The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-01-02
OUR INEFFICIENT ARMY.

Recently. the Hon. Henry l.. Stimson,
Secretary of War, issued his annual
report, IN which he dwelt upon the IN
preparedness OF the American army
for immediate war. He pointed out
tue causes OF the iuefficiency, and rec
commended steps to put the army on a
better basis. 1t was good and patri-
otic service which Secretary Stimson
thus rendered to his country, in sound
ing the warning which he did. We
regret TO sec. however, that his state
ments in this respect have been re-
ceived altogether too lightly, and often
with soothing and disparagement. This
is altogether wrong. There is no doubt
but Secretary Stimson s statements
were absolutely true, aud that the re-
forms which he urges ought to be
made
AS an example Of the scoffing tone,
we find the St Louis Times saving
that eff the individuals who claim
that the American army is Inefficient
were depended Oh to do the fighting
in time Of war, their remarks might
he wholly justified. But, ss mat
ter of fact. the individuals who are
showing that the army is Inefficient iu
its present status are precisely the men
who would do the fighting if there
Was a war. II is the officers Of the
army, the men responsible for the
army, who show its inefticiency under
present conditions, and who are
pleading for remedy and for
/ bcttermeut OF the service II
is unjust TO them, ss it is un-
fair TO the country, either TO init
mate that they would not do the fight
ing iu time Of war, or to imply, as some
and stronger army for their own mill.
tary pride aud paeeantry. Nothing Of
the kind is true. There is no question
Of tho purity and patriotism of their
motives, nor of the business Of
their recommendations The army
is not prepared for war; IL lacks very
many things, as Secretary Stimsou has
! poiuted out. and those things should
be provided by Congress without any
| delay.
Primarily, the army should he got
! together 10 units not less than brig.
AIDES, and IN divisions where division
concentration is possible, and the units
should be so placed in the country ns
10 be capable of Instant mobilization.
60 that the Nation would have the best
possible use OF the army which costs
ii so much. It seems amazing that the
I lesson Of military iueffcctivencss is
| 20 soon forgotten in this country. Dur
! ing the Civil War. men by the tcus OF
thousands were sacrificed because there
was no proper nucleus of an army un.
on which the volunteers could rally
aud receive the necessary training.
They had 10 20 IN uuder unframed of,
ficcrs. aud the life they led was so diff
fcrent from what they had beeu ac-
customcd to. that lives were wasted
at least oue-third of all going for moth
ing in the final making of the army
which did the work.
la the comparatively receut Spanish
war, no one can fail 10 remember the
shocking death losses in tho camps of
/ concentration ut Chattanooga aud
and other points, where the men died
by the hundreds aud even by the thou
sands, the sacrifice of life being on.
tirely needless, but being brought on
through the ignorance Of the volunteer
Officers and Of the men themselves.
| who had neither example uor instruc.