Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-12-05
NEEDS OF THE NAVY.
More ship. and Men Needed to Keep


More Ships and Men Needed to Keep
Pace with the Times.
For the first time in our history naval.
maneuvers on a large scale are being held
under the immediate command of the ad-
attention IS being paid to the gunnery Of
should be; | earnestly urge that the IN
navy in the appropriation for Improving
the Workmanship be granted. In battle
the only shots that count are the shots that
FUNDS for practice with the great guns in
time of peace. These funds must provide
not only for the purchas use of projectiles but
gun crews. and especially tie gun pointers,
under which alone it is possible TO get good
practice.
There should be no halt in the work of
building up the navy. providing every year
additional fighting craft. We are a very
81 Sa
which has an army dim.nutive indeed when
compared with that Of any other first-class
oWn certain foreign a demand
the possession of q. flrst-class navy. The
isthmian canal will greatly increase the
eient sze q but if hane a ana
navy, then the building of the cana. would
be merely giving hostage to any power
Should be treated the cardIn al feature Of
American foreign policy; but 1t would be
worse than idle to assert 1t unless we In
tsn any to back It up sno be baeRea
navy is not provocative of war. 1t is the
surest guaranty of peace.
be tSa meHt unit IF oIT navy sond
both material ana personnel that is to be
found in the world. call your special at
1s nn to Of hi the ne sS 81 gsydnas for the
threatens US If we cannot do better than
we are now doing as regards securing. tn.
services of 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
ton. In readiness, in thorough knowledge
s cor, ;sssa that can Be shown them.
no more possible to improvlse crew than
i Is possible to improvlse warship; To
crew, 70 matter how brave they were in
dividually, would be to insure disaster If
foe of average capacity were encountered
when war has begun.
We need thousand additional officers in
ORDER to properly man the ships now pro
classes at the naval school at Annapol,
time that We thus add the officers where
tirement Of those at the head Of the list
whose usefulness. has become impaired
Promotio pa must be fostered if The serv-
The lamentable scarcity of officers, and
the large number of recruits and of un-
skilled men necessarily put aboard the
stoned, has thrown upon our officers, and
especially on the l.eutenants and Junior
grades. unusual labor and fatigue and
has EravelY strained their powers OF en-
dura nee. Nor is there sign of any inn
mediate let-un in this strain. 1t must
continue for some time longer. until more
and until the recruits become trained
and skillful in their duties. In these d'ffi-
cult!es incident upon the dAve'opme"t If
our war fleet the conduct of all our Off.
in particular have displayed an ability
and a steadfast cheertulness which en-
titles them to the ungrudging thanks Of
and fatigues to which they are of neces-
sity subjected.
ni There is not elogd on the horz9n at
chance of trouble with a foreign power
We most earnestly hope that this state
Of things may continue; and the way to
eeens navy to ssusa
to maintain such a navy would invite
trouble. and il trouble came would insure
disaster. Fatuous self-compiacency or
to prepare for danger, is both foolish and
wicked IN such a nation a. ours; and
past experiences has shown that such
pare for any crisis in advance Is usually
succeeded by mad panic of hysterical
Tear once the crisis has actually arrived.
Rural Free Delivery.
The striking increase in the revenues
OF the posi- office department shows clear
acfIvyv OF r. our people and the
country.
The receipts of the post Office depart
nor lns e yssn 7eaanE June 80
Of $1o2l6, s53.s7 over the preceding year,
the largest increase known in the history
t q the postal service The magnitude Of
fact that ,o the entire postal receipts for
the year 1860 amounted to but sS.51s. Os7
Rural free delivery service is no longer
Introduction have fully justified the con-
for ts In ths large
average yearly increase in post Office re-.
ce!pts in the rural districts Of the coun-
Try Is about two per cent. We are now.
able; by y,I actual results. to show that
been established to such an extent as to
enapie us 70 make comparisons the yearly
increase mas been upward of ten per
delivery routes had been established and
were in operation, covering about one
third Of the territory Of the United ststes
available for rural free delivery service
There are now awaiting the action Of the
the establishment Of 1ofS adIition noT
routes. This shows conclusivelv the want
which the establishment of the servtns
ing It as rapidly as possihle n 10 A i',sti
fled both by the financial results and hv
the practical benefits to our rural non-
nlation: II brings the men who Oil live pop an
the soil into close relations with fie az
tive business world: 1t Keeps the farmer ae