Semi-weekly herald., 1916-01-17
COMPARISON WITH EUROPE.

A well versed critic is comparing
the military branch of the govern
nient with that of Europe. He shows
that our men and officers lack in
many ways. But why make compar-
isons of the officers and privates
Why not look at the cabinet officers?
What can be expected when men like
Garrison and Daniels are placed at
the heads of the war and navy depart
ments? But let as follow the critic in
some Of his comparisons. He says;
Taking siNty-five men as an aver
age to company, we have almost
three times the ratio of officers of
any European army. That ratio is
one commissioned officer to fifty
men, which is generally accepted in
all services as the right proportion.
We boast that the average Ameri-
can is more intelligent than the arev-
age European. That being true, why
do we aeed more than two officers
for every fifty men instead of one?
is it because West Point does not
turn out as good a type of st. Cry
in France and Sandburst in England? :?
Is it because the American soldier
is more stupid and takes more time to
earn his drill? No. West Point
the most thoro of military schools
1t is because our system is wrong,
out Of date, and wholly stultified by
he experience of this great war
When our officers who have been
With the French or German army re-
turn home, they always say: you
have no idea how hard those fellows
work on the other side"
They must. The nation demands
It of them. They must IN order to
keep up with modern requirements.
| they cannot escape working. 1t is
The custom the requirement. Be
fore this war the German officer and
the French officer worked eight hours
a day. There is not more than three
hours work a day for the average
infantry officer in an American post.
Any additional industry is due to his
individual initiative. The amazing
thing is that he can retain anything at
all. 1t is not his fault, let it be said
again, but that OF the system which
IN the face of all the experience of
Europe; for Europe does know how
TO make war. She may learn indus
trial efficiency from US, but we can
learn war efficiency from her. Our
officers would be the most indus
! trious in the world-it is the Ameri-
can nature-if they had anything to
be Industrious with.
They get about double the pay of
British officers, about three times the
pay of French and German officers.
A boy Of l6 can go penniless to West
Point and from the day he enters
1t does not cost his parents a cent.
If he went to Harvard or Yale, they
would be paying five or six thousand
dollars for him before he was equip
ped for any profession. Yet there has
been no great rush Of young men
to West Point. The atrly mas not
been popular with our youth.
From the day a young man is
graduated from West Point, he is
secure SO far as livelihood is CON
cerned. He has only to escape
court martial in order to retire at
siXty-three on sufficient pay to
keep him comfortably to the end of
his days. The nation gives him
sinecure. All it requires of him is
to lead a quiet life and never ex-
press an opinion at an army post
which is isolated because congress
slonal representation in that part of
the country wants its share of the
upkeep of the army. If Jones is
f~AeAhhsAA'h .AAlitAfA VI A2AiiAAilf Alltn JOntS
will be the first to become n captain,
major or brigader general ltdoesn'.
matter if Jones Eoes to seed--if he
becomes -mindei-he is nailed to
n moving platform NThich viii bring
him to the top in regular order. Fancy
applying this system to civil life and
expecting efficiency! Fancy a young
engineer entering one of our corpora
tions and being assured that he would
rise to become general manager
without regard to his individual eff
cinecy. But that is the method of
our army.
In the German army il you fail,
you get n note from the kaiser.
thanking you for your services and
stating that they are no longer re-
quired. In six months after the be-
ginning of this war, about seventy
French generals lost their places be-
cause they failed. If we went TO |
war. the same thing must happen.
The Germans do not wait on war for
elimination. They clean away dead
tissue before II commences.