The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-11-15
THE MILITARY PROGRAMME.

rptarv of War. reiterated his purpose
, IN discontinue n number Of the smaller
posts and concentrate the United States
army in larger bodies. so that military
instruction and control on Il more COM
prehensive scale than has been possible
| hitherto might be available. The way
the Secretary put the matter, however,
minimized the Importance OF the Idea
at the bottom of the purpose reiterated,
which was first officially put III orders
for the concentration of the troops by
divisions, layiug the country of into dl'
visioual areas. in which the troops OF
4 given division would bc stationed with
n view to rapid and easy concentra'
lion for military practice on order AS
the Secretary put it, it is matter oil
acquaintance. lie stating that generals
i'm command Of our army are not wen
/ enough acquainted with their men,
And he ilIustraed by saying =" In the
| Spanish American war commanders
went TO the front without ever having
seen their subordinate officers.
This would hardly be considered I'M
| portsnt by military man, The dcslr'
ability Of acquantanceship by the com
manding officer with those whom he
commands has no particular bearing on
tho efficiency of the command, save,
perhaps III exceptional cases. The thing
| that does count is, that the general
shonld know that his troops arc in
numbers as reported; that the command
is properly oflicered, and sufficiently
! instructed to obey orders as given. SO
! far rs the commanding general is con
ccrnod, tho individuality of the officers
or soldiers cuts no figure. with rare
exceptions The numbers the efficiency,
! the preparedness of the command, arc
| the things which count with the com
manding general. Indeed. it is often
desirable that the general commanding
should not have too much per
sonal acquaintance or preferences
among the officers under his command.
| lie would naturally know his chief sub
ordinates. or at least know Of them,
and be sufficiently acquainted with
their qualities TO handle each with his
command to the best advantage.
The matter Of concentrating the
troops in larger bodies at important
posts is the thing Of the greatest lu-
terest IN military affairs at this time.
AS stated the order for the di-
visional segregation and occupa-
ton has been issued. The confines of
the divisional commands are fixed; and
what devolvcs upon the Secretary now,
is to assign the troops within the diff
fcrent divisions to which they belong,
TO nosts most accessible both for de-
tail and for instructlonal camps.
OF course, Fort Douglas will be one
of the main points of rendezvous for
! there AT all times. because it is one of
the most salubrious. the most attrac"
tive and sanitary, the most accessible,
and the most roomy posts that there
are There is ample area for the oc
cupancy of a brigade. or even dis
vision if necessary, and the coutiguity
of the post TO Salt Lake City with its
ramliication of railroads makes Fort
| Douglas an extremely desirable post. In
whatever direction the service might
| be needed whether for actual military
operations, or for practice or drill, no
point is quite so convenient l0r all
| this Western region as Fort Douglas.
! The railroad linGs both west and east
arc immediately accessible, and so they
| are for north and south. We belong TO
! TO Pacific watershed and naturally Will
| be placed in the Pacific division. That
waters that flow to the Pacific are to
| the cast Of us, i'll the Green aud Grand
| rivers. and TO the northeast In the
! Snake river: so that the basin is sur
rounded entirely by Pacific waters. We
evidently. therefore. belong in the Pa
| cific division But the ccutrailty of
the location of Fort Douglas Is such,
and It's accessibility is SO superior. that
there would appear TO be no doubt
that Fort Douglas Will be made one Of
the important posts for the army.
The mobilization Of division on
the Mexican border last spring Of
something like 10000 men, convinced
the War Department of fact that
had been fully borne i'll upon military
men prior TO that time, that tic scat.
teriue OF the army in small dctach"
ments Ill isolated posts. where not
even as much as II regiment could be
found together. was alike destructive
of the efficiency of the army and waste
ful in the highest degree in the pur-
chase and distribution of supplies and
in the cXtravagant cost of keeping up a
large number Of posts that were not
only unnecessary. but the keeping up
Of which was harmful TO the morale
and military training Of the troops.
The department having become fully
convinced of this, issued tic order re.
fcrrcd to. dividing the country into
divisional districts; the purpose being
that the troops in these departments
.l,,1I lac ,s.n,uhloI nruciicp ai