The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-09-20
CHIEF FAULT IN THE GENERAL
STAFF ARMY BILL POINTED
OUT BY THE EXPERTS.
BUREAU HEADS ARE SHIFTING
Army Officers Are Admittedly Not
Good at Business, Yet Would Be
Called On to Handle Sig Industrial
and Financial Affairs.
gv EDWARD 9. CLARK.

cauiZatiOn of the regular army. As
matter Of fact this bill outlines for the
United ) ates such u future military
policy as the authorities Of the war
department would like 10 see enacted
into law.
There are many reasons today why
a bill for the reorganization of the reg
ular army should be Of vitality greater
interest TO the people OF the United
States than ever before. The country
is divided into various camps OF opln-
ion on the subject of the army or the
future. The army has its viewpoint;
labor has its viewpoint; the man who
believes In sane preparedness has MS
viewpoint; The pacitist has his view
point. and the so-called antimilitarists
have their viewpoint. The army biz
as finally adopted will have marked
influence in the next presidential
campaign for the good or evil OF this
candidate or that candidate.
II Is not proper for one who has had
comparatively little military service
and Is far from being an expert along
| any military lines 10 attempt TO pass
Judgment on technical matters as they
| appear in this proposed legislation
| hut there has been one lesson drawn
| from this great war, and which II has
| been supposed everybody had learned,
| that seems on the face Of things, II
| is said. to have been ignored by the
| h. =
lation and sent IT 10 congress.
One Great Lesson Ignored.
II there was one thing which this
war taught more sharply and specif-
ically than II taught anything else 1t
was that army officers with their
training are not necessarily good bust
ness men. An American army officer.
as the records OF the regulars will
show from the time that the records
began. are good fighters, but that they
have business heads Of the leaders OF
great corporations no one need de.
ceive themselves In believing for
moment The officers themselves say
they are not good ut business" 1t IL
proposed In the bill now before con
gress that the chiefs or heads Of al
bureaus, and this means technical bu
reaus as well as others, shall be line
Observation-Disclosures. artillerymen, In
fantrymen. etc. without any fixed time
to remain IN office and consequently
subject 70 removal at any time.
Now. what does this mean? 1t means
that the duties Of the judge advOcat'
generals department. the finance de
partment, the motor transport corps
the ordnance department. the chem
zeal warfare service, the duties Of tn
signal corps. the tank corps and TIL
Quariermaster corps are to be per
formed by detail from the active fight
Ing service. ard that the men so dc
tailed are 10 hold their positions per
haps just long enough TO become eff
cient. and then possibly are to go bac
to the work from which they wer
called
Heretofore in the service the onl
fixed departments, so far as their pc
sonnet was concerned, were those G
surgery and medicine and the eng
neer corps. Ii is held by army of
GERS and civilians who have studio
the lessons of the war that there ar
other departments of the army whic
require personnel which shall
fixed In its tenure Of Office.
Domestic Problem Most Pressing.
A shadow came over the League {
Nations and the peace pact sitl
alton In the United States senat
on the day that President Wilso
wrote his answer and appeal {
the railroad shopmen. Interest in tn
. League Of Nations had been at the hig
:, water mark for weeks. Suddenly II
!, shadow passed over 1t and. temporary
at least. eclipsed II. for every official
Washington realized serious dome
tic situation had arisen which deman
ed immediate attention and. If pOss
a bic. a remedy.
The views concerning the matter
increased wages for the multitude
Americans who today are serving Il
I. government, indirectly at least. b
a | cause Uncle S1kl has ldheu nOlU
a certain hitherto privately-run corpor
tons. are various. but no one is TO
found who does not admit that Il
wage must be equal TO the deman,
p, of living comfortably and well, as
=, American citizen should live. 1t
recognized. however. In Washingtt
- that IL does not make any differen
= TO a man. so far as his power TO sa
:, is concerned. if he is getting $40 p
:, day and is spending 50. or is getti
f, s. per day and Is spending 81, py
vided, Of course. that the two c
penditures bring exactly the same
turn.
Advancing wages and advancing hi
costs of living have been called
vicious circle. The desire of the leg
= latorS is. of course. to clip the win
of soaring prices and yet keep wa2
= whore year ny year the wage-earu
- can save little more money. II
" said by some legislators in WaShir
;" ton today that the sellers of neceS