The Washington herald., 1911-05-21

Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood, Chief
of Staff of the United States army
intends to have some changes il
the regulations of the War Depart.
ment. This determination On the
part of the military head of Uncle
Sans fighting force has the sane
ton and the backing of the civil
head Of the War Department and
the approval of the commander ir
chief OF all the forces-President
Taft.
WOOD HAS GRIEVANCE.
Gen. Woods grievance has been the
alleged arbitrary conduct Of his brother
officer and associate in the conduct OF
the War Departments affairs, Mai Gen
Frederick c. Ainsworth, Adjutant Gen.
eral.
Early this week there was a con.
ference between Gen. Wood. Gen. Arthur
Murray. acting assistant chief of staff
Dickinson. Gen. Wood told the President
and Secretary Dickinson just what he
thought was the matter with the system
of regulations in the War Department.
He explained to Secretary Dickinson that
under the present regulations of the de-
partment, the bureau chiefs, such as
Surgeon General, the Commissary Cen
eral, the Quartermaster General, and
rhAr @Ea.r l..
mence correspondence with the Chief
of Staff were obliged to send their letters
to the Adjutant General. Then by the
Adjutant General they were transmitted
to the Chief of the General Staff.
Gen. Wood thought this system a
bad one. He thereupon asserted to the
President and the Secretary that all
though there was no charge stronger
than that of abuse of the rights of his
Office by the Adjutant General, at the
same time he thought that a reform in
the system should be effected. He
urged that the regulations of depart
mental practice should be so amended as
TO eliminate the Adjutant General as a
sieve through which all the correspond
ence between the commanders of the
various staff corps and the general stan
should be strained.
Give Their Assent.
President Taft and Secretary Dickin-
son agreed with Gen. Wood. Gen. Muir
ray sat by and nodded assent to the re-
marks of Gen. Wood.
Now the rules and regulations of the
department will be amended In a few
days the amended regulations will be
made public In them it will be found
nf nd
have been considerably shortened-they
may almost be said to have been clipped
There is feud between Gen. Wood and
Gen Ainsworth. 1t has never broken
into an open rupture. There has been NJ
quarrel, but the authority of the two OIL
GERS has Clashed repeatedly. This lime
Gen. Wood has taken the dilemma
straight up to headquarters. The Presi-
dent and Secretary of War were quick
to hang on TO one of it's horns. It hap
pened to be the Wood horn.
1t is remarked that there is a clause
in the new Hay bill now pending in Con-
gress looking to certain reforms in the
army regulation, which is distasteful
TO Gen. Wood and the general staff. The
Hay bill itself is popular with the off,
GERS, but there is a clause to which they
take exceptions In this clause provision
IS made for the inclusion as members Of
HIN SShet"i St'ii VI lHe AuJuldnI Ienerdl
OF the army and the Judge Advocate Gen.
eral
Urged by Ainsworfh.
This clause is said to have been urged
before Congress by Gen. Ainsmfth. Ac-
cording to its terms, Gen. Ainswortb
would. upon becoming a permanent Of
hcef OF the general staff corps, be en-
titled to retirement as a lieutenant gen.
eral at the expiration of his tour OF duty
upon reaching his slxty-fourth year.
The general star looks with disfavor
upon this phase Of the measure,