Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-07-25
GENERAL STAFF
MOVEMENTS
Army Ha. Men 10 Advise and
Manage Il Just y All Saccess-
ful Corporations and Law
Firms Have.
of our hundred millions of pop

n ulatiou know the nature OF the
general staff corps. that division
.h,ch is generally called ''the brains OF
he army" And while 1t Is an intri-
ate organization there Is really no
mystery about II
Every business organization OF any
inheritance has its general stat. as
have all considerable railroads, all
large law firms and engineering firms.
Their lob IL to investigate. form expert
opiniou upon aud place ut the disposal
~ the chief whom they serve plans for
doing well the jobs In hard and for
doing better the jobs still to come
Thus every law firm has employees aud
eyen partners who never have been
known to make an argument before
court or jury, but who prepare and
arrange arguments OF arrange adjust
meuts which others use or carry
Though
General staff In ALI Business.
IN any large business you will find
men who are constantly at work study
iag materials. machines. processes.
competitors successes. whom the gen.
eral manager of the company directs
and whose advice Is very nearly law
10 them. Every hospital has on It's
staff experts In diagnosis. In bacteriol-
ogy. III this disease and that operation.
who form It's general staff. And the
Pasteur institute. the Rockefeller insti-
tuie aud all the other laboratories
where plans. methods. judgments OF
carrying on the warfare against dis
ease are being worked out might fair.
Is he called the general staff corps of
the nations department OF health. The
general STAFF principle Is. In word.
Just this: Use Of the best brains avail
able to guide and aid the leaders OF ac-
ton.
The army's need for general stat
Is not SO recent as our civilian igno-
rance Of what war Is leads US to sup
pose. Ii is-to army men very far
cry from the Indian fighting and Phil
ipplne fighting warfare which TO you
and me until 1910 war signiiied our
devoted service men land very few
thinkers among the political leaders,
realized many years ago that war Is
no, any longer matter of policing a
few tubcrcuious hands OF Indians
II Is not just since Aug 4. 1914, that
our army men have been aware that
war demands officers practlced In
maneuvering with large fleets or large
troop units, demands an organization
firm aud flexible. requires a supply de-
partment manned and managed as
soundly as a railroad company. calls
for signal corps, field railroad building
corps, engineer corps. air service corps
OF men highly trained and used to
working together under military dis
clpl!ne, Elihn Root recognized this,
II is due 10 his efforts that the genera!
staff corps OF the United States army
was formed That corps has never ex
eeeded sfty officers. A larger corps
would have required larger appropria-
tons. and our congress, which Is the
body that decides upon this highly i'm
portant matter. had other plans for
Spending.
The peace value OF the general staff
is-if that be possihle-even greater
than its value In war. By doing Its
duty Of bringing the materiai-the
guns. supply OF shells and everything
else. from aeroplanes to intrenching
tools-and the personnel-of'icers and
troops-up To the highest point OF ETH.
cheney and finally by planning the op-
erations OF defense with careful knowl-
edge of all probable theaters. the gen
eral staT corps makes certain In ad-
vance as far as IL humanity possible sew
eral OF the factors that will decide the
result OF the great early battles Of
war. IL Is, of course. clear that In
modern wars such early hattles-as.
Tor example. the Marne-may settle
The fate OF nations regardless of all
later efforts. Not French spirit only
could have held the invader at the
Marine. Ii was French preparedness
that saved France and Belgium and
the British empire by the bank OF that
river.
Some Subdivisions.
The gist OF the United States gen
eral stan law il an order TO that corps
to do exactly what other STATS are ex-
pected to do-to get officers. troops
and all their instruments and sup
plies up to the highest point OF effec-
uveness for instant war service and
to plan the operations OF defense. No
one, however unblessed with a sense
OF proportion, will call this a small
order for any corps in any group OF
men In any land. When one stops to
consider the lack OF respect for the
expert, the contempt of legal orders
10 this country. the unwillingness for
discipline and preference for happy