The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-04
those who have failed to prepare in ad-

vance.
 There should be no cessation in the
 work of completing our navy. So fai
 ingenuity has been wholly unable tC
 devise substitute for the great wal
 craft whose hammering guns beat out
 the mastery of the high seas It is un- safe and unwise not to provide this year
 for several additional battle ships and
 heavy armored cruisers, with auxiliary
 and lighter craft in proportion; for the
 exact numbers and character I refer
 you to the report of the Secretary of
 the Navy. But there is something we need even more than additional ships
 and this is additional officers and men
 To provide battle ships and cruisers
 and then lay them up with the expec-
 tation of leaving them unnamed until
 they are needed In actual war; would
 be worse than folly; it would be a
 crime against the nation.
 To send any war ship against a com
 petent enemy unless those aboard it
 have been trained by years of actual
 sea service. including incessant gum
 nery practice, would be to invite not merely disaster, but the bltterest shame
 and humiliation. Four thousand addi- tional seamen and one thousand addi- tional marines should be provided; and
 an increase in the officers should be
 provided by making large addition to
 the classes at Annapolis. There is one small matter which should be men,
 tioned in connection with Annapolis.
 The pretentious and unmeaning title of
 naval cadet" should be abolished; the l of F,,J1 of !, otp tp,io
 association, should be restored.
 Even in time of peace war ship l should be used until it wears out, for
 only so can it be kept fit to respond to any emergency. The officers and men
 alike should be kept as much as possi-
 ble on blue water, for it is there only | they can learn their duties as they should be learned. The big vessels should be manoeuvred in squadrons containing not merely battle ships, but the necessary proportion of cruisers and scouts. The torpedo boats should
 be handled by the younger officers in such manner as will best fit the latter 1 to take responsibility and meet the emergencies of actual warfare.
 | Every detail ashore which can be per formed by civilian should be so per- | formed, the officer being kept for his | special duty in the sea service. Above I all, gunnery practice should be unceas- | ing. It is important to have our navy of adequate size, but it is even more important that ship for ship it should equal in efficiency any navy in the world. This is possible only with high ly drilled crews and officers, and this in turn imperatively demands continuous and progressive instruction in target practice, ship handling, squadron tac- tics and general discipline. Our ships must be assembled in squadrons actively cruising away from harbors and never long at anchor The reulting wear upon engines and huls must be endured; a battle ship worn out in long training of officers and men is well paid for by the results, while, on the other hand, no matter in how excellent condition, it is useless if the crew be not expert.
 We now have seventeen battle ships appropriated for, of which nine are completed and have been commissioned for actual service. The remaining eight will be ready in from two to four years, but it will take at least that time to re- cruit and train the men to fight them. It is of vast concern that we have trained crews ready for the vessels by the time they are commissioned. Good hips and good guns are simply good weapons, and the best weapons are ueless save in the hands of men who know how to fight with them. The men must be trained and drilled under thorough and well-planned system of progressive instruction, while the re- cruiting must be carried on with still greater vigor. Every effort must be made to exact the main function of the offlcer--the command of men. The leading graduates of the Naval acade- my should be assigned to the comba- tant branches, the line and marines.
 Many of the essentials of success are already recognized by the general board, which, as the central office Of a growing staff, is moving steadily to- ward a proper war efficiency and pro- per efficiency of the whole navy under the secretary. This general board, by fostering the creation of general staff, is providing for the official and then the general recognition of our altered con- ditions as nation and of the true meaning of great war fleet, which meaning is, first, the best men, and, 1 second, the best ships.
 The naval militia forces are state or ganizations, and are trained for coast service, and in event of war they will | constitute the inner line Of defense. | They should receive hearty encourage ment from the general government.
 But in addition we should at once | provide for a national naval reserve, or ganized and trained under the direc- tion of the navy department, and sub- ject to the call os the chief executive | whenever war becomes imminent. It should be real auxiliary to the naval peace establishment, and offer l to be drawn on at once for manning our ships in time of war. It should be composed of graduates of the Naval academy, graduates of the naval officers and crews of coast-line steamers, longshore schooners, fishing vessels and steam yachts, together with the coast population about such centers as life-saving stations and lighthouses.