The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-25
Now Let the House Concur.

The Senate's passage by an unexpected
and overwhelming majority, on WASHING
TONS birthday, of the new artillery bill,
was not only a splendid practical celebra-
tion of that day, but a significant i~llustra-
tion of the temper of the times. 1t followed
the reading of the immortal Farewell AID
dress, one of whose warnings to us was
that "timely disbursements to prepare for
danger frequently prevent greater disburse-
ments to repel it :" while the extraordinary
vote for the measure of 80 against 4 showed
that party distinctions had been broken
down under the demands of patriotism.
But the bill was fully worthy of this re.
markable demonstration in it's favor. AS
Senator HAwLEY put the case, while Con-
gress has voted the great sum of $31 ,OOO,-
600 for new coast defences, for which hum
dreds of guns and mortars will soon be in
position, scores of them being already
mounted, it has not added a single officer
or man to man them.
The five regiments of artillery now exist
ing were based on the needs of a quarter of
a century ago, when there were no high.
power modern steel guns, and when the
new batteries now built or building all
along the seaboard were not even thought of.
In the case of the nav we have had a parallel
reconstruction on modern lines; but for the
new ships, with their costly mechanism of
engines and batteries, we have wisely pro-
vided thousands of additional men, and the
naval bill now under consideration even
contemplates adding 1,400 more. Congress
has seen that it would be folly to lay
out scores of millions on these new ships
without giving them men enough to care
for them.
The creation OF these two artillery regi-
ments will be proportionately a much less
increase of the army than the navy has en-.
joyed already. The past and proposed in.
crease of the personnel of the navy amounts
to more han so per cent, whereas that of
the army now proposed is not only a mere
fraction of the naval increase, but is actually
only a little over 9 per cent. of the present
enlisted strength of the army. The law
now allows 5000 enlisted men and, in
addition, 700 for the hospital corps; while
Senator HAwLEY's bill adds only 1910
men to that maximum.
There are, it is said, over q hundred
separate Notifications built, building, or
projected. The artillery force of seven reg
iments now proposed could not man them
all, but it could take care of them by send
ing out detachments, and 1t would furnish
the nucleus of trained men for war needs.
The skilled artilleryman of to-day rcquires
far more advanced and careful instruction
than his predecessor of former times, and
we cannott trust to cXtcmporizing the proper
force from raw recruits. Apart from the
vital necessity Of accurate fire against n
swiftly moving fleet attempting to run by
batteries, even the waste of money by un.
trained gunner2, both in peace md war, is
worth considering, and the War Depart
mcnt once illustrated it by thus reckon.
ing the cost Of single rounds From the
S-iuch rife, TlGI.55; from the lO-inch,
N344.4O: from the l2-inch, 1861 40; from
tbs l2-inch mortar, T2lo.G5; from the s.
inch pneumatic gun, $3.50; from the Is.
inch. $3.50.
The artillery, also, now has two First
L~ieutenants 70 a battery, while the new