The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1902-12-12
More Sailors Called For.

/ call your special attention 10 INV hceo ~
providing for the marnng OF the ships. Sc
rious trouble threatens us II we cannot 10 net
ter than now doing as regards securing
the services Of a sufficient number OF the high
est type OF sailormen, OF sea mechanics. IL Is
no more possible to improvse n crew than it
is possible TO improvise a warship 10 euiiu
the finest ship with the deadliest battery, ana
to send 1t aioat with raw crew no matt Sc
how brave they were individually, wouid nc
to insure disaster II a foe of average capacity
were encountered. Neither ships nor men can
be improvised when war has begun.
We need thousand additional officers In
order to properly man the ships now provided
for and under construction. The classes nj the
naval school at Annapolis should be greatly
enlarged At the same time that we thus ada
the officers where we need theni, we snSu -,
facilitate the retirement of those at the head OF
the list whose usefulness has become impaired!
Promotion must be fostered II the service Is to
be kept efficient.
There is not a cloud the horizon at pres
ent. There seems not the slightest chance or
trouble with foreign power. We most ear
nestly hope that this state Of things may con-
tnue; and the way to insure It's continuance
Is to provide for thoroughly efficient navy;
The refusal to maintain such a navy would
invite trouble, and IL trouble came woGia In
sure disaster. Fatuous Nself-complacncy or
vanity, or short-sightedness in refusing TO pre-.
pare for danger, In both foolish and wicked
in such a nation ours and past experience
has shown that such faulty in refusing to rec
ognze or prepare for any crisis in advance Is
fear once the crisis has actually arrived.
Rural Free Delivery a Success.
The striking increase In the revenues Of the
postonice department shows clearly the pros
perity Of our people and the increasing activ-
ity of the business of the country.
The receipts of the postoflce department for
the fiscal year ending June 80 last announced TO
3l21 s4S O47 &c. an Increase of $lO,2l6,S53T over
the preceding year, the largest increase known
in the history of the postal service. The mag
nitude of this increase will best appear from
the fact that the entire postal receipts Tor
the year 1860 amounted to but ss,blS,Oo7
Rural free delivery service is no longer in
the experimental stage; 1t has become n1eo
policy The results following Its Introduction
have fully justified the Congress in the large
appropriations made for Its establishment and
extension. The average yearly increase IN post
country is about two per cent. We are now
| able by actual results to show that where
| rural free delivery service has been estaohsheo
| to such extent as to enable MS to MAKE
| comparisons the yearly increase mas peeh up
| ward of ten per cent.
| On Nov. 1, 1902, 1850 rural free delivery
| routes had been established and were In opera
| ton, covering about one-third OF Inc territory
Of the United States available for rural i rec
| delivery service. There are now awaiting tne
action of the department petitions ana appli-
| cations for the establishment OF lO,7S addi-
| tional routes. This shows conclusyely the want
Whcn the estapiIshinent Va nv a. :.
| met aud the need OF further extending IL as
| rapidly as possible. 1t Is justified both oy
| the financial results AID by the practical bene-
| fits to our rural population; 1t brings the men
| who live ON the soil into close relations WIN
| the active business world; 1t keeps the FARMER
| In daily touch with the markets; II is po-
| tential educational force; 1t enhances the value
| of farm property, makes farm life far pleas
| anter and less isolated, and VIII do mueh 10
| check the undesirable current from country to
| city.
| II is TO be hoped that the Congress Will make
| liberal appropriations for the continuance OF
| the service already established and Tor its
| further extension.