The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1919-09-19
By EpWARD B. CLARK

By EDWARD 3. CLARK.
WasAiHs;un.-Ihe general staff has
sent To congress bill for the rear-
ganizatiou of the regular army. As IA
matter Of fact his bin outlines for Tile
United safes such a future military
policy rs the authorities of the war
department would like 10 see enacted
into law.
There are many reasons today why
bill for the reorganization of the reg
ular army should be Of vitality greater
interest 70 the people Of the United
States than ever before. The country
Is divided into various camps of eBln-
Ion on the subject of the army Of the
future. The army has Its Viewpoint
labor has its viewpoint; the man who
believes IN sane preparedness has his
viewpoint; The paeifist has his view
point. and the so-called antlmllitarIsts
have their viewpoint. The army bill
as finally adopted will have a marked
influence In the next presidential
campaign for the good or evil Of this
candidate or that candidate.
comparatively little military service
and is far from being an expert along
any military lines to attempt to pass
Judgment on technical matters us they
appear In this proposed legislation,
but there has been one lesson drawn
from this great war and which 1t has
been supposed everybody had learned
that seems on the face of things. II
Is said. to have been ignored by the
army authorities who drew this legis-
lation and sent 1t to congress.
One Great Lesson ignored
II there was one thing which this
war taught more sharply and specif
ically than it taught anything else It
N8s that army officers with their
training are not necessarily good busi-
ness men. An American army officer
us 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
TREY are not good at business" II Is
proposed In the bill now before CON
gress that tie chiefs or heads of all
bureaus, and this means technical bu-
reaus as well as others, shall be line
oilicers-cavalrymen, artillerymen, in
fantrymen, etc, without any fixed time
TO remain In office and consequently
subject 10 removal at any time.
Now. what does this mean? 1t means
that the duties of the Judge advocate
generals department., the finance de-
partment the motor transport CORPS
the ordnance department. the chem
icel warfare service the duties of the
signal corps, the tank corps and the
Quarterlnaster corps are to be per-
formed by detail from the active fight.
ing service, and that the men so de-
tailed are to hold their positions per-
haps just long enough to become eff
cient, and then possibly are to go back
to the work from which they were
called
Heretofore in the service the only
fixed Departments, so far as their per-
sonnet was concerned, were those of
surgery and medicine and the engi-
neer corps. 1t is held by army off
GERS and civilians who have studied
the lessons of the war that there are
other departments of the army which
require a personnel which shall be
fixed In its tenure of office.
Domestic Problem Most Pressing.
shadow came over the League of
Nations and the peace pact stu
alton in the United States senate
on the day that President Wilson
wrote his answer and appeal to
the railroad shopmen. Interest in the
League of Nations had been AZ the high
water mark for weeks. Suddenly the
shadow passed over 1t and, temporarily
at least, eelipsed 1t, for every official IN
Washington realized a serious domes=
tic situation had arisen which demand
ed immediate attention and, If posi-
Bile, a remedy.
The views concerning the matter o.
increased wages for the multitude Of
Americans who today are serving the
governments IHuiItttly ut icdSl, De
cause Uncle Sam has taken hold of
certain hitherto privately-run corpora
tons. are various. but no one is to be
found who does not admit that the
wage must be equal to the demands
of living comfortably and well, as IN
American citizen should live It is
recognized, however, In Washington
that II does not make any difference
TO a man so far as his power to save
Is concerned, if he is getting $40 per
day and is spending 50. or is getting
s. per day and IS spending 81. pro-
vided, of course, that the two ex-
pcndltures bring exactly the same re-
turn.
Advancing wages and advancing high
costs of living have been called
vicious circle The desire of the legis-
lators IS. of course, to clip the wings
Of soaring prices and yet keep wages
where year by year the wase-earner
can save a little more money. Ii is
said hg some legislators in Washing
ton today that the sellers of necessity