The Washington herald., 1915-12-16
BY e. .. JOHNS.

What is construed as q bitter attack
upon the general staff Is contained In
the speech by the Assistant Secretary
of War delivered yesterday before the
Southern Commercial Congress at
| harleston, S C The Assistant Score
tary also rejected the principles OF the
militia pay bill and declared in effect
| that IL the continental army Is not a
success the country must adopt the con-
scription.
Mr.. Breckinridge's speech at Charles
; ton is regarded as an outline of the de-
, tails of the administration legislative
proEram 1t il understood that before
he delivered II, both the President and
| the Secretary OF War went over and ap-
proved II. 1t Is the opening gun OF the
Administrations fight for its army pro-
gram Mr., Breckenridge boldly chal-
! lenged both the officers Of the General
Stan and the National Guard. He gave
evidence Of impotence at the refusal Of
the general stan and the national mi
iitia association to support the admins
tration's recommendations.
After resenting the declaration that
has come from the army that the legis-
! lative program of the administration,
lis a makeshift," Mr.. Breckenridge. re-
ferred to the attitude of the General
STAFF by saying:
The merest child in military knowl-
edge. IL asked to devise a military
policy for the nation and given a
clean sheet of paper and pencil. could
sit down and in a few minutes write
out a policy that would be adequate
and would be based upon CONSUMPTION.
Some self-imagined Won Moltke, Ma
poleon. or Caesar. or Alexander. can
sit isolated in his closet, disregarding
all facts and laws and sentiments of
our body polite and bring forth a
nostrom acceptable to himself and
plausible to the unthinkinE or to the
reckless. But. II Is the duty of re-
sponsible statesmen to keep them
selves within the law. to conceive
something that has some hope OF
practicability and some assurance of
adoption"
Mr.. Breckenridge disposes OF the
National Guard associations plan for
using the State troops to provide the
country with a force of trained citizen
soldiers by declaring: 1T Is impossi-
Bile to build a satisfactory and ade-
auate military system upon the militia
of the several States under the militia
clause of the Copstitution. In the first
place the, constitution imposes such
limitations upon the use Of this body
that 1t cannot be considered a national
force though II may be and 1t is q
national asset 1t cannot be carried
beyond the borders or the country to
defend the Panama Canal. Porto Rico
and other possessions Of the United
States"
!. Assistant Paymaster e. H. Barber, who
has Just been relieved from duty on the
Paducah, has been ordered to Haiti,
where he will1be assigned to the duties
Of collector Of customs and captain of
the port, to succeed Paymaster b. d.
Rogers. who died about a week ago
Practically all of the business Of col
lecting revenues for Haiti has been as
sighed to paymasters Of the navy. They
are also being called upon to assist in
notwithstanding the civil affairs Of the
island. Millions of dollars are being
handled by navy pay officers for the
Haitian government.
A dispatch from Manila to the adjutant
Of the army yesterday announced the
sailing Of the transport Thomas with the
following military passengers for San
Francisco: Maj Arthur Thayer, Ninth
Cavalry: Capt. Charles F. Grain. Thir-
tsenth Infantry: Capt. Joseph W.
Blanchard, p. g.: First Lieut.. Charles ..
Dcsity. p. D.: First Lieut.. John H.
Hester. REIMBURSEMENT Infantry: Second
Lieut.. Clinton w. Russell. Eighth Infan-
try; Capt. william II. sage, r.. engi-
nesrs; MAJ. Thomas q. Ashburn. c. A.
c.; Cap& Pearl y. Shaffsr, ThirtssathI
htAat1y: Can't Nernsa y. Cook p. q: