Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-12-04

coast anG the Chinese empire by way or
Honolulu and the Philippine Islands Is
thus provided for and is expected within
a few months to be ready for business.
Among the conditions is one reserving
the power of the congress to modify or re-
peal any or all of them. copy of the
conditions Is herewith transmitted.
OF Porto Rico it Is only necessary to say
that the prosperity of the island and the
wisdom with which 1t has been governed
have been such as to make 1t serve as an
example Of all that is best in insular adj
miniStration.
On July 4 last, on the one hundred and
twenty sixth anniversary of the declara-
ton of our independence, peace and am
nesty were promulgated in the Philippine
Islands. Some trouble has since from
time to time threatened with the Moham-
medan Moros but with the late insurrec-
tionary Filipinos the war has entirely
ceased Civil government has now been
introduced Not only, does each Filipino
enjoy such rights to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness as he has never be-
fore known during the recorded history of
the islands. but the people. taken as
eminent greater than that granted to any
other orientals by any foreign power and
greater than that enjoyed by any other
orientals under their own governments
save the Japanese alone We have not
gone too far In granting these rights OF
liberty and self government but we have
terests of the Philippine people themselves
it was wise or just to go. To hurry mat
ters, to go faster than we are now going.
would entail calamity on the people of
the islands No policy ever entered into
by the American people has indicated IT.
self in more signal manner than the poll
cy of holding the Philippines. The tri-
umph of our arms. above all the triumph
of our laws and principles. has come SOON
er than we had any right to expect. Too
much praise cannot be given to the army
for what it has done in the Philippines.
both in warfare and from administra
tive standpoint. in preparing the way for
longs to the civil authorities for the way
in which they have planted the seeds Of
self government in the ground thus made
ready for them The courage, the I'M
flinching endurance the high soldierly eff
cheney and the general kind heartednesS
and humanity of our troops have been
strikingly manifested. There now remain
only some 1900 troops in the islands. All
told, over 100000 have been sent there. OF
course there have been individual in
stances of wrongdoing among them. They
warred under fearful difficulties of cli-
mate and surroundings. and under the
strain of the terrible provocations which
they continually received from their foes
occasional instances of cruel retaliation
occurred. Every effort has been made to
prevent such cruelties. and finally these
efforts have been completely successful.
Every effort has also been made to de-
tect and punish the wrongdoers. After
making all allowance for these misdeeds
it remains true that few indeed have been
the instances in which war has been
waged by a civilized power against semi
civilized or barbarous forces where there
has been SO little wrongdoing by the vic
tors as in the Philippine Islands. On the
other hand the amount of difficult. impor-
tant and beneficent work which has been
done is well nigh incalculable.
Taking the work of the army and the
civil authorities together, 1t may be Ques-
toned whether anywhere else in modern
times the world has seen better exam
pie of real constructive statesmanShip
than our people have given in the Philip
pine Islands. High praise should also be
given those Filipinos = in the aggregate
very numerouS-wno have accepted the
new conditions and Joined with our repre-
sentatives to work with hearty good will
for the welfare of the islands.
The army has been reduced to the mini
mum allowed by law. 1t is very small for
the size of the nation and most certainly
should be kept at the highest point Of eff
cheney. The senior officers are given scant
ercise commands commensurate with their
rank under circumstances which would fit
them to do their duty in time of actual
war. A system of maneuvering our army
gun and should be steadily continued.
Without such maneuvers 1t is folly to ex-
pect that in the event of hostilities with
any serious foe even small army corps
could be handled to advantage. Both our
officers and enlisted men are such that
we can take. hearty pride in them. No
must be thoroughly trained, both as indi-
viduals and in the mass. The marksman-
ship of the men must receive special at
tention. In the circumstances of modern
warfare the man must act far more on
his own Individual responsibility than
eyer before. and the high individual eff
portance. Formerly this unit was the
regiment. 1t is now not the regiment, not
even the troop or company; it is the indt-
vidua soldier. Every effort must be made
to develop every workmanlike and SOL
dierly quality in both the officer and the
enlisted man.
1 urgently call your attention to the
need of passing bill providing for gen.
eral staff and for the reorganization Of
the supply departments on the lines of the
bill proposed by the secretary of war last
year. When the young officers enter the
army from West Point. they probably
stand above their compeers in any other
military service. Every effort should be
made by training, by reward of merit. by
scrutiny into their careers and capacity.
to keep them of the same high relative
excellence throughout their careers.
The measure providing for the reorgan-
ization of the militia system and for Sc
curing the highest efficiency In the nation
al guard. which has already passed the
house, should receive prompt attention
and action. 1t Is of great Importance that
the relation of the national guard to the
militia and volunteer forces of the United
States should be defined and that in place
Of our present obsolete laws a practical
and efficient system should be adopted
Provision should be made to enable the
secretary of war to keep cavalry and ar
tillery horses worn out in long perform
ance of duty. Such horses fetch but a
trifle when sold, and rather than turn
them out to the misery awaiting them
when thus disposed of 1t would be better
to employ them at light work around the
posts and when necessary to put them
painlessly to death.
For the first time in our history naval
maneuvers on large scale are being held
md tIf.1f lfrk> - 4
miral of the navy. Constantly increasing
attention is being paid to the gunnery Of
the navy, but it is yet far from what 1t
should be. / earnestly urge that the In
crease asked for by the secretary Of the
navy in the appropriation for improving
the craftsmanship be granted. In battle
the only shots that count are the shots
that hit 1t is necessary to provide ample
FUNDS for practice with the great guns in
time Of peace. These funds must provide
not only for the purchase Of projectiles.
but for allowances for prizes to encour-
age the gun crews, and especially the gun
pointers. and for perfecting an intelligent
get good practice.
There should be no halt in the work of
building up the navy, providing every
year additional fighting craft. We are
very rich country, vast In extent of terri
tory and great in population. country
moreover, which has an army diminutive
indeed when compared with that of any
other first class power. We have deliber-
ately made our own certain foreign poll
cies which demand the possession Of a
first class navy. The isthmian canal will
greatly increase the efficiency of our navy
IL the navy is of sufficient SIZE but IL we
have an inadequate navy then the build
ing of the canal would be merely giving
hostage to any power Of superior strength.
The Monroe doctrine should be treated as
the cardinal feature of American foreign
policy. but 1t would be worse than Idle
to assert 1t unless we intended to back 1t
up, and It can be backed up only by q
thoroughly good navy. A good navy Is
not a provocative of war. 1t is the surest
guaranty of peace.
Each individual unit of our navy should
be the most efficient of its kind as regards
both material and personnel that is to be
found in the world / call your special
attention to the need Of providing for the
manning of the ships. Serious trouble
threatens us If we cannot do better than
we are now doing as regards securing the
services of a sufficient number of the high
est type of sailormen. of sea mechanics.
The veteran seamen of our warships are
of as high type as can be found In any
navy which rides the waters Of the world.
They are unsurpassed In daring, in reso-
luton. in readiness, in thorough knowl-
edge of their profession. They deserve ev-
cry consideration that can be shown them
But there are not enough of them. It is
no more possible to improvise a crew than
It Is possible to fmprovise warship To
build the finest ship. with the deadliest
battery, and to send 1t af1oat with raw
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