Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-04
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Efficiency Is ut o discount. Initiative
is q crime worse than q crime, Q
blunder"-to quote Napoleon.
Rotation In responsibility, rather thar
ability. is the only test OF virtue, anc
virtue Is its own reward"
Imagine such principles as the basis
Of policy In any great civilian enter
prise, such as q manufacturing or COM
mercial concern, where great response.
bilities rest upon experience, demon
strated ability and technical knowledge
AEk*
It was In something like that tone Of
challenge that certain Army ofacers
have been heard to comment, this week
upon the enforcement Of the four-year-
and-out rule of the Army, as applied tt
the chief of Infantry and chief d
Chemical Warfare. This rule was con.
ceived by Secretary Davis OF the Wal
Department, in 1927, and Is followed
today by the general staff, In the rota'
ton Of heads of departments OF the
Army, regardless Of successful admin
istration by the incumbents.
While the rotated victims are estOppec
from protest, under military discipline
the storm Of criticism is gathering, and
it threatens thunder and lightning alc
wind and o. downpour, when Congress
comes to consider ratification of the
proposed requirements. All promotions
are conditional upon ratification b
Congress.
Then will come, also, reopening Of
the whole question Of method OF adj
vancement in the Army--a method nov
under which o second lieutenant who
has failed to qualify upon examination
as At for first lieutenancy may rani
higher than . captain who served q
the front in the World War, II 1t b.
discovered that he has been in the Reg.
ular Army service just one day longer
than the emergency captain. Then,
mayhap, the captain will salute the
latter finds that the captains quarters
are more elegant than those of the
seniority ofiicer (the aforesaid Regular
Army shavetail), Of course, the captain
must step aside. being outranked BY
seniority, Just as he would in case q
major general coveted his quarters o.
other emoluments.
It Is recognized that conditions o.
peace and Of war demand different
standards. War demands production o.
results and immediate &C
ton. Peace demands research and de
velopment along broader lines. Senior
ity can be given little consideration
when q battle is imminent: then onl.
fitness to win Is of any Importance. II
peace seniority is the condition prece
dent In establishing merit. It Is thu
whole basis of promotion.
On the other hand, according to
high-ranking authority, seniority alon'
tends to stagnation. 1t should bt
counted, says this high ranking officer
as SO per cent In judging qualification
standards, but not 100 per cent, as u
the rule today, where only seniority, ant
not fitness, is the basis of promotions
The 1921 law stipulates that promotions
must be based on qualification" OF TIN
respective officers; it says nothing about
seniority, but the rule established by thu
Army Is that qualification" means
only seniority Of the Regular Army-no'
the emergency officers.
****
Since major generals are ousted be-
cause they have been permitted to servt
faithfully and efficiently In special lines
L for four years, the question is broachet
In Army circles as TO why the same rul'
should not apply to colonies and dowI
the ranks to privates. It would add K
the annual turnover and freshness O.
contacts and keep the Army in per
petual uncertainty and absence o
morale. This would be especially thu
case as to officers standing in the lis
| of, say, 1876 colonies, when mo. IT'S
jumps clear over the other It's colonel
into major generalship, even In TIM
of profound peace when no ernergenc!
makes such leap necessary, as in tim
of war.
So, according to the critics, the dali.
password becomes, 'Oh, what's the user
The clock runs just as fast for the Sc
niority Of Col. ponothing as II does 70
Mai. Alert, while Capt Initiative is IA
more likely to- cause antagonisnn b.
loyeractivity than If he sat tight ant
let the Army carry on as II likes. H,
lcan neither accelerate nor retard tn
lsun in Its course, nor the general stat
in It's fcur-year cycle. AS goes the say
ing In the nursery, GO hang and fay
down., seniority Nill AZ AL that "a