Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1908-12-11
MILITARY AFFAIRS.
Executives Views on the Army, the
Navy and the National Guard.


Navy and the National Guard.
AS regards the army. cal attention
to the fact that, while our junior Off
GERS and enlisted men stand very high,
the present system of promotion by
seniority results in bringing into the
higher grades many men Of mediocre
capacity who have but short time to
serve. No man should regard it as his
vested right to rise to the highest rank
in the army any more than in any 9th
er profession. 1t is a curious and by
no means creditable fact that there
should be so often failure on the part
of the public and its representatives TO
understand the great need from the
standpoint of the service and the ma
ton of refusing to promote respectable
elderly incompetents. The higher
places should be given to the most de-
serving men without regard to senior
ity. At least seniority should be treat
ed as only one consideration. In the
stress of modern industrial competi-
ton no business firm could succeed If
those responsible for its management
were chosen simply ON the ground that
they were the oldest people in its en-
ployment. Yet this is the course adyo-
Gated as regards the army and re-
quired by law for all grades except
those of general officer. AS a matter
of fact, all of the best officers in the
highest ranks of the army are those
who have attained their present posi-
ton wholly or in part by process of
selection.
The scope of retiring boards should
be extended so that they could con-
slider general unfitness to command for
any cause in order to secure far
more rigid enforcement than at pres
ent in the elimination of officers for
mental, physical or temperamental
disabilities But this plan is recon-
mended only if the congress does not
see fit to provide what in my judg-
ment is far better-that is, for selec-
tion in promotion and for elimination
for age. officers who fail TO attain a
certain rank by certain age should
be retired. For instance. if a man
should not attain field rank by the
time he is forty-five he should of
course be placed on the retired list.
General officers should be selected as
at present, and one-third of the other i
promotions should be made by selec
ton. the selection to be made by the
president or the secretary of war from
list of at least two candidates pro-
posed for each vacancy by board of
officers from the arm of the service
from which the promotion is to be
made. A bill is now before the con-
gress having for its object to secure
the promotion of officers to various
grades at reasonable ages through
process of selection, by boards of Off
GERS. of the least efficient for retire
ment with a percentage of their pay
depending upon length of service. The
bill. although not ac' Dmplishing all
that should be done, is long step IN
the right direction, and | earnestly
recommend its passage or that of a
more completely effective measure.
The cavalry arm should be reorgan-
lied upon modern lines. This is an
arm in which it is peculiarly neces-
sary that the field officers should not
be old. The cavalry is much more
difficult to form than infantry, and 1t
should be kept up to the maximum
both in efficiency and i'll strength, for
1t cannot be made in a hurry At
present botn jtynntry and artillery are
too few III number for our needs.
Especial ATTENTION should be paid TO
development 81 the machine gun. A
general serSr.s corps should be estab-
lished. AS things are now the aver
age soldier has far too much labor or
a nonmilitary character to perform.
National Guard.
Now that the organized militia. the
national guard. has been Incorporated
with the army as q part of the nation
al forces it Dehooves The government
TO do every reasonable thing in its
power to perfect its efficiency. 1t
should be assisted in its instruction
and otherwise aided more literally
than heretofore The continuous sery-
lees of many well trained regular Of
fcers win be essential in this connec- {
lion. Such officers must be specially
:rained at service schools best to quali-
~ them as instructors of the national
yuard. But the detailing Of officers q
Tor training at the service schools
md for duty with the national guard !
,ntails detaching them from their reg