Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-04
NEEDS OF THE NAVY.
More ShiEs and Men Needed to Keep
Pace with the Times.

For the first time III our history naval
maneuyers. on large scale are beng held
miral OF the ravy. Constantly Increasing
attention is being paiG to the gunnery Of
the Eavy. but II is yet Tar from what it
crease asked for by the secretary of the
navy in the appropriation Tor improving
the marksmanSnip be granted. In bate
the only shots that count are the shots that
hit II is necessary to provide ample
FUNDS for practice with the great guns in
time of peace. These Fumes must provide
I not only for the purchase of projectiles. but
for allowances tor prizes TO encourage the
gun crews, and especially the gun pointers
and for perfectiHg an. Intelligent system
Under which alone 1t is possible.to get good
/ practice.
! There should be no halt in the work OF
oui!GiEg up the navy, providing every year
! additional fighting craft. We are a very
rich country. vast in extent OF territory ard
great in population; a country, moreover,
/ which has ar army diminutlNe indeed when
| compared with that of any other first-class
! power. We have deliberately mace our
/ own certain foreign policies which demand
! the possession of a flrst-class Iavy Tie
isthmian canal will greatly increase the
efficiency of our ravy if the navy is oil suf-
ticient size; but ii we have an inadequate
navy thengthe building of the canal would
be merely giving hostage TO any power
of superior strength. The Monroe doctrine
should be treated as the car9ira feature of
american foreign policy; but i would be
worse than iGle to assert ii unless we in
tended to back 1t up. and ii can be backed
up only by thoroughly good navy. A good
iIavy is rot provocative of war. II is the
surest guaranty of peace.
Each Individual unit of our navy should
be the most efficient of its kind as regards
found In the world. / call your special at
. tention to the need of providing for the
manning OF the ships, Serious trouble
f, we are now doing as regards securing he
] services of u sufficient number OF the high
est type of satlormen, of sea mechanics.
! of as high type as can be found in any
navy which rides the waters of the world
they are unsurpassed in daring, in resolu-
ton, in readiness, in thorough knowledge
consideration that can be shown them.
But there are rot enough of them. It is
It is possible to improvise = wnrship TIC
build the finest ship. with the deisEliest
battery, and 70 send t afloat with raw
/ dividually. would be to insure disaster II
I, foe of average capa city were encountered
I. Neither ships nor men can be improvised
+; We need thousand additional officers in
order o properly man the ships row pro
/ vide6 for ard under construction. The
classes at the naval, school at Anna polls
Should, be greatly eLarged. At the same
time that we thus add the officers where
we need them, We should facilitate the re.
urement OF those at the head of the lis
whose usefulness. has become impaired
Promotion must be fostered if the serv.
Ice is 10 be kept efficient.
The lamentable scarcity of officers, and
the large number of recruits and OF UNI.
skilled men necessarily put aboard the
new vessels as they have been commits
stoned, has thrown upon our officers. and
especially OH the lleutenants and junior
grades unusual labor and fatigue ane
has gravely strained their powers of en-.
DURANGO Nor is there sign of any i'm.
mediate let-up in this strain 1t mua
continue for some time longer until more
officers are graduated from Annapolis,
and until the recruits become trained
and skillful in their duties, In these diff
our war fleet the conduct of all our off,