The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-05-08
ARMY ORGANIZATION GOING TO THE DOGS WHILE
SECRETARY OF WAR TAFT IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT


Never was there greater need for
close. patient and conscientious at.
tention to duty by the man who
holds the responsible position OF
secretary of war. The principal
business of this official is with the
army Of the United States; and
there never was a time when the
moral tone and general condition Of
the army Of the United States was
in more deplorable state.
But the principal business Of Sec
rotary Taft for months has been to
advance his candidacy for the re-
publican nomination for president.
Desertions each year have been
and are becoming more numerous
in the American army, new men are
showing themselves each year more
unwilling to enlist, discipline is be-
coming lax and in all respects the
. small standing army which the
United States maintains for self
protection and possible emergen-
cies is in condition to cause gen.
uine alarm. 1t is much worse in
all respects than 1t was 10 years
ago.
The present strength of the line
Of the army is 52,752-a shortage Of
| 16,1S9 from the authorized strength.
This, according to official figures OF
1906. But army men everywhere
say that the condition in 1908 is
vastly worse than evnn in 1906.
Take the records for two years ago,
| however, AMI they show that the
number Of original applicants for
enlistment was 80,239. The number
Of re-enlistments was 74S4. The
number of original enlistments was
14,547, total of 22.031.
Against this the number Of de-
sertions was 6258 and the number
Of discharges was 1S,4S1, total Of
24,739.
That tells the story And Taft
a hundred or a thousand miles
away-on the stump!
OF the applications for original
enlistment 1852, or 81 per cent,
were rejected There was a sharp
| drop in the number of applicants
for original enlistments from the
figures of the preceding year. On
the other hand, there was large
increase in the number of dis
charges and desertions-in fact, the
greatest number ever recorded
showing that the men In the service
were and are thoroughly diseon.
| tented.
| But Taft can't desert the stump
and his canvass for the presidency.
The major general of the army
in an official report has sail ITO
day the average noncommissioned
officer of the line organization Is as
| ignorant OF his duties as the re-
cruits from which he was drawn
and lacks both the force and char
acter necessary for discipline and
the ability essential for efficiency.
To restore former conditions is be-
yond hope; but to create natural
and lawful statutes for this class is
not only possible but necessary IL
the worst fears for the army are
not to be realized"
Again in commenting on the
present condition of the army, Maj.
Gen. Bell says: But even this Is
not all. The ultimate expression OF
present conditions Is the certainty
in the heart of every officer serving
directly with troops that conditions
are steadily growing worse; and a
feeling that starting with discour-
agement descends to Indifference
and permeatees every company.
troop AMI battery in the army and
threatens a decentralization not yet
imagined outside OF these organiza-
lions, but appearing as an ever
present danger within. Whether
right or wrong in this beAef, the
evil effect on the service is the
same"
| To mitigate the evils of. the pres
ent system remedies must be work.
ed out partly by executive action
through the secretary of war part
| ly by legislation by congress. New
laws must be secured to increase
the soldiers pay, to create the
grade OF warrant officer, which Is
one thing which all authorities adj
nit to be necessary, to change the
laws regarding retirement, to or
ganiZe a service corps, to protect
the uniform, to remove the tax on
soldiers pay, to restore the cam
teen, to appoint discharged soldiers
to the civil service without exam
nations. and to provide for amuse-
ments and greater comfort for the
| soldiers on duty.
| The above suggests few of the
problems which confront Secretary
of War Taft-in addition to the po-
litical problem involved in securing
presidential nomination and cleo.
| ton.