Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-05-22

ldea Inat everything would be all right
so far as the commissioned ranks were
concerned. The army, 1t Is held here.
however, will need officers and more
officers, and If all the willing men. and
men III whom the qualities of command
are latent and can be brought out, are
sent out with the first forces, 1t Is
asked If 1t is to be expected that out
of the ranks of the unwilling the Unit
ed States can get officers of spirit and
understanding.
sIackers Not Good officers.
Here is what an American soldier
has said:
mo Stacker ever made a good coli
onel, nor good second lieutenant, nor
good corporal. nor good private.
Sometimes the Stacker is only indiffer-
ent In temperament and when he gets
into the service he makes a good sol
der, but he needs proper leadership.
He could get it from the men Of will
ing spirit and adaptability to the les
sons of command. If all such men
had to be taken into the ranks at the
first and sent to Europe, there perhaps
to be killed or MANNED, who would be
left to give to the Stacker who is only
lethargic the proper training to make
of him good first line fighterf''
Some of our troops probably will go
quickly to Europe, but enough good
soldiers will stay here for training
purposes. When the troops of our
army get into the instruction camps
they will enter school which is diff
ferent in It's instruction and in its
methods from the army schools of an
other day. On the continent maneu-
vers, tactics and strategy have shown
marked changes from the battle and
campaignings of other years. Men
read daily of entanglements of barbed
wire and of obstacles to advance which
make the old pointed stake obstruc-
ton seem easy going. The American
troops will be trained to get over and
through things, no matter what they
are.
Wall-scaling is a comparatively easy
practice, but wall-scaling is the cas-
lest of the things which the recruit
soldiers of eight weeks standing will
be taught at the American camps Of
military instruction.
Generals in Their New Posts.
Maj. Gen. LeoLard Wood has gone
into headquarters at Charleston, S. c.,
to take command of the Southeastern
department.; Maj. Gen. j. Franklin
Bell has moved into the quarters just
vacated by General Wood at Govern
or's Island, and Brig. Gen. Clarence
r. Edwards has found station and
quarters as commander of the New
| England department with headQuar-
tiers at Boston.
So it is that May, the moving month
of Americans, has seen the first army
transportations probably solved. Gen
eral Wood, ranking officer of the Unit
ed States army has gone to his semi
subordinate command at Charleston
with loyalty to orders and cheer
fulness of demeanor that marks the
true soldier.
Major General Bell, who VIII find
that his predecessor; General Wood,
has set things in order for him in the
big New York department, is a soldier
of rare experience and rare attain
nent. 1t is understood that he feels
the responsibility which rests upon his
shoulders to make good in command
lit which superior officer made good.
General Edwards, who left his for
mer command on the Isthmian Canal
Zone two weeks ago, stopped in Wash
ington for a day and then went to
New York to confer with General
Wood, and thence he went to Boston
to take up the problems which will
confront him in the newly made de-
partment.
Edwards, like Bell, will discover that
Wood has helped him much. General
Woods former command included all
the eastern part of the United States.
The coast problems from the Gulf to
East Cape, Maine, were solved in large
part by the man who has gone to
Charleston.
New Problems Confront Them.
1t must not be thought, however,
| that the three general officers now on
the eastern coast and the other gen.
eral officers, PerShing in the South
west, Barry in Chicago, Sibert on the
Pacific coast and others elsewhere.
will not have new problems confront
ing them. great army is to be raised
and trained, and detachments of it will
go into camp at different places
throughout the United States. The re
sponsiblity for the proper training Of
these men, for the proper care, and for
turning them as quickly as possible in
to good soldiers will rest on the major
generals and brigadier generals in
whose departments the camps are
pitched.
The factors in the problem are many.
Some of them are prime factors and
before the solution comes the proper
methods to be followed in arriving at
the results must be determined. The
general officers of the United States
have q work in front of them upon
which may. depend victory or defeat
for democracy's war against despot-
ism.
Washington already is beginning to
speculate upon promotions for the
higher ranking officers of the army. 1t
seems to be assured that as soon as
great army is raised and gets into
service trim congress viii revive the
grade of lieutenant general and the
president will be asked to name Off
GERS for promotion to rank which to-
day, except on the retired list, is nom
existent.
1t seems to be generally agreed that
if three lieutenant generals are named
the rank will be given to Wood, Bell
and Barry and that if by any chance
fourth should be added. it will be
given TO Pershing. It-must be remem-