Arizona republican., 1901-12-04

vessels. and steam yachts. together centers as life-saving stations and light houses
 The American people must either build and maintain an adequate navy or else make up their minds definitely to accept the secondary position in in ternational affairs. not merely in po- litical, but in commercial, matters. It has been well said that there is TO surer way of counting national disaster than to be "opulent. aggressive and un- armed
 THE ARMY.
 It Is not necessary to increase our army beyond its present size at this time. But 1t Is necessary to keep it at the highest point of efficiency. The in dlvidual units who as officers and en-. listed 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. It is our duty to see that their training is of kind to insure the highest possible expression of power to these units when acting in combination.
 The conditions of modern war are such as to make an infinitely heavier demand than ever before upon the in- dividual character and capacity of the officer and the enlisted man, and to make it far more difficult for men to act together with effect. At present the fighting must be done in extended order. which means that each man must act for himself and at the same time act in combination with others with whom he is no longer in the old fashioned elbow-to-elbow touch. Under such conditions a few men of the highest excellence are worth more than many men without the special skill which is only found as the result of special training applied to men of ex- ceptional physique and morale. But nowadays the most valuable fighting man and the most difficult to perfect is the rifieman who is also a skillful and daring rider.
 The proportion of our cavalry regi- ments has wisely been increased. The American cavalryman, trained to ma noeuvre and fight with equal facility on foot and on horseback. is the best type of soldier for general purposes now to be found in the world. Tho ideal cavalryman of the present day is a man who can fight on foot as effect lively as the best infantry-man, and who is in addition unsurpassed in the care and mana cement of his horse and in his ability to fight on horseback.
 A general staff should be created. AS for the present staff and supply de- partments. they should be filled by de- tails from the line, the men so detailed returning after while to their line duties. It Is very undesirable to have the senior grades of the army com posed of men who have come to fill the positions by the mere fact of seniority. A system should be adopted by which there shall be elimination grade by grade Of those who seem unfit to rem der the 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 of retire ments they be given by law the same privileges accorded to their comrades in the navy.
 The process of elimination of the least 1t should be conducted in a man. neT that would render it practically impossible to apply political or social pressure on behalf of any candidate. so that each man may be judged purely on his own merits. Pressure for the pro- motion of civil officials for political reasons is bad enough. but it is ten fold worse where applied on behalf of officers of the army and 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 of promotion or detail; and if there is reason to believe that such pressure is exercised at the in- stiration of the officer concerned. it will be held to initiate against him. In our army we cannot afford to have rewards or duties distributed save on the simple orn Iyh hn Inv merits are entitled to the rewards get them, and that those who are pecu- liarly fit to do the duties are chosen to perform them.
 Every effort should be made to bring the army to a constantly increasing state of efficiency. When on actual service no work save that directly in the line of such service should be re- quired. The paper work in the army. as in the navy, should be greatly re- duced. What is needed is proved power of command and capacity to work we'll in the field. Constant care is necessary to prevent dry rot in the transportation and commissary de- partments.
 Our army is so small and so much scattered that it is very difficult to give the higher officers Gas we'll as the lower officers and the enlisted men) chance
 
 a comparatively large scale. In time of need no amount of individual excellence would avail against the paralysis which would follow inability to work as a CO., herent whole, under skillful and daring leadership. The congress should pro- vide means whereby it will be possible to have field exercises by at least a di- vision of regulars, and if possible also a division of national guardsmen. once a year. These exercises might take the form of field manoeuvres: or, if on the gulf coast or the Pacific or Atlantic seaboard, or in the region of the great lakes. the army corps when assembled could be marched from some inland point to some point on the water, there embarked, disembarked after couple of days journey at some other point, and again marched inland. Only by actual handling and providing for men in masses while they are marching.