The Washington herald., 1908-05-24
By EX-ATTACHE.

President Roosevelt's letter 10 Senator
Rayner concerning Col. ". F. Stewart
apparently leaves no doubt as TO the un-
fitness OF that officer to exercise any
command.
Indeed the various shortcomings that
tho President enumerates therein. based
on Official reports. make it very clear
that the army would be better of with
out the services Of Col. Stewart AT the
same time il is shown that while Col
Stewards conduct has been such as tc
render him utterly unfit TO remain re-
sponsible officer Of the United States
army, he has avoided doing anything that
would warrant his trial by court-martia
and his dismissal. There are plenty OF
offenses which do not come within the
range OF the army regulations, and which
do not constitute. according 10 the lat
ter sufficient cause for court-martial, yet
which are intolerable in an officer OF
the army or navy. and which render bis
employment as such impossible
In England where the officers hold
their commissions merely during the
pleasure Of the King. such offenses are
dealt with usually on the recommends
tion OF the culprit's commanding officer.
subaItern Forced Out.
Only year ago. a young subaltern Of
the Guards. Of the name of Woods. pos
sessed Of considerable means. was forced
in this way out OF the army. for no other
reason than that his temperamenta
characteristics were such as untitled hin
TO exercise command over men, or tc
work in the necessary unison with hi:
! fellow-officers. He invoked the services
OF some Of the most eminent lawyers OF
the United Kingdom, but after careful
consideration they came TO the conclu
sion that he had no redress and that thC
King possessed the statutory power Of
dlsmissing any and every officer Of the
army and Of the navy. without any cause
ar giving any reason, and that commits.
sions In both services are held entirely
during the pleasure OF the monarch. In
deed every now and again the Ohicia
Gazette contains the brief announcement
TO the effect that this or that officer 1:
removed from the army through IA,
/ King having no further use for his sery
ices" Usually there has been no court
martial. In fact, people are left 20 draw
their own conclusions as TO the reasons
which have led 70 this action on the par
Of the sovereign. II mas be added tha'
there has been no instance Of abuse o,
these powers during the last two reigns
SO-calIed Courts of Honor.
In Germany. in Austria. and in Italy
onenses and shortcomings on the par
Of officers that do not come within the
range OF the military regulations. or con,
stitUte sufficient ground for court-martial
are dealt with by so-called courts OF
honor. and since the President does not
possess. like King Edward. the power L
dismiss an officer from the army by
merely declaring that he has no further
use for his services. II may be asked
whether II would not be well 70 inaugu
rate courts Of honor in the United State.
army and navy.
| Had Col SteTart's case occurred II
| Germany the mere fact Of mis- havinl
committed no breach Of the military reg
/ ulations Of sufficient gravity TO warran
a cOurt-martial. would have availed hin
as nothing in the eyes OF the court o.
honor, which would have weighed thos,
! tdiosyncrasies and those defects Of char
acter to which the President made al
! lusion In his letter addressed the othel
\ day TO the tSenatcy FOR Maryland Tn,
court Of honor would have decided
! whether the prestige and efficiency O
the corps Of artillery were likely 10 b,
| benefited or injuriously affected by hi
/ retention in active service, and a verde
| Of a tribunal Of that kind against him
| coupled with a declaration by his com
rades that he was united 10 exercis,
any command. or 10 continue 20 hold
commission in the service. would un
doubtedly have strengthened the hand O.
the President IN dealing with his cas-,
and have effectively silenced all Opposi
ton.
No Legislation Required.
No legislation would be required 10
the institution of these courts OF honor
They are organized by the officers them
selves for their own protection. and n,
minister OF war. no President, nor ever
an absolute monarch. could afford 10 ig
nere the vote concerning a commissions,
officer by court composed OF his associ
ates, the sole object Of which Is to main
tain at its highest point the honor O.
he corps to which they belong, and O.
the army or Of the navy. as the case ma,
be. Neither in Germany nor in Austris
would the monarch consider himself a
liberty 10 deprive man Of his commis
sion without he had been either tried b,
court-martial or been condemned by
court of honor.
These courts OF honor came into exist
enee in Prussia just a hundred years ago
when a large number OF officers arrive,
at the conclusion that It was necessar,
70 raise the tone Of the commlssione,
ranks in order TO accomplish the liberia
ton of the fatherland from Frencl
thraldem, the liberation being regarde,
in those days not merely as a patriotic
but even as a sacred duty They CAM
10 the conclusion that the military dis
asters sustained by Prussia at the hand
of Napoleon and the consequent loss o
her independence had been largely due e
the lack of character on the part of III
commanders. which found a reflection Il
the absence Of discipline on the part o
their troops. and realized that the re
! form in this respect must come. not from
without. but from within. and that I
was incumbent upon themselves to estab
lish higher sense Of duty, of honor, ant
a loftier moral tone.
Organized the Courts.
II was with this purpose in view tha
they, with the approval of the King. or
ganiZed courts of honor for the purpOs,
OF dealing with officers who. while inno
cent OF any actual offense against mill
tary regulations were likely by thei
mode of life. their character and thei
behavior when of duty. to injuriOusll
affect the good name Of the Prussian Of
ficer in the eyes of the rank and file o
the people. Habitual iptemperance, gam
bling as business rather than as a pas
time, questionable financial transactions
debts of a kind that a man would b,
unwilling to openly acknowledge, an,
feminine intrigues of a dishonOrable ma
ture. were the offenses which the courts
OF honor have primarily In view: an,