Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-12-05

vide Tor q 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. II should be a real
auxiliary to the naval seagoing peace es-
Establishment and offer material to be
drawn on at once for manning our ships
in time of war. II should be composed OF
graduates OF the Naval academy. gradu-
ates OF tho naval militia, officers and
crews Of coast line steamers, longshore
5chooners, fishing vessels and steam
yachts. together with the coast popula-
tion about such centers as life saving
stations and lighthouses.
The American people must either build
and maintain an adequate navy or else
make up their minds definitely to accept
a secondary position In international af-
fairs. not merely in political but in COM
mercial matters. 1t has been well said
that there is no surer way of counting ma
tional disaster than to be ''opulent, ag-
gressive and unarmed."
The Army.
1t is not necessary to increase our army
beyond its present size at this time but
II is necessary to keep 1t at the highest
point of efficiency. The Individual units
who as officers and enlisted men compose
this army are, we have good reason to be-
IieYe, at least as efficient as those of any
other army In tee entire world. 1t is our
duty to see that their training is OF kind
to insure the highest possible expression
or 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 Individual char
acter and capacity of the officer and the
enlisted man and to make 1t far more DIFF
ficult 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 condi-
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 is
the rifeman who is also a skillful and
daring rider.
The proportion of our cavalry regiments
has wisely been increased. The American
cavalryman, trained to maneuver and
hight with equal facility on foot and on
horseback, is the best type of soldier for
general purposes now to be found In the
world. The ideal cavairyman of the pres
emit day is man who can fight on foot
as effectively as the best infantryman and
who is in addition unsurpassed in the
care and management of his horse and in
his ability to fight on horseback.
Would Create a General stan.
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 return
ing after awhile to their line duties. 1t is
very undesirable 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 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 q manner that
would render it practically impossible to
apply political or social pressure on be-
half of 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,
but 1t 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
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 ques-
ton OF promotion or detail, and IL there
is reason to believe that such pressure is
exercised at the instigation of the officer
concerned 1t will be held to initiate
against him. In our army we cannot af-
ford to have rewards or duties distributed
save on the simple ground that those who
hxyf Haty-
wards get them and that those who are
peculiarly At 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 we'll as the lower Off
GERS and the enlisted men) chance to
practice 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 coherent
whole under slSillful and daring leadership.
The congress should provide means
whereby 1t will be possible to have field
exercises by at least division of regu-
lars and, IL possible, also division of ma
tjonal guardsmen once a year. These ex-
ercises might take the form of field ma
neuvers, or IL on the gulf coast or the Pa
RfE NlRr. u.
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 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 well 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 tho highest point of efficiency sc
| that they may be able to respond instant
ly to any demand made upon them to sus.
tain the interests OF the nation and the
honor of the flag. The individual Amer.
lean enlisted man is probably on the
| whole a more formidable fighting man
than the regular of any other army. Ev-
cry consideration should be shown him.
and in return the highest standard OF
usefulness should be exacted from him
| 1t Is well worth while for the congress to
consider whether the pay of enlisted men
upon second and subsequent enlistments
should not be increased TO correspond
with the increased value of the veteran
colder.
Army REORGANIZATION,
Much good has already como from the
act recognizing the,army passed early in
the present year. The three prime re-
forms. all of them Of literally inestimable