The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-12-02

OF U. 5. ARMY
COMMUNICATION OF SECRE-
TARY DICKINSON.
Legislation is Wanted Which VIII
Enable Secretary Of War 10
Call Retired Officers Back.
AS TO THE STATE MILITIA

4 NdSulnBtOu, Dec. Z.-OOnpTtHtH-
sive and complete reorganization of
the army establishment of the Unit
ed States is the principal recommen-
dalton contained in the annual re-
port of Secretary of War Dickinson
for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1909. made public today. More Off
GERS, closer cooperation with the
militia of the various states and a
II general reimbursement of the loca-
tons of the various army posts are
some of the crying reforms urged
upon the attention of congress. The
lpresent distribution of the troops of
the regular army. in the opinion of
the secretary of war, is not only IL
logical but offers a serious menace.
At the time OF the last reports
from the military departments.
which were received in October, 1t
was found that the regular army
numbered 71,S40 men with 4,209
officers, making total force OF 76,-
049, a net increase during the year
of 3,421. The figures do not in-
clude the 3,4S5 men of the hospital
corps.
OF the active officers of the army.
the report calls attention to the fact
that 700 are detailed to special duty,
nearly half of these, or 345, being
distributed among the various
schools of instruction of the regular
establishments or acting as instruct
ors in state educational institutions
where a feature is made of military
training. While there were no seri-
GUS breaches of military discipline
during the year, Secretary Dickinson
declares that there can be no doubt
THAT the discipline and ineffieiency of
Troops were lowered by the continued
absence of 50 many company officers
land the resulting frequent changes
lof company commanders.
The remedy for this condition, the
report declares, may be found in in
lcreasing the number of officers and
in the passage of legislation empow-
Iering the secretary OF war whenever
1.-THE occasion demanded, to appoint
lretired officers To active duty tempo
Irarily. Under existing law retired
Iofficer cannot be made subject to or
ders. but his return to active service
is entirely voluntary. In putting for
ward the need for some such author
ization, Secretary Dickinson says:
''While it is true that the duties
nnrfnrpand hu ~ in
the main, of great Importance to the
army or of material benefit to the
country, the number of officers so
separated from their regular duties
with troops has now reached a point
where it is beyond question that the
deficiency and discipline of the army
are suffering therefrom. On June
1870, 1909, more than a third of the
captains of the Mobile army were
absent from their proper commands
on detached service, of such a nature
as to cause them to be absent for
| some time. Including those cap
tains who were temporarily absent
from their proper commands, on de-
tached service or otherwise, IL is be-
lieved that less than one half of the
companies of the mobile army were
commanded by captains"
The report also advocates more
strenuous physical tests. President
Roosevelt inaugurated an annual test
to determine the physical fitness of
officers, compelling them to ride
NINETY miles in three days or to walk
fifty miles within the same time.
This. in the opinion of Seereta:y
Dickinson, should be changed so as
to compel officers to undertake a GER
tain amount of prescribed exercise
each week, the amount to be certi-
fed by the commanding officers in
their monthly reports.
| Cooperation of the regular army
with militia of the states is strongly
urged. The secretary outlines a plan
to accomplish this. He would have
the country divided into a number of
territorial and tactical districts, so
combined with the regular troops
that the militia may be conveniently
stationed in those districts into per-
manent brigades, divisions and corps
for Instruction and tactical organiza-
ltion. 40