Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-07
10 IMPROVE TIE ARMY
President Roosevelt Has in Mind
Many Changes in the Army
and Navy.
Will Ask Appropriations to In.
crease Effectiveness of Both
Branches.
Prefers More Efficiency to In.
creased Numbers ..- Long
Marches Favored.
refers More Efficiency to In.

who look Tor radical recommenQat ton
to congress for navy of larger sig
will be disappointed. President Roose
4 welt has made careful study of TIL
needs of both branches of the service
He is strongly Impressed with the ide;
of making the navy a fighting navy ant
the army fighting army, but the ques
| tion of increasing the number of vessel!
and the number of troops is secondary
| In his mind. to that of fighting qualities
and readiness for conflict.
The work of building up the American
Eavy will proceed rapidly, but not in thu
direction of big navy. The presi
dent believes that an effective navy doe:
not depend upon the number Of vessel:
in commission, but the kind of ship.
ready for service. He is determined
therefore, to do everything he can t.
provide the navy with the most power.
full fighting ships that science can de-
wise and money buy.
He is opposed to a commerce-destroy-
ing navy, a navy composed largely Of
vessels limited in use 70 the destruction
of merchant ships. In short, he believes
the sea-going battle ship, heavily ar
mored and provided with powerful ordi-
nance and well-trained men, to be the
most effective type OF naval vessel. He
considers great fighting strength fan
more essential than speed, and readi.
ness for actual battle more important
than anything else. 1t is certain that his
plan for the upbuilding of the navy con-
templates more target practice and
more practical maneuvers.
Ever since the beginning of the wal
with Spain, President Roosevelt has de-
voted considerable time to the study of
army matters. The Santiago campaign
brought to his attention the weakness of
the army system then In effect, and he
has formed very decided opinions as to
what changes are necessary to bring the
army up to the highest standard of efti-
cheney. He has believed for some time
that il the American army were eXer-
icised in peace, as European armies are,
very much of the trouble encountered
in the Cuban campaign would have been
avoided.
Practical marches are necessary to
the proper instruction of an army, and
the president contemr!ates extensive
operations, such as assembling 10000 or
5000 men at San Antonio and marching
them to Galveston, there embarking
them for Tampa, and then marching
them to Jacksonville.
He is strong believer In the plan
recommended to congress for the estab-
lishment of camps Of practical instruc-
tior in different parts of the United
States. He favors the detailed staff
system. adopted by the last congress
upon Secretary Roots recommendation,
and from his experience in the navy de-
partment, he has come to the conclusion
that the ordnance OF the quartermas-
ter's and commissary bureaus should
not be separated from the line. He be-
lieves the men of the line of the army
should have something to do with the
of the guns which they are
to use. To secure this, ne believes thai
ordnance men and quarterma sters in
the army should be detailed for a GER
tain period from the line and sent back
to the line again, ana that such plan
will be to the advantage of the line, and
for the advantage of the army. as 1t is
for the navy.
As for working out reforms, he is
of the opinion that no better
way exists than to exercise the army in
times of peace an that army officers can
not sit down ard plan out on paper SO
that everything will move smoothly If
there is not practice in the field. He
realizes that such things can not be ac-.
oomplished without liberal expendi-
ture of money by congress, and to that
end he will give all assistance in his
power to Secretary Root to secure from
liberal appropriation for the
purchase of ground where troops can be
and receive practical instruc-
ton.
President Roosevelt has made a care
full study of the military operations in
South Africa and China, which, with his
experience in Cuba, has pointed out to
him needful reforms in our own army.
Even before he had sailed from Tampa
for Cuba he was impressed with lack
Of organization in the quartermaster's
department.. To reach Port Tampa
ready to embark on a transport and
find that so much confusion existed,
that two other regiments had also been
assigned TO the Yucatan, convinced him
that something was needed to develop
The army to the plane of excellence
where the work of embarking troops
would proceed without disorder.
Again, he was surprised to find SOL
Hers clothed in heavy flannel shirts
that, as he expressed I, at the time,
were what he would have used in Mon
tara in the fall. He was still more sur
prised to find that while he could pur-
chase beans at Siboney for officers use,
ne could buy none for his men, He
thought at the time that there should
nave been sufficient elasticity in the
army regulations to permit of their
purchase for the soldiers. What he did
we'll illustra tes his contempt for mere
red tape. BY an elastic stretch of his
he bought about 500 pounds
ostensibly for the officers, and later
they We're eaten by the trough riders"
These are some of the disagreeable
features OF the Santiago campaign that
ne is convinced could have been avoided
had the American army received practi-
cal instruction during times of peace.
Spooner Confers With President.
Washington, Oct. 7.-President Roose-
welt entertained Senator Spooner, of
and members of the cabinet
at dinner Friday at the White House.
The Wisconsin senator remained until
the late train for New York City. This
is one of the first of the consultations