The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-11-29
A WEAK LINK.

A WEAK LINK.
1t has been left to the far sight,
edness of Colonel D. E. Mccarthy,
chief quartermaster of the central
department of the United States
army; to bring to the fore at this
time one Of the weakest links in our
chain of national defense, and that
is the wholly inadequate provision
that is made for an enlarged quar-
termaster corps in time of war.
Colonel Mccarthy has recommend
ed to the war department that a
quartermaster reserve corps of the
brightest executive minds in the
country be organized in time of peace
sufficient in size to supply the re-
quirements of an army of a million
men, which would be the smallest
force this country could expect to
put into the field in time of war.
These men could be commissioned by
the president as captains and lieu
tenants in the quartermaster reserve
corps of the federal army, but with
out pay until called into active SER
vice, as is now the case with the
medical reserve corps.
To the average layman this may
not appear to be of supreme import
ance, but to the trained man it is
Illuminating, and for several reasons.
An army, however efficient and
va1orous in other respects, is almost
wholly dependent upon the prompt
and thorough execution of the duties
pertaining to the quartermaster
corps. If that corps is weak the
usefulness of the whole army is
seriously impaired, is dangerously
near to being destroyed.
A fighting unit of an army can
be trained for reasonable service in
from four to six months. But it is
useless without its corps of trained
quartermasters. It can accomplish
little without them.
The office of quartermaster re-
Quires a man Of high order of in
telligence, quick discernment, iron
determination and unquestioned in
tegrity. He must be cool headed, en-
ergetic and PERSISTENT man who
rides over all obstacles and "gets
there on time with the goods"
The duties of the position are so
numerous, so varied and so intricate
as to require years Of training to
produce even moderately success
full quartermaster. The civilian
without training or theoretical
knowledge who is made an officer Of
the quart corps over night
and sent to. the front is nothing but
a handicap and a detriment. If ap-
pointed In large numbers, as has
been done in all Of our past wars,
they even constitute serious menace
to the successful execution Of move
ments Of vital Importance to an army
in the field
The quartermaster corps of an army
clothes, feeds; shelters and transports
the troops; !. It provides horses, mules
and the forage and equipment for
them; It furnishes stoves, fuel and
light; constructs roads, bridges,
railroads, barracks, warehouses, docks
and wharves; charters ships, tugs and
other means of water carriage; pays
officers, men and other employees;
furnishes transportation for all ma
terial Of war; supplies tentage, cots,
bedding, incinerators, and in fact
everything for the upkeep of an army
with the exception Of arms, ammuni-
ton, medical supplies, engineer and
signal property. And of these mani
fold duties none is Of more vital i'm
portance than that Of subsisting the
troops: l -
The congress will take up this
winter the problem Of strengthening
the national defenses by an increase
In the regular army and navy and
by the raising Of a force of volun-
teer reserve troops.
II We are to provide for the rails
ing of a great army to be used in
emergency, by all means let us heed
the advice of Colonel Mccarthy and
make provision for corps Of quar-
terrnasters who are trained to their
duties, and not send our young man
hood forth to suffer from the gross
inefficiency Of a horde Of political
appointees who are dumped onto the
quartermaster corps At the last min.