The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-12
WAR sEcRETARY's REPORT,

The report Of Secretary Stlmson OF
tho War Department would indeed, be
dscouraging document if there were
any immincnce of war. He states
fatty that this country would be found
in such case practically unprcparcd, and
the reasons he gives for this are pre-
cisoly The reasons that have been urged
publicly for good many years by those
who understand the situation.
Secretary Stimsop attributes the unr
preparedness of the army primarily 10
the fact that the troops are scattered
out all over the country III TOO many
posts. and 10 lack Of reserves. The
troops are stationed in fragmentary
commands in places of no strategic I'M
portance. those troops belonging even
to ono regiment being, in many cases
practically unacQuaiuted with each
other. and seldom indeed being brought
together in unified command with
regimental headquarters as the central
pivot for all. Regiments are broken mp
and scattercd, small posts arc main
taincd without the least necessity from
the army standpoint, hut only from the
basis of the dcsirability Of having tho
troops and the military supplies which
they need. aid the business of localities
that are of not the least consequence
from military point of view.
The attempt with but partial sue
cess. after a good deal of confusion. to
mobilize ono army division on the
Mexican border last spring, was
startling lesson to the War Department.
Of the ineificiency of the army as IT
has been broken up hitherto. lmmedl-
atcly upon the object lesson OF that
concentration being scnsed, there began
to appear in the authoritative outgiv-
iugs of the War Department protest
against the old method of scattering
the army, and a demand that the
troops should be concentrated within
their proper commands, and that there
should be divisional organizations cen
tralized. practically trained, and fully
equipped so that they could be called
upon as military units at any time de-
sired There WAS 4 tentative pro
gramme which allotted the divisions TO
the various parts of the country. aud
a determination to bring the troops TO-
ccther was expressed. \ part of this
programme is as we all trust here. the
concentration of brigade at Fort
Douglas. Heretofore there has never
been more than Il regiment there, and
IL. z,.l, 1T
ment To have full brigade there
would be of the highest possible ad'
vantage to the country as well as TO
the army as whole; and Fort Doug
las is so favorably situated strategl-
cally that no other post is quite so
desirable for the accumulation of i'm
mense quantities of military stores,
while its sanitary advantages are un-
approached.
The report Of Secretary Stimson is
emphatic for concentration, and against
the fragmcntary disposition of the
troops that has hitherto prevailed And
when he. SAYS that the result Of this
scattering sis au army which is ex-
traordinarily expensive 10 maintain,
and one whose efficiency for the main
purpose of its existence has been nulll-
fed so far as geographical location can
nullify it, he states the plain, un-
vanished fact; his plea for conccntra-
tion is a reasonable proposition that
everyone with even a rudimentary ac-
quaintance with military affairs is COM
PEELED to endorse.
1t is good to see the Secretary take
such IN emphatic stand as he does IN
this matter. 1T is to be hoped that he
Will be able to carry out his ideas TO
the full, both for the general advantage
of the country and for the effective
ness Of our military service,