Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-02-12
GENERAL STAFF
PUT ON WAR BASIS
SECRETARY EAkER ANNOUNCES
COMPLETE REORGANIZATION
OF ARMY DIRECTORS.
TRAINED MEN TO sCSS
DETAILS OF WAR CAMPAIGN
Order Creates Five Divisions Of Cen
eral carbohydrates and Much Fed
Tape to Be Eliminate -Onc Civisio on
to Decide on Methods Of Warfare--
High Post For Cocktails.

WASHINGTON, Feb l.. Secretary OF
War Baker arurrnc.d complete re-
organization and strengthening OF the
general staff
! In ge@"f.t rider the secretary re-
stores the : lrr.I SIAN TO ':,-'iun
of supreme .u''. !, under his i .~"ction.
OF all bureaus Al Other rpartr.emtal
agencies AVID D.. all activities corr eCt-
I'd with tn ,.r22n.zat!on. equipment,
employ men. and transportation OF the
land froccs Of the United States.
The general .i,ur hencefor.2 VIII he
! responsible for the effective admits
tration ana coordination Of al var
| department agencies.
Means Zeal Step Forward.
If the rcoIEanizaticr is carried out
on the lines lad down ~ the seer
t1ry there g n" doubt -ha' t vii, nc
hailed as real step +or' nd TIE
development OF the general staff into
an expert bod: OF war uaHag"!s hl>-
Ing comn'ete control Of the military
establishment. is a step which. i -
asserted. should have h5"n taken not
later than lho declaration 90 war on
Germany and which MAS nt,iy urged
at the time.
Despite President Wilson's opposi
ton "a the hills creating war cabinet
and a director Of munitions. the re-
organization Of the general staff and
of the ordnance bureau and quarter
master generals bureau demonstrate
that the administration has yielded 70
the !nslstent demands for greater eff
cicncy in the conduct Of the war
General March Is Very Able.
The advocates OF a war cabinet bill
contend cha: hey merely propose co..
ordination OF ali the war making a-on-
ciAs Of the government under a board
nf MANAGERS in daily session. exactly
as the secretary Of war now announces
that the war Departments functions
are % he cO-ordinated under q reOrcan-
ICED and tremendously enlarged gen.
eral staff.
General March. who has been selected
for chief Of staff is one Of the ablest
officers in the army. When he returns
from France to take charge he will
find the machinery provided for more
effective dmin!stration of the war de-
partment.
GoethaIs to Get High Post.
The REORGANIZATION Of the general
staff viii bring in its train a general
shakeup in the existing bureaus of the
war department General Goethals, who
is acting quartermaster general and
director OF storage and transportation,
is slated for place in the new organi-
- - no
chase and supply division or the stor-
age and traffic division Of The general
staff
For The chiefs OF all the FIVE divisions
created and for the subordinate per-
sonnet officers vii! be drawn from the
bureaus and from the field. Each chief
of a division will be an assistant 10 the
chief OF staff. with full power 20 act
eor the secretary Of war and the chief
Of staff upon all matters charged to
his division"
Under the reorganization. the recently
created departmental war council Will
merely assist the chief Of staff in all
matters relating to the military es-
Enlistment"
To Coordinate Army Program.
THE chief Of the general staff Sec
rotary Baker says" exercises such SUI
pervising and CO. ordi1ating powers and
secures such information as his judy
ment may dictate to the end that the
war policies Of the secretary OF war
may be harm oniously executed by the
several corps, bureaus. and all other
agencies Of the military establishment
and the army program to its last de-
tail be carried out speedily and effl-
GENTLY.
The planning of the army program