The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-04
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
CONTINUED from Ninth PageD

HE FnEStDENl . mEOSH0Gs
Continued from Ninth Page)
physique and morale. But nowadays
the most valuable lighting man and
the most difficult to perfect is the rifle
man who is also a skillful and daring
rider.
The proportion of our cavalry regi-
Inents has wisely been increased. The
American cavalryman, trained TO ma
neuver and fight with equal faclllty
on foot and on horseback. IS the best
type of soldier for general purposes
now to be found in the world Inc
ideal cavalryman of the present day IS
a. man who can fight on foot as erect
lively as the best infrantryman, ana
who is in addition unsurpassed IN ths
care and MANAGEMENT of his horse ana
in his ability TO fight on horseback
A general staff should Nbe created. AS
for the present staff and supply De
Dartments. they should be hlied ny ue-
tails from the line, the men so ue-
tailed returning after while 70 lhelI
line duties It is very unueslfaple 10
have the senior grades OF the army
composed of men who have come 20 MI
,,ositions hv the mere fact OF SENIORITY
A system should be adopted by WhlCh
there shall be an elimination, craze
nv grade. Of those who seem unilt 70
render the best service in the next
grade. Justice to the veterans OF the
evil War who are still in the army
would seem to require that IN the MAJ
Ter of retirements they be given by
law the same privileges accorueu 10
their comrades in the navy
The process of elimination of the
least fit should be conducted in a man
ner that would render it practically
;npossible TO apply political or social
pressure on behalf of any candidate,
so that each man may be judged pure
lv on his own merits. Pressure LOT tne
promotion of civil officials Tor pohll-
cal reasons is bad enough, Dnt II -
tenfold worse where applied on Deha1
of officers of the army or navy. Every
promotion and every detail under the
War Department must be made soIely
with regard to the good of the service
and to the capacity and merit q the
man himself No pressure, poltlcdi,
-s,r,r,izf personal of-any- kind VIII
be permitted to exercise the least erect
in any question of promotion or detail,
and if there is reason to belleVe tlaI
such pressure is exercised at the lnstl-
CATION of the officer concerned II WIN
he held 10 initiate against him. IN our
ARMY we cannot afford to have rewards
~ duties distributed save on the simple
ground that those who by their own
merits are entitled to the rewards get
them. and that those who are peculldl
~ fit to do the duties are chosen TO per-
form them. - t,rire
tho army to a constantly increasing
sts+e of efficiency. When on actual
Se1,1-ire no work save that directly III
the line of such service shoulu De re-
ouired. The paper work IN the army :
as in the navy should be greaty re
duced. What is needed Is proved p9wr
or of command and capacity 10 Wolh
-,,ail IL, fine field. Constant care is nee
esear-v to prevent dry rot in the trans
I,o,-tatton and commissary depart
ments. - 90 ,,,,,.b
scattred that 1t is very difncult 10 give
The higher officers (as well as the lower
officers and the enlisted mem d eng ~ e
IA prartice naneuVerS in mass anu Oh
a ronnaratiVely large scale. In tllue
~ need no amount of individual excel
lepra would avail against the paraly-
~is which would follow inaDlnty 70
work as a coherent whole, undef skill
full and daring leadership. ne Noi !.
eress should provide means WHEREBY II
win be possible to nave helu 49, 49,
bv at least a Lewiston OF regulars anu
~ nossible also a division of natlonal
embarrassment once a year. Ihese eNeI-
rises might take the form OF heId ma
ueuvers. or, if on the Gulf Coast or me
Pacific or Atlantic seaboard' or IN the
region of the Great Lakes, the army
coY-ns when assembled could be March
cd from some inland point to some
noint on the water, there embarked
5isemharked after a couple OF days
io,rnev AT some other point, sind again
marched inland Only byFactual ham
ding and providing forslnen in masses
which they are mapfning, camping,
enbarking, and g1sernbarking, will ii
he possible TO tgSain the higher officers
10 perform 4 their duties well ano
smoothly
A gresa, debt is owing from the pun
lic<r',y the men of the army ana navy
Zbev should he so treated as to enable
them to reach the highest point OF et-
ficieucv. so that they may he able to re-
spond instantly to any demand maoe
rpon them to sustain the interests oil
the nation and the honor of the nag
The individual American enlisted man
is probably on the whole more tor