Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-12

magic wand of his mathematics. he
energies into public view as the past grand
commander of the calculator company, the
real adder of the adding machine. All of
which means that James Buchanan Ale
shire is the greatest Quartermaster General
who ever squeezed a nickel or gave out ra-
tons in the United States army. He saves
a million a vear-but not for himself He
laws up this influential sum of money for
the benefit of the taxpayers of this fair land.
Unaided and alone, accurate and enthusiast
tic he has reduced the expenditures OF the
Ouartermaster' department on an average
of million a year,-one million cold, hard
dollars.
The spectacle of man saving that much
for himself is common enough; but, when it
comes to economzing for the benefit of the
government, admiration leaps to the front
and huzzas are whooped from the house
tops That is why the members of Congress
step to the front with the declaration that
A1eshire is the fair-haired and favorite child
of the army-Congress having the job OF APP
propriating money to support the army.
If he had been on the job many years ago,
he would have made the flight of the Tatars
a light-footed dance down the primrose path
of dalliance, with iced tea and fresh milk on
the side Later on in history he could have
soothed the souls of Napoleon's men every
day at Moscow with eggs, benedictine and
romaine salad. He got his start in the army
by fighting Indians and teaching mules how
to sing the songs of industry. He is today
our leading Judge of both mules and horses,
and one of his great achievements, outside
of teaching the mule to convert kick into
love tap, has been to raise the efficiency
of our cavalry and artillery horses.
After buying all the animals the entire
l., 70
$685. and was made chief Quartermaster
there, where he showed the natives that
mathematics was really a charming and de-
lightful relaxation. His next Job was to
carry shipload of provisions from San
Francisco to relieve the besleged legations
in Picking, and then he was transferred to
Manila as the OuartermaSter in charge of
water transportation. In 1908 he was put
in complete command of the land, depot,
and water service throughout all the islands.
This consolidated an expenditure of three
hundred thousand dollars month, and,
getting out his trusty pruning knife, he re-
duced it to one hundred and eighty thousand.
He had already recognized the whole trans
port service and cut down its expenses by
more than fifty-fve per cent. Before his
bullying brow and sandy hair had risen, no
bigger than mans hand, above the horizon
service high-class lack of system, habit
of running transports in a leisurely and If
regular manner. Before he had applied his
geometrcal gumption to the situation,
acquisitions for supplies to be sent from
Manila to other islands had not been filled
in less than from forty to sixty days.
The first morning he was there he dashed
down a cup of coffee. dashed off his coat,
and dashed into the mixup. He classified
five million dollars worth of supplies, and
kept them where he could get at them on
moments notice. He roped things up to
the ninth clutch, made the transports skip
through the water. and delivered equip
ment and clothing to any port on any island
within from three to five DAYS. Consider that
for moment. Previous to his arrival it had
required one or two months to do the work.
Under him, it took an average of four days.
Any stem-winding, surcharged wonder
like that was too good for the Philippines.
He was brought to Washington, and in 1907
was made Quartermaster General of the
army. All he did was to reorganize the sup
ply department so that, although previously
army posts had been compelled to wait one
or two months before getting the clothes,
blankets, and brides they needed, they
thereafter got the stuff in a day or day
and a half Next he struck the accounting
-, 1,oI