New-York tribune., 1910-01-28
BELL SEES DEFECT
A PLEA FOR FIGHTERS
Too Great Disparity in Treat.
ment of Lime and Staff.
rFrom Tn. Tr,bun. Bu-eau.1

tFrom The Tribune Bureau.J
Washington. Jan. 27.-A serious defect
In the methods prevailing in the army bas
been pointed out to the Military Affairs
Committee of the House by Major Cen
eral j. Franklin Bell. chief Of stan. He
holds that staff officers are more favored
by conditions than line officers and that
this has brought about situation which
should be corrected. General Bell said.
Ever Since my entry into the service
have been impressed by the fact that star
officers have better stations, greater com
rorts. more pay. more rapid promotion and
far more encouragement than has ever
been the lot OF line officers. 7 feel. and
si"ayS nave felt that everything possible
ought to be done which would dignity and
elevate the standard OF the fighting soldier
and make IL worth while for officers to en-
deavor TO achieve distinction by servics
world bu, ours tn. sreafss rrd afdsy N fsSee
In belonging to the lighting branches OF
the army, including the General Stan. In
our army more pride is generally felt IN
belonging to administrative stan corps
than to the line. because there IL greater.
chance of distinction. honor and reward
therein- A large proportion Of the officers
at present holding commissions as generals
In the line Of the army came rom the
l do not wish you to think that do
not concede that II is best for the whole
service and Is justi1able for our star to
nave more rapid promotion than the line.
but do not think the disparity should bs
SO great. There should be soma differ
ence. and II should be i'm favor OF the STAFF
IL would not be practicable to have pro-
motion as rapid in the line as in the staff.
1T would be too costly; IL would be illosi-
organization. No one Is asking that: hu.
We do ask that whatever Is possible and
proper be done to increase the rate OF ad-
vancement Of the line.
General Bell was discussing the advisa-
bllity of the bill providing for extra on
GERS for the army. which he advocated on
the ground that IL would tend to equalizs
promotion between the line and the star.
The bill would add s12 officers to the army.
SO colonels. "a lieutenant colonels. ~
majors. 1e2 captains. 144 first Heutenants
and 12s second Iieutenants. He told the
committee that the line has fewer generals
than any other branch OF the army ex
cept the medical corps: fewer .colonels and
lieutenant coloneIs than any other branch.
including the medical corps, and a large-
percentage OF men below the grade OF
major than any other branch. He added;
That ia significant enough. but would
like you gentlemen 70 know that the
army is far worse off than the navy in
you have to do Is to look up the figures.
/ do not wish TO enter into that discussion,
us sneeS s in es {Ssf s Tsa so rs
enightening statistics the subject OF
the emoluments of the navy as contrasted
with the emoluments OF the army
General Bell presented table showing
that the navy has proportionatsly five
times as many rear sdnirals senior srade.
as the army has major generals: two and
one-haf times many rear adnirals.
junior grade. as the army has major gen.
erals: three times many captains as tho
army has colonies. and four times as many
da-z fa boa
colonels
General Bell highly praised the stan OF
the army, and said he believed the staff
should have slightly better prospects but
not so disproportionate as at present In
conclusion he said;
In my judgment We have. in most re-
spects. the best stan corps OF any army
in the world l expressed that opinion
once before this session Wherever have
come in contact with other armies have
thought that our staff corps have en-
ceeded in efficiency the staff corps Of those
the fact that our staff corps are larger
and better paid in proportion to our line
than In any other army The reason OF
this is because we have an enormous
country, our army is scattered from ono
end OF it to the other. and this involves
an amount of staff servics infinitely
greater than that which is necessary under
normal conditions in foreign countries.
Consequently. our stafr corps must neess-
sarily be larger In proportion than the
staff corps of other armies, and because
they afford higher rank and greater COM
forts they attract officers OF ability from
the line OF the army I wish I were able
TO say that every officer in the staff corps
of the army possesses exceptional merit
and ability Unfortunately. I cannot say
this. but can say that among the officers
in our staff corps are found some OF the
aeleSt officers in our army.
Now, in my Judgment, for the good Of
the entire service, they ought to have
greater rank than exists in the line OF the
army. but the disparity in rank should not
be as great as this graphical illustration
shows. Poor staff officers make a poor
army, and the better the STAN the better
the army, but there is no necessity for
such disparity in rank in order to get A
good staff corps.