Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1912-05-27
THE LOCATION OF The POSTS
PROPOSED LEGISLATION WOULD
LEAVE 1T TO APPoINTivE
COMMISSION.
NO ACTION is TAKEN
BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE POST.
PoNE PASSAGE OF oPlN-
ION BY VOTE.

Washington, May 27.-The army ap-
preparation bill was reported back to
the senate and house today by the
conferees with anti-administration
amendments which would legislate
Major General Wood out Of office at
chief of staff and would leave the 10
cation of military posts to a commits
sion of retired army OFFICERS and two
members each Of the senate and
house committees on military affairs.
The amendment, which would re-
move General Wood also would pre-
vent either Brigadier Generals Croz-
ier or Funston from ever attaining
the office of chief Of staff. No Of
ficer who has not spent 10 years in
the line with troops before becoming
a brigadier would be eligible.
Many army officers charge that the
fight between the line and the staff
which recently resulted in the retire
ment from the army of Major General
Ainsworth is responsible for the pro
vision. Lieutenants General Young
and Macarthur, Major Generals Ran
dali, Lee and Humphrey, would be
the retired army officers on the pro-
posed commission which would re
port to congress by January l upon
the location and distribution of army
posts and the proposed abandonment
of many recommended by the war de-
partment The report was not acted
on in either house today.
A sharp conflict over the amend
ments is expected. Senators Curtis
and smoot blocked immediate action
in the senate by insisting on time to
study the changes.
Secretary of War Stimson, in a
statement on the proposed action by
said the provision, suppos-
sedly aimed at General Wood. would
Lave rendered ineligible for service
as chief Of staff. everyone except
four of the 19 generals who have
served as commander-in-chief of the
American army since General Wash
ipgton e3
1T would" he said, "have disquali-
fed General Winfield Scott, Of the old
army. 1t would also have disqualified
Mcclellan, Mcpherson,
Meade, Warren, Halleck, Scofield, o.
o. Howard, James H. Wilson and Hor-
ace Porter among others of the union
party in the civil war; and Robert
E. Lee, Jackson, Beauregard, Forrest
and Wheeler of the confederacy. Cen
eral Grant would have barely escaped
its restriction by one years service
and General Sherman by two months.
Coming down to. modern times, it
disqualifies practically
the entire engineer corps-the honor
men of West Point It disqualifies,
for example, Colonel Goethals and all
Of his assistants on the Panama canal;
Crozier, the chief Of ordnance,
Funston and many other off
GERS.
In fact, the order tends to put q
premium uon mere routine service
and to exclude from the highest post
in the army the men whose forces, in
telligence and opportunities have
brought them quickly to the front. It
would result in confining the choice
for this principal staff position to men
who have had the least staff expert
ence.
ut is currently said that this provi-
sion is aimed at General Leonard
Wood, the present chief of staff. If
SO this is a pretty high price to pay
for personal legislation. What I am
in primarily is the effect of
such legislation on the service. Per-
sonal legislation-the attemp by legis-
Iation to affect the status of individual