Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-12-28

congress- 81 rs ncnpartibAn EEL upon
| II when the monetary commissiea was
appointed. In commanding the quse
ton DO the favorable consideration q
congress. I speak for. and IN the spirit
Of, the great number Of my fellow cit
lsens, whc without any thought Of
party or paTtisanship feel with re-
markable earnestnesS that this re-
form Is necessary to the interests Of
all the people.
The War Department
There 10 now before congress bill,
the purpose Of which IL to increase
the eficiency and decrease the ex-
pense Of the army. It contains four
principal features: First consoli-
dation Of the general stan with the ad-
jutant generals and the inspector gen
erals departments; second. consoli-
dalton Of the quartermaster's depart
ment with the subsistence and pay de-
partments: third, the creation Of an
army service corps; and fourth. an
=S:.->zgion Of the enlistment period
from three to I'VE years.
with the establishment Of an army
service corps, as proposed In the bill.
/ am thoroughly in accord and am con-
vinced that the establishment Of such
. corps will result In q material econ
omy and q very great increase Of EN-
cheney in the army. 1t has repeatedly
been recommended by me and my
predecessors. l also believe that q
consolidation Of the star corps can
be made with q resulting increase in
efficiency and economy, but not along
the lines provided in the bill under
consideration.
In make the consultations no re-
duction should be made in the total
number Of officers Of the army, OF
whom there are now too few to per-
form the duties imposed by law. l
have In the past recommended an In
crease In the number Of officers by
900 in order to provide sufficient Of
tlcers to perform all classes Of staff
duty and to reduce the number Of line
officers detached from their COM
mands. Congress at the last session
increased the total number Of officers
by 200, but this is not enough. Pro-
motion In the line Of the army is too
slow. Officers do not attain command
rank at an age early enough properly
to exercise 1t. 1t would be mistake
further to retard this already slow
promotion by throwing back into the
line of the army a number Of high.
ranking officers to be absorbed as is
provided In the proposed plan Of con-
solidation.
Another feature Of the bill which
l believe to be a mistake is the pro-
posed increase in the term Of enlist
ment from three to Ave years. | be-
lieve It would be better to enlist men
for six years, release them at the end
Of three years from active service, and
put them in reserve for the remaining
three years. Re-enlistments should be
largely confined to the noncoInmis-
stoned officers and other enlisted men
In the skilled grades. This plan, BY
the payment Of comparatively small
compensation during the three years
Of reserve, would keep large body
Of men at the call Of the government,
trained and ready for service, and
able to meet any exlgency.
The army Of the United States is In
good condition. II showed itself able
to meet an emergency In the success
full mobilization OF an army division
of from $4,000 to 10000 men, which
took place along the border Of Mexico
during the recent disturbances In that
country. The marvellous freedom from
the ordinary camp diseases Of. typhoid
fever ana measles is referred to in the
report Of the secretary Of war, and
shows such an effectiveness in the
saI .tary regulations and treatment Of
the medical corps, and In the disci-
pline Of the army itself, as to invoke
the highest commentator.
The Panama Canal.
The very satisfactory progress made
on the Panama canal last year has
continued, and there is every reason
to believe that the canal will be com
pleted as early as the LIST Of July, 1918,
unless something unforeseen occurs.
This Ia about is months before the
time promised by the engineers,
We are now near enough the com
pletion Of the canal to make It Inn
peratively necessary that legislation
should be enacted to fix the method
by which the canal shall be maintain
ed and controlled and the zone gov.
erned. The fact is that today there is
no statutory law by authority Of which
the president is maintaining the gov.
eminent Of the zone Such authority
was given in an amendment to the
Spooner act, which expired by the
terms Of its own limitation some years
ago. Since that the time government
has continued under the advice Of the
attorney general that In the absence
Of action by congress. there Is necsssar
ly an implied authority on the pert Of
the executive to maintaia government
IN n tarritnry IN which he has 70 see