New-York tribune., 1920-01-02

enough officers Of high rank to perform
the necessary duties assigned to them.
Such a plan would perhaps be alb
stractly just if seniority and length
of commissioned service is to be taken
as the basis of promotion, but it would
not be efficient and obviously would
not be an assignment of rank in ac-
cordance with the laws which the Con-
gress from time to time has made OF
the subject Notifications of that thor
oughgoing plan all fall short Of being
abstractly just, and therefore would
not accomplish any such general salts
faction as is the desire of those who
press for rank readjustment under this
bill.
Not to Overload Service
~ have examined the hearings be-
fore the Senate Military Affairs Com
bill No. 1922 was under consideration.
Several members Of the committee
were much concerned lest the passage
of this bill in such general language
would be construed as authority to the
War Department to overload the SER
vice with rank, and was asked num-
Der of questions, both by Senator
Wadsworth and other Senator's on the
subject.
"For instance, Senator Wadsworth
said: you could keep 1000 emergency
colonels,' to which I answered: Yes,
but, of course, that would not happen.
What we would do would be to keep
the men in the rank in which they
now are, or which is appropriate to the
work which is to be done Later in
the hearing Senator Wadsworth pressed
me for assurance and explanation as
to the intention Of the department,
and | said:
az am willing to engage with the
committee that we will not promote
simply in recognition of past services,
but we will make such promotions only
as are appropriate to the responsibility
Of the task according to the general
understanding OF these things and
later, in response to further questions,
| said: I have not the slightest in
tentlon of engaging in any general
promotion scheme Later Senator
johnson expressed the judgment that
promotions ought to be, at best, tenn
porary, and l responded: Temporary
aid few
Only for Transitional Period
From these questions and others
throughout the record 1t is clear that
gave the committee to understand
that we We're asking for these officers
solely for the purpose Of enabling the
department and the army to carry out
the transitional task Of rehabilitation,
pending permanent legislation by the
congress, which would reorganize and
reconstruct the military establishment.
"lt is suggested that the committees
OF the Congress themselves have
arrived at fairly definite plan for
single llsu promotion, involving to
some extent rank readjustment. That
may be SO, but no such legislation has
as yet been enacted. l am, therefore.
clear that we ought not to denote and
Teappolnt to emergency rank regular
army officers, but ought to retain in
then emergency rank such officers as
nave oeen appointed thereto and are
needed in their several emergency
grades to do the work in hard reducing
'heln to their regular army rank as
rapidly as the emergency work commit
ted to them is accomp ishcd.
This will not regard the $4,000
ofncer bill as authority to hold 1900
onicefs Tor year in any event, but
VIII authorize us to hold as many Off
GERS not exceeding $4,000 as NAV be
needed and will impose upon us the
Gu.y of demoblizing officers and re-
umclhg the emergency rank Of regular
oncers IN the group OF $4,000 as rap
dly as IS consistent with the tranasac-
tion of the public business.
Up to Congress to Act
A frank adoption of this policy will
notify both the army and the Congress-
that the War Department has not at
tempted to readjust inequalities of
rank, and if the Congress has any de-
sire to bring about such q readjustment
1t Will incorporate it in it's legislation.
and will not be embarrassed by the
creation of a situation out of these
temporary missions which is at va
rance with that created by law; in
other words, we will leave the situa-
ton as it is, the Congress having
perfectly free hand to deal with it
embarrassed by any attempt on the
part or the War Department either to
create new plan of its own or to
Congressional action in the
matter of equalization of promotion.
Il should be glad to have you issue
an order modifying the order out
standing, and accompany it with such
legislation as will notify the army that
the $4,000 officer bill is to be regarded
merely as an emergency measure, and
that temporary rank held under it or
promotions made under it will be
deemed to have no effect upon the ap-
p]ication Of any law which the Con
gress may hereafter enact looking to |
equalization of promotion in the sew ,
eral arms, should such work be under /
taken"
With this decision as basis, the
chief of staff issued the following
order:
UNo,,r+r.,4 .u~.. r.;: