Evening star., 1918-01-27
Ne,us of the Army and Many

! The Marine Corps has been enlisted to
its full strength, and, unless Congress
1 authorizes an In
Let the crease In the num-
Marines GROW. ton, the superb
training machinery Of the outfit VIII have
to remain inactive, as it has about ended
its purpose of getting the marine con-
tingent ready for foreign service.
The Marine Corps has established three
schools, not of mushroom growth. Tor
training the men that have given the
! esprit de corps to the organization.
The first Of these is at Mare Island, Cal.
This camp will accommodate 5000 men.
At Paris Island. 8. c., the corps has To-
Gated a second camp. one that will con-
tain 5000 recruits, but the remarkable
camp Of the marines Is at Quantico. va
This camp has everything needed ior
10. 600 men; to care for them when they
enter the place, and from tnat uine on
until they are ready for the flnal toucnes
the corps has constructed wonderful sys-
TENS Of trenches, and have PROVIDED
whatever may be needed to instruct
the recruits in the most advanced ways
of attacking them.
To make the course at this camp as
effective as possible. the corps has built
up one of the most efficient bodies OF
training officers in the country, 1nclud-
in some of its own best men and sew
eral veteran Canadians who give the lat
est advices from roabad in the gentle
art of wallopins an enemy.
These facilities make 1t easy Tor the
marines to equip and train another 3o,-
600 men, and 1t goes without saying
n}Nd q
part of Congress to tell them to use
their machinery while 1t is In smooth
running order to turn out another lot
of men of the same stuff as themselves
as soon as they can undertake the job.
always ready" All they wait for is
Such is the popularity of the marines
that its officers believe there would be
no difficulty to recruit another $4,000
thorized to oil the machinery and put
1t in motion to turn out another finished
body Of fighting men.
81
Secretary Baker, by his report to the
military committee, forced the sena-
tors, in their search
The Reason and for facts. to raise the
cover; and the truth
the Remedy. that the military
administration has been inefficient in
some places-came out.
It is futile here to consider the rea-
sons for the failures, except for the
sake of finding the remedies; but for
that purpose it is well worth while to
look into the fundamental causes. some
of which are within and some without
the War Department.
+ X
The American people are not a race
of warriors: they have never adopted
a rational military pol
The Reasons icy, and in consequence
-, war found the country
"ASA1A' with an antiquated 6usi- |
ness method in the War Department.
with no reserves of ordnance or quar-
termaster's stores, with no Army worth !
and general staff deprived
of authority.
The attempt to expand the admin
istrative side Of the Army. and to sup
plement it with business knowledgeJ
through civilian committees is an
obvious makeshift so plain that the
taken to reorganize the two great pur-
chasing bureaus, ordnance and the
quartermaster generals Office.
The War Departments sole object
should be the creation. equipment and
complish this it should be reorganized
under a strong aggressive type of
man. who could hold every one under
him responsible for his work. with no
should be strengthened in numbers,
quality and authority. so that in the
name Of the Secretary it can conduct
partment. With munitions supplied.
such an organization could soon put
the camps and cantonments in condi-
ton.
+ X
But the more serious war problems
are found without the department. Ad-
miral B en- son two
The Problems years ago defined
modern war as the
WITHOUT. opposition of all the
resources of one country against those !
of another until the stronger or more
efficient shall have imposed its will
upon the other. The resources to be |
tions, manufactures, men, nsvies and
armies. and. above all, efficiency and
morale.
-
1t is not the job of the War De-
partment. the Navy. or Of civilian
committees to develop
The the resources, stimulate
production. appo rtion
Aemeoles. food or fuel. sustain
transportation and coordinate them
all for supplying the Army, Navy and
allied and domestic needs. That. il
the same principle of a union of au-
thority and responsibility be invoked,
should be lodged in an individual or
cabinet, charged with the making of
war program and enforcing its ex-
ecution; and liable to dismissal with
out excuse for failure to give results.
To supply munitions for the Army,
Navy and allies there should be
munitions director. He is not needed
for the Navy. nor for the Army, nor
for supplying the allies; but for them
all.
One should not conclude that Army