Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-01

OF Nne AAFAnu Line 0ieonoo rom
the Army and navy Rsgistsr.
Brigadier General James Allen. United
states army, has been reelected for an
other tour OF duty as chief signal officer
Of the army. The reappointment Of Gen.
eral Allen was to be expected under tn,
circumstances He has made an excellent
head OF the signal corps and has promoted
in a material degree the efficiency OF thai
usful branch Of the military establishment
The announcement In a newspaper dis.
patch from Denver of the circulation OF 3
petition to be sent to congress with sig.
natures of army officers protesting against
THE enactment of the so-calied army elm
nation bill creates no surprise in the Wal
department. where It has been known that
objections to the measure were finding ex-
preston in various quarters. II is a mis-
take to assume that such a petition is I'm
violation of the executive order,'' as Is
stated in the Denver dispatch. The order
prohibiting activity on the part OF army
officers in matters under legislative con-
sideration did not, even with its amplifi-
cation BY the secretary of war, relate
In the remotest degree to army officers
who were not on duty In Washington.
There Is nothing in the executive order
which prevents any army officer who
does not happen to be in Washington
from writing In protest against, or In
behalf of, proposed legislation. Such APP
peals are bound to have their influence,
although there is nothing In the situation
at the capitol at this time. which makes
it appear that the elimination plan would
have congressional approval, with or with
out these interferences.
There is genuine satisfaction In the army
with the appointments made to the grade
Of brlgadier general. Colonel F. X. Ward,
Seventh cavalry. succeeds BrigadJer Gen
eral H.. NJ. Chlttenden, Colonel Ralph w.
Hoyt. Twenty-fifth infantry, will be APP
pointed a brigadier general on March Is,
next, when Brigadier General Charles
Morton, now in command of the Depart
ment Of the Missouri, will retire for age.
Colonel Montgomery M. Macomb, eth
field artillery, will succeed to the vacan-
cy caused by the retirement, on November
IA next, OF Brigadier General Albert L.
Myer, who Is now in command Of the de-
partment Of Texas. The officers selected
are in every way qualified for the adj
vancement, 1t was a surprise that the
president filled a vacancy so far ahead
as that Of next November, leaving only one
more vacancy In the grade this year, tina
Of Brigadier General Howe, who retIres
on December 81. OF the new brigadlers,
General Ward retires March IS, 1911; Col
onel Hoyt on October o. 1918, and Colonel
Maeomb on October 10, 1916. These APP
pointments give the cavalry four bril-
gadiers, the lnfantray seven, the field
artillery two, and the coast artillery one,
one brigadier being charged to the subsist-
ence department and another to civil life.
The conditions attending 'absenteeism''
among commissioned officers Of the army
on account of detached duty have become
more serious than ever before. The secre-
tary Of war has called for reports in detail
Of the extent to which officers are en-
pIoyed on duty which requires them to be
separated from their regular commands.
Some time ago the military authorities
had under, consideration the relief of all
officers who are doing duty at military
college. This would serve TO return to
II cir commands about 100 officers, but II
was realized that this would lead to much
protest and many appeals. There was also
the appreciation in the War department
that If any such steps were taken, 1t would
AnNile Inef suspicion that the department.
was trying to force congress to pass the
extra officer bill The situation must be
met upon its own merits, however, regard
less Of tile critics. and It may turn out
that, unless congress takes some action In
behalf OF legislation for additional army Of
ficers, 1t will be necessary not only to re-
lieve the officers on duty with colleges,
but to relieve a great many other officers
who are on detached duty. General Bell.
chief Of staff of the army has made a
report on the subject, and the secretary
OF war has the matter under considera-
ton. In the recent hearing before the
house military committee on the extra
officer bill General Bell brought this sub
ject up and said; Il merely mention this
matter to the committees now lest Il
might conclude, IL this should happen at
the end of the school year, that IL might
be done with q motive which would In
spire no one. No one is foolish enough
to put that kind of pressure on congress.
but 1t might become absolutely essential
to do something to meet the condition
which has come about. That condition
has resulted In one battalion attending
maneuvers last summer under q sergeant,
who commanded 1t very well. sergeants
the companies and did It well
also, but 1t is not a good condition to
have come about through an actual short
age OF officers"