Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-12-12

cure like permanence for the lesser among
the New World matte nations. @ WV
The work of upbuldlng the navy must be
steadily. continued. No one point OF our
policy, foreign domestic Is more impor-
tant than this to the honor and material
welfare, and above all to the peace. of our
nation in the future Whether we desire 1t
or not, we must henceforth recognize that
we have international duties no less than
International rights. Even II our flag were
hauled down in the Philippines and Porto
Rico, even il we decided not to build the
lsthmlan canal, we should need a thorough
ly trained navy OF adequate size. or else be
don the Idea that our nation Is among those
whose sons go down to the sea In ships.
Cniess our commerce Is always to be car
ried In foreign bottoms, we must have war
craft to protect 1t.
Inasmuch. however. as the American peo-
pie have no thought of abandoning the path,
upon which they have entered. and especial
ly In view Of the fact that the building Of
the isthmian canal is fast becoming one Of
the matters which the whole people are
united in demanding, it is imperative that
our navy should be put and kept in the
highest state of efficiency, and should be
made to answer to our growing needs.
There should be no cessation in the work
OF completing our navy. SO far ingenuity
tute for the great war craft whose hammer
ing guns beat out the mastery of the high
seas. It Is unsafe and unwise not to pro-
vide this year for several additional battle
ships and heavy armored cruisers, with aux-
iliary and lighter craft in proportion for
to the report of the secretary of the navy.
But there Is something we need even more
al officers and men. To provide battleships
and cruisers and then lay them up. with the
expectation Of leaving them unnamed un.
til they are needed in actual war, would be
worse than folly; 1t would lie crime
against the nation.
To send any warship against competent
enemy unless those aboard 1t have been
trained by years of actual service, In.
cluding incessant gunnery practice, would
be to invite not merely disaster, but the bite
to>est shame and humiliation. Four thou
sand additional seamen and 1000 addition
al marines should be provided.
We now have II battleships appropriated
for. of which nine are completed The re-
naming eight will be ready in from two to
four years. but 1t will take at least that
time to recruit and train the men to fight
them. 1t is of vast concern that we have
trained crews ready for the vessels by the
time they are commissioned.
The naval militia forces are state organi-
cations, and are trained for coast service,
and In event of war they will constitute the
inner line of defense. They should receive
hearty encouragement from the general gov
ernment.
But in addition we should at once provide
for national naval reserve, organized and
trained under the direction of the navy de-
partment. and subject to the call OF the
chief executive whenever war becomes I'm
minent. 1t should be n real auxiliary to
the naval sea-going peace establishment,
for manning our ships in time of war It
should be composed of graduates of the
naval academy: graduates of the naval mill
tia, officers and crews of coast-lne steamers,
lOngshore schOoners, fishing vessels, and
steam yachts. together with the coast popu-
lation about such centers as lfe-saying sta
THE ARMY
1t is not necessary to increase our army
beyond Its present size at this time But IL
Is necessary to keep it at the highest point
of efficiency. The individual units who as
officers and enlisted men compose this army
are, We have good reason to believe, at least
as efficient as those OF any other army In
the entire world. 1t is our duty to see that
their training is Of a kind to insure the
highest possible expression of power to these
units when acting in combination.
general staff should be created. AS for
the present staff and supply departments.
they should be filled by details from the line,
the men so detailed returning after while
to have the senior grades of the army COM
posed of men who have come to fill the POSI-
tenn should e be- ne adopted BY Which there shall
be an elimination grade by grade of those
who seem unfit to render Inc best service IN
the next grade. Justice to, the veterans OF
the civil war who are still In the army
would seem to require that in the matter OK
retirements they be given. by law the same
privileges accorded to their comrades In the
The process of elimination of the least nt
should be conducted in manner that would
render it impossible to apply political or So
cial pressure on behalf of any candidate,
so that each man may be judged purely ON
tion of civil officials for political reasons 10
bad enough, but 1t Is tenfold worse where
applied on behalf of officers of the army or
navy. Every promotion and every detail
under the war department must be made
solely with regard to the good OF the service
and to the capacity and merit Of the man
himself. No pressure. political, social, or
personal, of any kind, will be permitted to
exercise the least effect in any question or
promotion or detail.
Action should be taken in reference to the
militia and to the raising a of Iotu yoiuntee55
worthless. The organization and armament
of the national guard of the several states
which are treated as militia in the, appro-
tical with those provided for the regular
forces. The obligations and duties OF the
guard in time of war should be carefully de-
fined and a system established by law un-
der which the method of procedure of rails
ing volunteer forces should be prescribed In
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
The merit system of making appointments
is in its essence as democratic and Amerl.
can as the common school system itself. IL
simply means that in clerical and other po-
sitions where the duties are entirely nom
political. all applicants should have fair
field and no favor, each standing on hls
merits he is able to SHOW them by Prae
tions offer the only available means IN many
cases for APPLYING this system In other
system of registration undoubtedly can be
widely extended. There are, of course,
places where the written competitive exam
iraton cannot be applied. and others where
1t offers by no means an ideal solution, but
where under existing political conditions II
is. though an imperfect means, yet the best
present means of getting satisfactory re-
suits
1t is important to have this system OBJ
tain at home, but it is even more important
to have 1t applied rigdly IN our insuiar
possessions. Not an Office should be, filled
in the Philippines Porto Rico with any
regard to the mans partisan atiiliations or
services, with aLy regard to the poltlcali
social or personal influence which he May
have at his command in short, heed stouid
b. paid to absolutely nothing save t'as man 8
own character and capacity ana the needs
OF the service. The administration of these
islands should be as wholly free from the
suspicion of partisan politics as the admin
istration of the army and navy.
THE ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION;
bespeak the most cordial support from
congress and the people for the st. Louis
exposition to commemorate the one hun
dredth anniversary of the Louisiana pur-
chase. This purchase the greatest in
stance of expansion in our history; 1t def