The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-12-05


tillery horses worn out in long perform
ance of duty. Such horses fetch but
trife 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 wheW necessary TO put them
painlessly to death.
For the first time in our history naval |
maneuvers on large scale are being held |
under the immediate command of the adj |
miral of the navy. Constantly increasing |
attention is being paid to the gunnery OF |
the navy, but it is yet far from what. ii |
should be. l 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 - encour-
age the gun crews, and especially the gun
pointers, and for perfecting an intelligent
system under which alone it is possible to
get good practice.
There should be no halt in the work of
I Ieai1 aSdtona a1 ghtng craft We are
very rich country, vast In extent or terri
tory and great in population, a country,
moreover, which has an army diminutive
| indeed when compared with that of any
other first class power. We have dellber-
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
| II the navy is Of sufficient size, but If we
have an inadequate navy then the pulld-
| 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 it would be worse than idle
| to assert it unless we intended to back 1t
up, and it can be backed up only by a
| thoroughly good navy. A good navy is
i not a provocative of war 1t Is the surest
| guaranty of peace.
| Each individual unit of our navy should
4 ha hn mos n
| both material and personnel that Is TO be
| found in the world. l call your special
| manning of the ships Serious trouble
| threa tens us If we cannot do better than
/ we are now doing as regards securing the
| services of sufficient number of the high
1 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 che world.
| They are unsurpassed in daring, In reso-
| luton. in readiness. in thorough knowl-
edge of their profession. They deserve eV-
4 cry consideration that can be shown them.
| But there are not enough of them. 1t Is
| no more possible to improvise a crew than
i is possible to improvise a warship; 10
battery and to send 1T afioat with raw
| crew, 10 matter how brave they were in
dividually, would be to insure disaster II q
i Neither ships nor men can be improvised
when war has begun.
| 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-
| tirement of those at the head OF the list
| whose usefulness has become impaired.
| Promotion must be foStered II the service
IL 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
stoned has thrown upon our officers, and
| especially on the lieutenants and junior
| grades unusual labor and fatigue and has
| Rravely strained their powers OF endur-
ance. Nor Is there sign Of any immedis ate
some time longer until more officers are
graduated FROM Annapolis and until the
| recruits become trained and sktllful In
their duties. In these difficulties incident
upon the development of our war feet the
conduct Of all our officers has been cred
table to the service, and the iteutenants
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
and fatigues to which they are OF necessity sub
jected.
With q foreign power. We most earnestly hope
that this stats Cd things may continue, and the
way to insure its continuance is to provide for
tain such q navy would invite trouble, and y
trouble came would insure disaster. Fatuous self
1 comDiacency vanity ehortSlghteGneS3 In re-
fusing to prepare for danger Is both foolish and
wicked in such nation as ours, and past expert
snce has shown that such faulty In refusing to
recognize or prepare for any crisis In advance !.
usually succeeded by a mad panic Of hysterical
fear once the crisis has actually arrived.
The striking increase In the revenues OF the
postofice department shows clearly the prosperity
81 our people and the increasing activity OF the
| business of the country.
The receipts Of the postofice department fo1
| the fiscal year ending June 80 last amounted to
1921 84s, O4726 an increase Of $40 ,s53s7 over
the preceding ssear, the largest increase known IN
the history Of the postal service The magnitude
| Of this increase will best appear from the TACT
that the entire postal receipts for the year 1S6l
amounted to but $s,51s.067
Rural free delivery service Is no longer IN tnt
The results following its introduction have fullJ
justified the congress in the large appropriation:
, made for Its establishment and extension. TIT
average yearly increase in postofice receipts II
!, the rural districts OF the country IS about Pc
| | cent We are able, by actual results Il
, | show that where rural free delivery service ha
| been established to such extent as to enable
us to make comparisons the yearly increase ha
been upward of 10 per cent.
On Nov. /, 1902, $50 rural free deliver!
routes had been established and were In operation
: covering about one-third Of the territory OF tn
United States available for rural free deliver:
service. There are now awaiting the action o
the department petitions and applications Tor IN
establishment Of 1O,74s additional routes: Thi
. ment Of the service has met and the need Of fur
, Their extending it as rapidly as possible; IL
| justified both by the financial results and oy IN
| practical benefits to our rural poPuiaIoni
brings the men who live on the sou INTO , CLOS
relations with the active business world; II Keep
the farmer in daily touch with the markets; IL
4 potential educational force; II ennanSes IN "a
? value Of farm property, makes Iarm me
pleasanter and less isolated, and viii do much 7
9 check the undesirable current rom country
Q city. in ,,,h
: | liberal appropriations for the continuance OF IN
service already established and for Its furtner e.
tension.
: Few subjects OF more Importance nave pee
r taken up by the congress in recent years ina
the Inauguration OF the system OF nationally aloe
: irrigation for the arid regions OF the iar We
t good beginning therein mas been mace. NO
: that this policy OF national Irrigation mas pee
n odontad the need of thorough and scientific fore