Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-12-05

tute the inner line of defense They
should receive hearty encouragement from
the general government.
But, IN addition. we should at once pro-
| VIDE Tor national naval reserve organ
| lied and trained under the direction of
the navy department and subject to the
| call OF the chief executive whenever war
becomes imminent 1t should be a real
auxiliary 10 the naval seagoing peace es-
| adjustment and offer material to be
drawn on at once for manning our ships
in time of war. 1t should be composed or
graduates of the Naval academy, gradu-
ates of the naval militia, officers and
crews OF coast line steamers. longshore
schooners. fishing vessels and steam
yachts. together with the coast popula
! ton about such centers as life saving
stations and lighthouses.
Inc American people must either build
and maintain an adequate navy or eIee
make up their minds definitely to accent
secondary position In international af
falrs. not merely in political but In com.
mercial matters. 1t has been well said
that there is no surer way of counting no-
uonal disaster than to be "opulent. ae-
gressive and unarmed.'
The Army.
1t Is not necessary to increase our army
beyond its present size at this time hut
1t is necessary to keep it at the highest
PSiiit VI emergency. ne 1nQVlQull unit
VINO as officers and enlisted men compose
this army are, we have good reason TO be-
| lleVe, at least as efficient as those of anv
other army in the entire world. 1t is our
duty to see that their training Is of a kind
to insure the highest possible expression
OF power to these units when acting in
com bination
as to make an infinitely heavier demand
than ever before upon the individual char
acter and capacity of the officer and the
enlisted man and to make it far more diff
ncult 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 condl-
tons 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 exceptional physique and morale.
but nowadays the most valuable fighting
man and the most difficult TO perfect ia
the riflenan who Is also a skillful and
daring rider
The proportion Of our cavalry regiments
mas wisely been increased. The American
edNairSinan trained to maneuver and
light with equal facility on foot and on
horseback. is the best type of soldier for
general purposes now to be found in the
"orid. The ideal cavalryman of the pres
ent day is a man who can fight on foot
as effectively as the best infantryman and
VINO Is in addition unsurpassed in the
care and management of his horse and in
his ability to fight on horseback
Would Create General stan.
"A general staff should be created AS
Tor the present staff and supply depart
,l,N,
from the line, the men so detailed return
ing after awhile to their line duties Ii ia
very undesirable 20 have the senior grades
OF the army composed of men who have
come TO I'LL 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
10 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 re-
tirements they be given by law the same
privileges accorded to their comrades in
the navy.
The process Of elimination OF the least
mt should be conducted in manner that
would render it practically impossible to
apply political or social pressure on be-
half or any candidate. so that each man
! may be judged purely on his own merits.
PRESSURE for the promotion of civil off,
Gals for political reasons is bad enough.
put II Is tenfold worse where applied 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 service
ana to the capacity and merit of the man
himself. No pressure, political. social or
personal. of any kind will be permitted
10 exercise the least effect in any cues.
ton of promotion or detail and If there
is reason TO hpliaya hot inl,
! exercised at the instigation of the officer
concerned 1t will be held to initiate
against him. In our army we cannot af-
lord to have rewards or duties distributed
save on the simple ground that those who
by their own merits are entitled to the re-
wards get them and that those who are
peculiarly TIT to do the duties are chosen
to perform them
Every effort should be made to bring
the army to constantly increasing state
OF efficiency. When on actual service. no
work save that directly in the line of such
service should be required. The paper
work In the army. as in the navy. should
be greatly reduced. What is needed is
proved power Of command and CAPACITY
TO work well in the field. Constant care
is necessary to prevent dry rot in the
transportation and commissary depart
ments.
Field Exercises Advocated,
our army is SO small and SO much scat
tered that it is very difficult to give the
higher officers Gas well as the lower off,
GERS and the enlisted men) chance to
practlce maneuVerS in mass and on a COM
paratiVely large scale. In time OF need
no amount of individual excellence would
avail against the paralysis which would
follow inability to work as u coherent
whole under skillful and daring leadership.
The congress should provide means
whereby 1t will be possible to have field
exercises by at least a division of regu-
lars and. if possible. also division of ma
tionai guardsmen once a year. These ex-
ercises might take the form Of field ma
neuVers. or If on the gulf coast or the Pa
cine 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 a cou-
pie 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, en-
barking and disembarking will it be posi-
BILE to train the higher officers to perform
their duties we'll and smoothly.
A great debt is owing from the public
to the men Of the army and navy. They
should be so treated as to enable them to
reach the highest point of efficiency so
that they may be able to respond instant
" to any deman nd node ppor thew, : . -,