Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-12-09

matters 1t has been we'll said that there
is no surer way of counting national dis
aster than to be "Opulent, aggressive, and
unarmed."
ARMY BIG ENOUGH.
1t is not necessary to increase our army
beyond it's present size at this time. But it
is necessary to keep it at the highest point
of efficiency. The conditions of modern war
are such as to make an infinitely heavier
demand than ever before upon the indi-
vidual 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 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 APP
piled to men of exceptional physique and
morale. But nowadays the most valuable
fighting man and the most difficult to per-
feet is the rif1eman who is also Skillful
and daring rider.
A general staff should be created. As
for the present staff and supply depart
ments they should be filled by details from
the line the men so detailed returning after
awhile to their line duties. 1t is very I'M
desirable to have the senior grades of the
army composed 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 an elimination grade
by grade of those who seem unfit to render
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 retirementS they be given
by law the same privileges accorded to their
comrades in the navy. The process Of
elimination of the least fit should be con-
Quoted in q manner 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 promotion
of civil officials for political reasons is bad
enough, but it is tenfold worse where ap-
piled 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 SER
vice 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 ex-
ercised at the inStigatiOn of the officer con-
cerned, it will be held to initiate against
him. In our army we cannot afford to have
rewards or duties distributed save that Oh
the simple ground that those who by their
own merits are entitled to the rewards get
them, and that those who are peculiarly fit
to do the duties are chosen to perform
them.
The congress should provide means where.
by it will be possible to have field exer-
clSeS ny DIT ledSI ulNISlOu OIL regulars, anu
if possible also q 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 assem-
bled 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, camping, embarking, and disem-
barking. will it he possible to train the
higher officers to perform their duties well
and smoothly.
Much good has already come from the act
reorganinz:ng the army, passed early in the
present year. The three prime reforms, ali
of them of inesti;4able value, are, first, the
Substitution CT fo~"-year details from the
line for permanent appointments in the So
called staff divisions; second the establish
ment of a corps of artillery with chief at
1t would be difficult to overestimate the
maximum and minimum limit for the army.
the head third, the establishment of
Improvement in the efficiency of our army
which these three reforms making, and
have in part already effected. The reor-
ganization provided for by the act has been
substantially accomplished. Thorough MIL
itary education must be provided, and in
addition to the regulars the advantages of
this education should be given to the OFF,
GERS of the national guard and others In
civil life who desire intelligently to fit
themselves for possible military duty. The
officers should be given the chance to per-
feet themselves by study in the higher
branches of this art. At West Point the
education should be of the kind most apt to
turn out men who are good in actual field
service; too much stress should not be laid
on mathematics, nor should. proficiency
therein be held to establish the right of
entry to a corps d'eIite; The typical
American officer Of the best kind need not
be good mathematician; but he must be
able to master himself, to control others,
and to show boldness and fertility Of re-
source in every emergency. The organiza-
tion and armament of the national guard OF
the several states, which are treated as
militia in the appropriations by congress,
should be made identical with those pro-
yided for the regular forces.
MERIT SYSTEM,
The merit system Of making appoint
ments is in it's essence as democratic and
American as the common school system it
self. 1t simply means that in clerical and
other positions where the duties are en-
tirely non-political, all applicants should
have fair field and no favor, each stand
ing on his merits as he is able to show
them by practical test. Written competi-
tive examinations offer the only available
means i'll many cases for applying this Sys-
tenn. In other cases, as where laborers are
employed, system of registration I'M
doubtedly can be widely extended. There
competitive examination cannot be applied,
and others where it offers by no means an
ideal solution, but where under existing po-
litical conditions it is, though an imperfect
means, yet the best present means of get
ting satisfactory results. Wherever the
conditions have permitted the application
of the merit system in its fullest and
widest sense, the gain to the government
has been immense. The navy yards and
postal service illustrate, probably better
than any other branches of the govern
ment, the great gain in economy, efficiency
and honesty due to the enforcement of this
principle. The passage of a law which will
extend the classified service to the Distric
Of Columbia is recommended. Not an Of
fee should be filed in the philippines or
Porto Rico with any regard to the mans
partisan affiliations or services, with any re-
gard to the political, social, or personal in
tluence which he may have at his COM
mand: in short, heed should be paid to alb
solutely nothing save the mans own char
acter and capacity and the needs of the
service.
CONSULAR REFORMS.
The guardianship and fostering OF our
rapidly expanding foreign commerce, the
protection of American citizens resOrting to
foreign countries in lawful pursuit of their
affairs, and the maintenance of the dignity
of the nation abroad, combine to make it