Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-03


militia and volunteer forces Of the United
States should be defined and that In plac0
o. our present obsolete laws . practical
| and efficient system should be adopted
| Provision should be made to enable the
secretary OF war to keep cavalry and arr
ttIiery horses worn out In long perform
| trtfie when sold. and rather than turn
them out to the misery awaiting them
when thus dispOsed Of u would be better
20 employ them at light work around the
posts and when necessary to put them
| painlessly TO DEATH 20 b
For the first time in our history naval
nnder se 81
miral Of the navy. Constantly increasing
attention 10 being paid to the gunnery OF
should be. earnestly urge that the lie in !.
crease asked for by the secretary Of the
navy In the appropriation for improving
the Workmanship be granted. In battle
the only shots that count are the shots
that hit. 1t ia 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 pro{ectiles.
but for allowances tor prizes to encour-
age the gun crews. and especially the gun
pointers. and for perfecting an Intelligent
ss ~ en-, nnger when Alone N Is possible 10
There should Be no halt in the work OF
SssT Tn the every
very rich country. vast in extent OF terri
tory and great in population. q country.
moreover. which has an army diminutive
other first class power. We have deiiber-
ately made our own certain foreign poll
cies which demand the possession of q
greatly increase the efficiency of our navy
II the navy is Of sufficient size. but II we
have an Inadequate navy then the build
hostage to any power Of superior strength.
The Monroe doctrine should be treated as
the cardinal feature OF American foreign
nall lou k,,rt = = al.
10 assert Il unless we intended ID back il
up, and II can be backed up only by q
thoroughly good navy. A. good navy is
not provocative Of war. II - the surest
Each individual unit Of our navy should
be the most efficient of its kind as regards
found in the world. / call your special
attention to theA1eed 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 a type as can be found in any
navy which rides the waters Of the world.
They are unsurpassed in daring, in reso-
, edge of their profession. They deserve ev-
cry consideration that can be shown them.
But there are not enough of them. II Is
no more possible to tmprovise crew than
| 1t Is possible to ipprovise a warship. To
build the finest ship, with the deadliest
battery. and to send It afioat with raw
crew. no matter how brave they were In
divtdually, would be to insure disaster il a
foe of average capacity were encountered.
Neither ships nor men can be improvised
We need a thousand additional officers
in order to properly man the ships now
provided for and under construction. The
classes at the naval school at Annapolis
should be greatly enlarged. At the same
time that We thus add the officers where
we need them, we should facilitate the re-
.f hos thA bs,nA S.ft Dot
whose usefulness has become impaired.
Promotion must be fostered II the service
is to be kept efficient.
The lamentable scarcity Of officers and
the large number of recruits and of I'M
skilled men necessarily put aboard the
new vessels as they have been commits
especially on the lieutenants and Junior
grades unusual labor and fatigue and has
gravely strained their powers of endur-
ance. Nor is there sign of any immediate
letup in this strain. 1t must 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 difficulties incident
upon the development of our war fleet the
conduct of all our officers has been cred
I table to the service. and the heutenants
and junior grades in particular have dis
played an ability and a steadfast cheer,
, fulness which entitle them to the ungrudging
thanks Of all who realize the disheartening trials
| jected
There is not q cloud on the horizon at present.
| There seems not the slightest chance of trouble
with foreign power We most earnestly hope
1 that this state of things may continue, and the
way to insure its continuance is to provide for
| tain such q navy would invite trouble, and il
| trouble came would insure disaster. Fatuous self
compacency or vanity or shortsightedness in re,
-fusing to prepare for danger is both foolish and
wicked in such a nation ours. and past expert
J ence has shown that such faulty in refusing to
/ recognize or prepare for any crisis in advance is
/ vs. llv eucce cd " q ms of
| fear once the crisis has actually arrived. ID
| The striking increase in the revenues OF the
| Of our people and the increasing activity Of the
business of the country
| The receipts of the postofnce department for
! the fiscal year ending June 30 last amounted to
si2l, s4s, o472e, an increase Of sIo2l6 ssss7 over
the preceding year, the largest increase known in
| the history of the postal service. The magnitude
4 OF this increase will best appear from the fact
that the entire postal receipts for the year 1860
| amounted to b. $s.5lS.067.
| Rural free delivery service is no longer in the
! experimental sta.e. 1t has become axed policy.
The results following its introduction have fully
justified the co .ress in the large appropriations
| made for its establishment and extension. The
average yearly increase in postofice receipts in
the rural districts Of the country is about per
| cent. We are now able, by actual results, to
show that where rural free delivery service has
| been established to such an extent IS to enable
/ US to make comparisons the yearly increase has
been upward Of 10 per cent.
routes had been established and were in operation.
| covering about third OF the territory of the
| United States available for rural free delivery
| service. There are now awaiting the action OF
the department petitions and applications for the
| establishment Of 10,74S additional routes. This
shows conclusively the want which the establish
ment OF the service has met and the need Of fur
| Their extending 1t rapidly as possible. It is
justified both by the financial results and by the
practical benefits to our rural populations; it
brings the men who live on the soil into close
relations with the active business world; it keeps
the farmer in daily touch with the markets; it Is
| . potential educational force; it enhances the
value Of farm property, makes farm life far
| pleasanter and less isolated, and will do much to
| 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 for its further
| tension
| Few subjects Of more importance have been
| taken up by the congress in recent years than
the Inauguration OF the system Of nationally aided
| irrigation for the arid regions Of the far west.
| A. good beginning therein has been made Now
| that this policy Of patiosAl irrigation has been
adopted the need Of thorough and scientific forest
projection will grow mere Npidly than ever
| throughout the public land states.
Iegialation Should - provided Tor the pVutec.
| ton Of the game and the wild creatures gener.
ally on the forest reserves The senseless slaughs
| ter Of game which can by judicious protection be
| permanently preserved on our national reserves
| for the people as WHOLE should be stopped ct