New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-30
An Ironical Situation.

Secretary Garrison is disposed to treat
with jocularity the controversy which has
arisen between himself and Colonel Roose-
Welt over the failure of the Administration
to do anything to put the country into a
state of military preparedness. The
Secretary feels that there is good deal OF
comedy in the situation, so far as he per-
sonally is concerned. So there is. lie has
ALWAYS fully realized the inadequacy of
our present military establishment and
has done all that he could have been eX-
pected to do to bring about reorganlza-
ton and modernization Of the army. lie
Is right in saying: 81 have gone to the limit
of my vocabulary in an endeavor to make
such pleas (for proper preparedness)
lust as strong as words could make them"
The Tribune has warmly applauded Mr.
Garrison for his efforts to give the country
real army, the more so that 1t has re-
quired a good deal of moral courage on his
mart to express views which have found no
echo either in the White House or from the
Democratic majorities in the Senate and
House of Representatives. Mr., Garrison
is undoubtedly as sincere an advocate OF
adequate military preparedness as are the
critics who condemn the Wilson Admins
tration mot the Secretary of War; for
DELAY and sidetracking all plans for
the rehabilitation of the army.
The public must therefore feel consider
able sympathy with the Secretary in the
role which the irony Of fate has now
forced on him. AS a member Of Mr..
Wilson'S Cabinet he is obliged to deprecate
criticism of the Administration do
nothing policy He must condemn the
manner of the criticism, although reallz-
ing that in substance it is wholly justified.
He must seem to approve the Administra-
tons eyasive and dilstory military pro-
gramme, although in his last annual re-
port ne courageously pointed out the folly
of standing pat" on our present lament
able condition Of unpreparedness.
Mr.. Garrison made public last De-
cember a complete expose of the break
down Of our military establishment. But
Mr.. Wilson ignored that expose. In his
message to Congress the President spoke
slightingly of the need Of military prepare
ton. and thus encouraged the Democratic
leaders in Congress to disregard all the
Secretary's proposals and arguments. The
latter's report, read in the light of what
has happened since, is as searching an
arraignment of the Administrations
somnolent programme as anything that
Colonel Roosevelt or any other critic Of
the Administration has recently said.
Loyalty to the President pulls Mr..
Garrison one way and his own convictions
and record pull him another. He cannot,
therefore, be very happy censuring other
advocates of adequate military prepared
ness whose contentious are at bottom
his own contentious. What would he do
if the next speaker at a volunteer camp
of instruction should read the Garrison re-
port of December, 1914, and then contrast
its recommendations with the Presidents
message of the same month and the sub
sequent do-nothing record Of Congress?
Would he censure such a performance
as improper criticism of the Administra-
ton?
There is humor enough to 90 all the
way round in the Plattsburg camp in
cident.