
system. In theory the presidents sug-
gestion is wise. In practice the army
rises almost unanimously to criticise 1t
as unwise, inexpedient and demoraliz-
ing. officers of high standing and long
experience declare that the wedding
out process recommended by the presi-
dent is already being accomplished
under existing laws, which provide for
severe examinations to eliminate the
unfit up to the rank of major.
President Roosevelt has had some
practical experience with the army. He
has enjoyed opportunities for study
ing. at short range, the operation of the
laws regulating it He is not an army
bureaucrat., All these things should be
taken into consideration in connection
with what he has had to say about the
future of this important and costly
branch of our government service. He
unquestionably had the welfare OF the
army, as well as of the nation, in mind
when he wrote the paragraph which
has raised such a hullabaloo in army
circles. If what he has dared to sug-
gest should result in nothing more than
careful investigation of the army
and army procedure it is as we'll that
he did not overlook this branch Of gov
ernment. In the meantime let's hear
from Gen. Wood, Gen. Funston and a
few others who have passed the rank
of colonel regardless of their lack of
early training in the theories and prac-
tices Of war.