Preparing the Army for War
A plan is now being worked out in Washington by the heads of the War Department, which, if put into execution, as it probably will be, will Europeanize the American army, putting it in a condition to respond more quickly to any call that might come than it did at the outbreak of the Spanish war. The main feature of the plan is a centralized group of officers who shall have charge of the control and subsistence of the army, and be responsible for its efficiency and equipment. These duties are now divided among a number of bureaus which are under political control to a greater or less extent, and to this fact is charged the confusion which was so manifest at the outbreak of the late war. From the viewpoint of military expediency, there is no doubt that the new plan would be much better than the old, and it will probably take the place of the old, even tho a political appointee be given the nominal supervision. But the plan is of interest to us simply as an illustration of the continual advancement being made in the preparation for war which is seen in all parts of the world. There will be nothing lacking from a military point of view when the great battle is called, and that work of preparation is rapidly going on to completion.