Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-04-01
MAY II. 1915.

promotion of officers is thus in the
hands of the governor. and military
efficiency has been the reason for the
advancement of officers. The results
have beer satisfactory in the extreme
and constant improvements in the
corps of officers are taking place. In
my last report to the war department
characterized the corps Of officers
as an efficient body Of men. This eff.
ficiency is due in great measure to
the system under which the officers
are appointed and promoted, and this
system, improved and elaborated so
as continually to require more mill
tary efficiency from the officers will,
in my humble opinion, continue to be
satisfactory, so far as the require
ments Of the war department are con.
cerned."
Animus Is Charged.
Again in his November report he
says:
The past inefficiency OF the Ma
tional Guard of Hawaii as an organi-
zation has not been due to the char
acter of the officers. and men, or to
notable and exceptional local condi-
tions. The fault has been at the
head. To inefficieney and politics at
the head may be traced all the other
evils that have made efficiency unat-
tainable. To this fountain source may
be traced directly the appointment of
inefficient and Indifferent field Off
GERS, slackness on the part of officers,
and non-attendance at drill on the
part OF enlisted men; poor target
practise, and the not obtaining suit
able range facilities. Politics instead
of efficiency, attention to how the
men vote instead of how they perform
their duties, has been the basic evil
of this organization in the past"
The animus displayed in the reports
of May II, 1916, and November II,
1915, as appears above, is only
equalled by the very apparent anxiety
to perform service, as will appear by
the following excerpts from the report
of November IL, 1915, aforesaid:
Such being the past and present
condition of the National Guard of
Hawaii, it is well to look into the fu-
ture prospects of its permanency and
future efficiency. At once its past
history looms up, as something prob
ably to be repeated And that history
has been full of politics.
SO long as the present governor
holds office, and the present adjutant
general. serves under him, will there
be no politics, and great strides toward
efficiency. But there is the president
ial election coming on next year;
there might be change of admins
tration at that time. Some accident
might happen to the governor-any-
thing that might cause another COVER
nor to be appointed. Looking over
the political field, and the candidates
for governor from both parties, il is
practically certain that the next gov
ernor, no matter what his party, will
at once issue orders to convert the
National Guard of Hawaii into po-
litical machine that will vote right.
And this means that all the officers
so carefully selected will resign and
their places be taken by party men.
The National Guard of Hawaii will
become rotten to the core. The old
shiftless, Indifferent political organi-
zations of the past will be the type of
the future.
His temperament is SO specially
adapted to this kind of work that it is
an easy prophecy to make that with
Col Johnson at the lead of the Ma
tional Guard OF Hawaii, it will soon
become the best National Guard in
the country. There is no other man
in the territory who can fill his place,
or hold all the different nationalities
and peoples together. He is fireplace
able'' RI. -.
The officers Should be appointed by
the president. Owing TO the dearth of
material for higher commanders, regi-
mental and higher commanders should
be regular army officers, except the
office OF Commanding General, which
should be given to Colonel johnson.
He can hold these people together, and
give more. stability and efficiency to
the whole, than any army officer, He
is better qualified to deal with this
peculiar class of volunteer troops than
any army officer know" -.
Extract from letter appearing in
said report of November IL, 1850
Honolulu, Nov IL, 1915.
THE Endau Development Company,
Ltd. ~
Il hasten to inform you to this effect
after carefully noting your reply and
to state my position definitely and
positively on this subject, namely, that
should receive the appointment by
the president of the United States of
brigadier-general in charge of the Ma
tional Guard of Hawaii. which am
II liberty to state special endeayor