Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-09-09
From the Minneapolis Tribune:
THE GOSPEL OF PREPAREDNESS

ne UVOSEA VI N61 AnGON 110O.
The article upon the loss of
the Cervera squsdron, signed by .
high Spanish naval officer, and
in Revista, the semi
official organ of the marine de.
partment of Spain, is remarkable
and important document. It is
remarkable in its frank confession
of the inferiority Of Spanish ships
and Spanish gunners, and i'm.
portant in the conclusion it draws
that the American isystem is the
only one under which an effective
naval establishment can be main
tanned.
The writer defends Admiral Ger.
vera and commends the bravery of
himself and his man, averring
that they did the best they could
under the circumstances and as
well as nybody could have done
under similar con litions. After
going into details and showing the
on the Americans in
ships and guns, Ceryera's defender
adds: "The Americans have for a
year carried on constant exercises
in preparing for war, and for three
months there was not day that
they did not fire all their guns.
We have had but one target prac-
tice, and that over a year ago.
This was limited to expendlng
the least possible amount OF AM.
nj unition. Half of our vessels
had not cleaned their bottoms for
a year. The Americans are max
Ing constant voyages in all seas
with their vessels, so that they
have trained personnel for the
machinery. We have the greatest
scarcity of machinists, and hardly
any firemen at all. Our three
cruisers from Bilbao are of the
years 1890 to 1891. The majority
of the United States fighting
ships are of the years from 1898
70 last year."
In short the American navy was
up to date and it's crews thorough.
lv exercised and drilled. It cost
money to keep: Jour ships moving
sailing in all seas-and IN constant
gunnery practice, but when war
began the outlay was more than
repaid by the saving which the
skill thus acquired assured US in
ships and men. We did not lose
ship throughout the war, and we
lost q very few men in sea.fighting,
for which we must thank the per-
sonnet of our navy as much as the
perfection Of the machines which
they handled.
The superiority Of the American
navy is founded on sound business
pro position In the first place we
build a, good ship on modern lines;
then we equip it with the most
perfect up-to-date machinery, and
then We put aboard trained officers
and men and keep them in con.
slant practice in navigation, en-.
gineering and gannery. So when
t he fighting begins we are ready,
and our plans of campaign and
battle are worked out with
mathematical precision.
The gospel Of the navy is the
gospel of preparedness. So it
ought to be so long as we main.
tain q navy. The cost of maneu.
vering target practice should not
be considered, for without the
skill acquired from such practice
by the crews the ships would be
no more effective than old hulks,
and the guns no more effective
than pieces OF old iron.
1t is pity that the gospel of
preparedness could not be in doc.
trinated into the war department.
Such armies as we conclude to
maintain ought to be at all times
prepared to fight ''at the drop of
a hat" The cost of such equip.
lnent and active training will be-
more than repaid, when it comes
to war, by the ability it will con.
fer on the army to strike a quick
damaging blow and schieve .