The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-01-27

present quarters. There is some hui
NOR in the situation, and it is shown
by this paragraph which occurs IN
an official letter which carries the sig.
nature Of Gen. John c. Black, the pres
ident of the civil service board, with
the signatures of his fellow commits
sioners added
Humorous Protest.
The moral element in this propo-
sttion, Mr.. President, is worthy OF con-
sideration. A man is hardly respected
head of the family until he owns a
roof under which he may gather with
his family. Any bureau of depart
ment of the government wholly peri
patetic and without permanent quar-.
tering is subject to suspicion and a
sighting consideration. We want to
be helped out of this situation"
This plea borders on pathos, but 1t
has strength Of its own, and con-
gress has been asked to give that
heed to the request Of Gen. Black and
his colleagues, which will give them
more room and will be in keeping
with the dignity Of their work The
day when civil service is mentioned
by members and senators with the
sneer of Roscoe Conklfng as 'snivel
SERVICE" has gone by, and while the
work of the commissioners has robbed
the congressman of much patronage
1t is likely that they will see to 1t
that habitable quarters are given to
the officials and their employees.
Army Bill Meets Favor.
Congress is taking more kindly to
the army appropriation bill this year
than iGS been the case fer long
time. Secretary Of War Dickinson
managed to get several millions of
dollars from the estimates for the
support of the land forces, and un-
der his direction the chiefs Of the
different bureaus made reductions
that have appealed to the members OF
| congress as an evidence that economy
this year is the army's watchword.
General Leonard Wood before long
will be made chief Of staff Of the
United States army with headquarters
in Washington. Gen. Wood Is the
| ranking officer of the service. II the
general were to be ordered into the
field in case of war he could have
placed under his orders within two
months over half million Americans
armed with the latest type of Ameri
can rifle, the new model Springfield
which is believed by American army
officials to be the best weapon known
to modern military science.
The house committee on military
affairs at it's hearings on the needs
of the army complimented Gen. Gro
zier of the ordinance department or
the marked reductions that he had
made in expenses, reductions that the
general showed we're possible while
they did not tend in any way to de
crease the efficiency of the service.
The committee reported favorably
on the recommendation that re
serve supply of one million rifles o
the modern approved type be provid
ed. When the authorized limit Of one
million Is reached the manufacture
! of the rifles will be stopped, only tt
| be taken up again when the necessity
is shown or when new inventions
make new rifles imperative.
No Need for Large Army.
| Congress does not believe that the
United States will ever need an enor
nous army for war purposes. 1t take!
it for granted that the navy will bt
able to keep all foreign foes at dis
tance and that being safe from invas
ion the army of half million men a
the outset will be sufficient to NEE
any seemingly possible emergency
The army officers, however, look a
the matter in another light. They sa!
that the most unexpected thing hap
pen in military affairs and that /
would be little less than sin for thu
United States to be unprepared as /
was at the time of the opening o
the Spanish war. Congress has beel
told that there is no first-class powe
other than the United States whicl
cannot put into the field almost in
stantly an army of 100000 men.
There is a much closer relation eS
isting to-day than ever before betweeI
the regular service and the nationa
guard. 1t is the intention of the wa
department to order the regulars mex
summer into camp with regiments o
the state troops in many parts of tn
country for the purpose of instructin
the civilian soldiers in the art of wa
and of bringing about a better under
standing and a feeling of closer fellow
shin between officers Of the natio
and state, GEORGE CLINTON.
| he saw a good chance to double u