The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-06-04
MANY COLONIES AND CAPTAINS
WILL RECEIVE PROMOTION
TO HIGHER RAM.
PRESIDENT MAY CHOOSE ANY
When War Ends, Young Captains Who
Are Promoted to High Positions
Will Go Back to Their Normal
Grades.
By EDWARD q. CLARK.

BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
Washington.-Presi Wilson is
about to appoint IL or II brigadier
generals of the regular army, and one
major general for each three brigadier
generals. Later the president will ap-
point great many more officers to
general rank which they will hold
while In command of troops of the new
army.
For every brigadier general that is
made In the regular army, advance
ment, of course, comes all down the
line because Of the vacancy which Is
created above. With the expansion of
the regular army to force of nearly
100000 men there will be need for a
great many additional field officers and
for scores of captains. The subordinate
officers of the regular army will be
given quick advancement, not all Of
which will be dependent upon the ere
alton Of new brigadier general and ma
tor generalships.
So far as the regular army Is con-
cerned, 1t may be that the promotions
to the brigadier general rank will be
made from the ranks Of the colonies Of
the service. 1t does not follow neces-
sarily, however that the ranking colo
nels will be taken, for the president If
he wishes in time of war can take any
soldier that he chooses and make of
him brigadier general, and this re-
CARELESS of the rank which the soldier
holds. .
To fill the higher positions in the
new army which is to be raised, the
president probably will be guided by
what may be called "selective conscrip-
tion," or in other words he probably
will pick his men for the higher grades
on the advice of the ranking officers of
the army who have studied the careers
of the officers subordinate to them dur
ing the years past.
Generals for the War Only.
So 1t is that there is chance that
some young captains in the regular
army today may find themselves for
the period of the war, at least, in COM
mand Of brigades of the new army.
When the war is over, the understand
ing is, these officers temporarily filling
high positions will go back into the
regular service to take the positions to
which they would be entitled by time
and promotion If they had continued
to serve in the regulars. A captain
who is made brigadier general of the
new army would at the end of the war
probably 60 back into the regulars as
a major or, If promotion has been fair
ly rapid, as lieutenant colonel.
There are colonies in the army who
never have seen service in Washington
who are better fitted for promotion in
the regulars probably than some colo
nels who have seen long service in the
capital. The question Is whether or
not the presidents high army advisers
will he moved in their recommends
lions for advancement by mere prOpin-
guilty.
Is the colonel who is known in Wash
ington socially, and perhaps because Of
his good staff work, to be made brig
adler general in advance of the colonel
who never sat at desk in Washington
and who never has viewed the golf
links from the veranda of the Chevy
Chase club?
Personal Element Enters.
It should be said, however, that the
mere fact that colonel has served in
Washington long time and has played
golf at Chevy Chase or has sat on its
veranda drinking the ambrosial tea at
sharp four in the afternoon, does not
prevent his being better soldier than
the man who has been at Fort Woolly
Woolly in the wild West most of his
career. Desk work, planning work and
advisory work are just as necessary in
the army as field work and this fact
is well recognized by army men and
civilians.
There is, however another side to
the matter. It was not so long ago
that good many army officers owed
their details to Washington to what
the vulgar politician would call pull"
1t was hard to dislodge some of these
gentlemen. Things are much better
now because the so-called Manchu law
and few other things have tended to
bring rotation in duty
It is still true, however, that with
the four years detail at Washington
the men so detailed get into personal
touch with influential ones and the
personal element enters into army life
as 1t enters into everything else. So,
generally speaking, it is likely that the
soldier on duty in Washington will
have a shade the better of the man
who has never seen Washington when
1t comes to a question Of promotion to
general rank.