The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-12-07

prehensive and complete reorganization
of the army establishment of the
United States is the principal recon-
mendation contained in the annual re-
| port of Secretary of War Dickinson for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1909,
made public today More officers, closer
cooperation with the militia of the
| various States and general readjust-
ment of the locations of the various
army posts are some of the crying re-
forms urged upon the attention of con
gress. The present distribution of the
troops of the Regular Army, in the
opinion of the secretary of war, is not
only illogical, but offers a serious
menace.
At the time of the last reports from
the military departments, which were
received in October, it was found that
the Regular Army numbered II $40 men,
with 1909 officers, making a total force
Of 76,049, a net increase during the
year of 3421. The figures do not in
clude the 1886 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 dis
tributed among the various schools of
instruction of the regular establish
ment or acting as instructors in State
educational institutions where a fea-
ture is made of military training.
While there were no serious breaches
of military discipline during the year,
Secretary Dickinson declares "that
there can be no doubt that the disci-
pline and efficiency of troops were low
cred by the continued absence of so
many company officers and the result
ing frequent changes of company com
manders.
The remedy for this condition, the re-
port declares, may be found in increas-
ING the number of officers and in the
passage of legislation empowering the
secretary of war, whenever the Occa-
sion demanded, to appoint retired Off
GERS to active duty temporarily. Under
existing law retired officer can not
be made subject to orders, but his re-
turn to active service is entirely volun
tary. In putting forward the need for
some such authorization, Secretary
Dickinson says:
"While it is true that the duties
performed by these officers are, 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 efficiency and
discipline of the Army are suffering
therefrom. On June &c. 1909, more
than third of the captains of the
mobile army were absent from their
proper commands on detached service,
of such nature as to cause them to be
absent for some time. Including these
captains who were temporarily absent
from their proper commands, on de-
tached service or otherwise, it is be-
lieved that less than one-haf 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 with
in the same time. This, in the opinion
of Secretary Dickinson, should be
changed so as to compel officers to I'M
dertake certain amount of prescribed
exercise each week, the amount to be
certified by the, commanding officers in
their monthly reports.
Cooperation of the Regular Army with
the militia of the States is strongly
urged. The secretary outlines a plan
to accomplish this. He would have the
country divided into number of ter
ritorial and tactical districts, so that
the militia may be conveniently COM
bined with the regular troops stationed
in those districts into permanent
brigades, divisions and corps for in
struction and tactical organization.
In communion with the headquarters
of these combination divisions, the re-
port advocates the establishment of
supply depots, which can be drawn up
On for the equipment of an army in
time of need. At such depots supplies
would be carried sufficient to outfit any
additional volunteer force, up to a mod |
crate number, that might be hastily re-
cruited to complete the organization !
of an army corps.
Attached to the headquarters, also. |
the report declares there should be sta
toned a young and active officer of
the Regular Army, whose duty it would
be to instruct and direct the militia
organizations in the corps district. Such
an officer, it is pointed out, could issue
no orders to the militia but it is de-
clared he should be given power to
supervise the equipment and instruc-
ton of the volunteer troops of his dis
triet and be held responsible for their
mobilization and general condition.
1t is proposed to submit the adoption
of such a plan to the governors of
| the several States. If the States an
nounce their willingness to cooperate
with the war department. steps will
be taken toward putting the plan into
action.
The matter of a general rearrange-
ment of the various army posts oc-
cupies a prominent place in the report.
The secretary of war expresses his con
viction that, as now situated. the army
posts do not meet the requirements of
the service, many of them being iso-
lated and difficult of access.
The majority of these posts, he points
out, sprang into existence because in
the early days of the West the Regular
Army was largely used for the protec
ton of settlers from the Indians. The
Indians have long since ceased to be a
menace to the whites. and the posts
have Outliyed their usefulness TIL