160 Admiral Dewey 



the actions, and especially upon the expenditures, of 

 the army and navy; but the present system is at 

 times altogether too complete, especially in war. 

 The efficiency of the quartermasters and commis 

 sary officers of the army in the war with Spain was 

 very seriously marred by their perfectly justifiable 

 fear that the slightest departure from the require 

 ments of the red-tape regulations of peace would 

 result in the docking of their own pay by men more 

 concerned in enforcing the letter of the law than in 

 seeing the army clothed and fed, In the navy, be 

 fore the passage of the Personnel Bill, a positive 

 premium was put on a man's doing nothing but keep 

 out of trouble; for if only he could avoid a court- 

 martial, his promotions would take care of them 

 selves, so that from the selfish standpoint no pos 

 sible good could come to him from taking risks, 

 while they might cause him very great harm. The 

 best officers in the service recognized the menace 

 that this state of affairs meant to the service, and 

 strove to counterbalance it in evWy way. No small 

 part of the good done by the admirable War Col 

 lege, under Captains Mahan, Taylor, and Goodrich, 

 lay in their insistence upon the need of the naval 

 officer's instantly accepting responsibility in any 

 crisis, and doing what was best for the flag, even 

 though it was probable the action might be dis 

 avowed by his immediate superiors, and though it 



