The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-23
leaI seOsibIy With The domestic prob
TO CRIPPLE THE AKMY.

The Senate shows itself in decid-
| edly obstructive and unfricndly mood
| in the matter of the discontinuance of
a large number of army posts which are
| declared by the War Department to be
not only useless, but a burdensome ex.
peuse to the treasury. The lesson of
the concentration of division of troops
upon the Mexican border last spring
brought home to the War Department
with crushing practical force the impo-
tence Of the army in its scattered con
ditiou. There were no concentrations,
even Of brigadcs; often regiments were
never together in their entirety Tor
years at a time. There was no such
thing as brigade maneuvering, and divI-
sion tactics and field tactics were abso-
lutely out of the question
To remedy this admittedly evil state
Of affairs the War Department saw
that ii WAS necessary to concentrate the
army, have the brigade aud division
units in such condition that they could
be brought together readily, and the
army made an effective military ma
chine. as Its true purpose is.
The House of Representative re-
spouded fairly to the call Of the War
Department. aud provided for the dis
continuance of large number of use
less army posts But the bill coming
before the Senate is there framed anew,
and the beneficial action of the House
is eliminated. The Senate is determined
to continue the use Of the useless posts,
and for political effect and local com
mercial benefits is determined to keep
the army scattered and useless. as IT
has been. The army, therefore, IN the
view of the Senate, is not TO be tight
ing entity at all. but merely fragmcn
tary collections OF men under officers,
the primary purpose of which is to pro
vide trade at various local centers and
thus preserve the political prestige and
demonstrate the political power of Ger
tain Senatorial Statesmen. IL is
nothing TO these worthless that all the
army experts, the unanimous opinion
Of army Officers, is against them, They |
care nothing whatever about the army |
as an army, and don 4 agree that ITS
primary use is, or ought to be. that of |
= concentrated fighting force. The |
army, in their opinion, is for use polit- |
cally and commercially. and il there |
Dv IFS military effectiveness is de.
stroycd, why, no matter. The mip-
.ary part of it, in their opinion, can
safely be neglected, If only the prime
purpose of maintaining personal polit'
cal prestige and little local trade are
opt TO ihc front. Their view is thai
he expert opinion which demands That
he army shall he fighting force is
,Iiogether erroneous and negligible,
Therefore they go counter TO all the
,est aud most expert opinion, and de
ermine TO have their polltical and com
nercial views with respect to the use
,f the army enforced.
Ii is an astonishing view of the army
hat is thus disclosed as the Seuatorla
,iew. We see no way Of combating
hat sort Of destructive vlciousness, cX-
epi for the House TO refuse to appro-
,riatc anv money for the army under
hat view of the case. If we are not
o have an army. why pay for an army!
f VIC are to use the army simply for
he political advantage Of few poll
icians here and there, and to help out
little local trade, IT would be good
Ieal cheaper for the Government to
make the appropriation direct to the
ocaitics, making good to them what
ver profits occur, and thereby save
he great bulk of the money expended
fhe Senate once in while makes a
Ireadful ass of itself. and. this is a con
ease of IFS asiniuitv