The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-12-15
war AMONG THE WARRIORS
In Which Washington History Re-
peats Itself

Dcdtb lIScH
OF course there is a fight on be-
tween the adiutant general and the
chief of the general stan. When
there was a general of the army there
was always a fight on between him
and the secretary of war. That is
why there isn't any general of the
army. But the fighting among the
military chiefs continues without in
PERMISSION.
Way back before the civil war the
quarrel between Secretary Jefferson
Davis and Gen. Winfield Scott filled
fat document issued from the govern
ment printing Office. In years after
the war William Tecumseh Sherman
moved his headquarters to St Louis
TO get away from the secretary oil
war. And everybody remembers the
quarrel between Gen. Miles and the
commander in chief whose name was
Theodore Roosevelt.
That fight was mixed up with an
other issue, which is also involved In
the present hostilities between the
two doctors who are at the head OF
the military service-Wood and Aims
worth. The issue is that of satisfy
ing the adjutant generals demand for
rank-and pay. The adjutant gener-
ais Office seems to be the natural
home of the bounder For good
while the adjutant general seemed to
be satisfied with the rank OF brigadier
general, and was content with rea-
sonable amount of quarreling with
the general of the army over their
respective spheres of influence. Usu-
ally he was on the side of the secre-
tary of war, because both OF them
were against the general of the army.
/ The principal reason for creating the
general staff was that it would elm
mate the general OF the army: but 1t
has not established peace in the war
department
When II. c. Corbin was adiutant-
general he was not satisfied with
fighting with General Miles, but set
out to have his rank raised to that OF
major general But before this a
greater bounder than he had got into
the service Some 25 years ago DR..
Ainsworth was at the head of one of
the divisions in the pension Office
which is a part OF the interior depart
ment. He was 4 perfect genius for
indexes. He knew the alphabet per
fectly and he could find any letter ne
wished right OFF. AS a chief clerk he
was inimitable and the members of
the appropriations committee cotton
ed to him The records division in
the adjutant generals Office being in
arrears, he was transferred TO that
Office After a while he was provided
with military rank After another
while this rank was raised to colonel.
Then he got the Office of military
secretary created, and was appointed
to it, and year by year. with the aid
OF Congress, he annexed portion al
ter portion of the Office OF the adju
tant general, until at last nothing was
left OF it but the name, and then that
was dropped
Corbin and Miles concluded that
they could do more for themselves If
they stopped fighting, and they pull
ed together with such effect that
! MlltN kOi W Dt a iltultUdDA ktIti al
and the adiutant general was made a
major general: and the creation OF
the general STAFF gave the adjutant-
general a chance to get command.
Ultimately he became a lieutenant.
general When he was out OF the
way there was nothing in the way Of
restoring the Office OF adjutant gen
eral and AinsWorth was appointed
to IL. There was no further occasion
for a military secretary, and temper
arily there was peace
But Ainsworth has recently been
trying to annex the whole general
staff and make II a part Of the adju.
tant generals office. This will so in.
crease the importance OF the Office
as to give an excuse for retiring
Ainsworth with the rank OF lieuten-
ant general. Evidently this reorgani-
zation of the army Is for the purpose
OF giving Fred Ainsworth rank
which has only been bestowed upon
men who have had large military com
mands, while Ainsworth never had
any military command at all. Il will
also give him the command of about
$4,000 a year more retired pay than
he would otherwise receive. Gen.
Wood is perfectly willing to have the
general stan annexed to the adjutant
generals office because his assign.
ment is only temporary But he
balks at having his brother doctor
created a acknowledgement. and he
is backed by the secretary OF war and
the president; but Alnsworth has
beaten as big men as they are, and
he will arrive yet at that title and
that extra $4,000 Philadelphia
Record.