The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-14
THE MATTER WITH THE ARMY.

lack OF training in masses, the evil
effects Of which were SO plainly nppar-
ent in the mobilizing Of division on
the Mexican border, That mobilizing
showed most completely and thoroughly,
to the disgust of every intelligent off
Ger, that the United States has no com
pact military force. 1t has a lot of
detached military commands, which are
seldom brought together, even in as
large body as regiment, practically
never as brigades, nor as. division, un
til 1t was undertaken last spring on the
Mexican border, and was ridiculous
failure, because the troops had no sense
of soldierly touch, no experience in act
ing together in large bodies, This lack
of experience was not alone among the
men, 1t was among all the officers, from
the line to the general Officers And
then, when the troops got together IN
Texas, the force was almost decimated
by desertions.
The main trouble, of course, has been
caused by breaking the army up into
small fragments so as to meet local
requirements for trade. and the pride
of getting national appropriations for
various localities, exhibited, perhaps, in
its most eytravagant and inexcusable
form in Fort Russell at Cheyenne. An
other trouble has been in favoritism as
among officers. This favoritism has
taken different forms. the most usual
being the obtaining of easy details in
Washington, where actual military
service. was nil, and social advantage
was supreme. This social advantage
gave opportunities for advancement
that was not earned, but was obtained
by influence The officers that were
in the way of promotion. but who were
not present to look after their own
"fences, " were put under disadvant-
age, either by having The juniors pro-
NOTED over them, or by prosecutions Of
various kinds exercised toward the pur
pose of forcing them to resign. We see
that, as 10 the latter point, new, and
what will probably prove to be a very
effective programme, has. been an
nounced from Washington Orders
from there have been issued under
which an officer may be retired on the
charge of being "illna tured.' The
charge Of being ill-natured is so elastic,
GERS who have been disciplined more
severely than they thought they de-
served, that it viii afford very power
full engine for prying Officers out of
the service who may be of the best pos
sible efficiency from military stand
point, but Objectionable from a social
standpoint in being too harsh and Sc.
we're on society darlings.
General Wood, noting the enormous
ratio of desertions, and the difficulty
men, has come forward with the idea
that homesickness is the principal
cause for desertion from the army. To
ease this he recommends changes in the
army regulations that will make the
service more tolerab BILE for the soldier
hereafter. He recommends the modifi-
cation Of sentences imposed for slight
infractions of army regulations or of
duty. The harsh methods of the past,
| it is said, are no longer excusable, If
soldier is convicted Of exceeding a
leave of absence, he is made technically
a deserter, although he does not mean
| to desert, and he is given three to six
| months in military prison for his
offense. General Wood declares that
| this is barbarous and inhuman. He
recommends that hereafter the punish
ment for mere technical desertion be
made to take the form Of deprivation
of leave from the post, of extra work,
of the cutting off of special allowances,
Sentences to the military prison, he
recommends, should be pronounced only
| in cases of wiliful and chronic offend.
ers.
| General Wood has also recommended
short term service of six months
which would really be good thing for
all the citizenship of the country to
undergo. A military training Of six
months would be a first.class entry
upon the serious concerns of life for
all the young men of the United States
And then, in case sudden call came
for military service. all the men of
military age in the United States would
have had sufficient instruction in mil
itary duty to become efficient soldiers
almost at once upon rallying to the
colors. This latter suggestion of Gen
eral Wood we consider to be the best
that has been made for a great many
years to help the army, and if it could
be coupled, either by requirement or
| by inducement, or partly by each. with
such programme as that young men
Of military age would be enrolled in
the army for six months Immediately
on becoming Of military age, ii would
be a great advantage, both personally
to the citizenship Of the country and
generally to the nation at large.
| They are to make at Appleton Wis