The Teton peak. [volume] (St. Anthony, Idaho) 1899-1904, 1903-12-10

checked by decrea sing the number of un
necessary positions and by increa.ing the
efficiency of the employees remaining.
The Army.
The effect of the laws providing a gem
eral staff for the army and for the more
effective use of the national guard has
been excellent. Great Improvement has
been made in the efficiency of our army
in recent years Such schools as those
erected at Fort Leavenworth and Fort
Riley and the institution of fall man
| euver work accomplish satisfactory re-
| suits The good effect of these man
| euvers upon the national guard is
! marked, and ample appropriation should
| be made to enable the guardsmen of the
| several states to share in the benefit.
| Inc Government should as soon as pos
| sible secure suitable permanent camp
sites Tor military maneuvers in the vari-
Gus sections of the country. The service
| thereby rendered not only to the regular
army. but to the national guard of the
| several States, will be so great as to
| repay many times over the relatively
small expense We should not rest salts
| ned with what has been done, however
me only people who are cOntented with
system of promotion by mere seniority
are those who are contented with the
triumph of mediocrity over excellence.
On the other hand a system which en-
couraged the exercise of social or politi-
cal favoritism in promotions would be
even worse. But it would surely be easy
TO devise method of promotion from
grade to grade in which the opinion of
the higher officers of the service upon
the candidates should be decisive upon
the standing and promotion of the latter.
Just such system now obtains at West
Point. The quality of each years work
determines the standing of that year s
class. the man being dropped or grad
uated into the next class in the relative
position which his military superiors de-
eide to be warranted by his merit In
other words, ability energy, fidelity and
all other similar qualities determine the
rank of man year after year in West
Point, and his standing in the army when
he graduates from West Point; but from
that time on, all effort to find which
man Is best or worst, and reward or
punish him accordingly, is abandoned;
no brilliancy. no amount of hard work,
no eagerness in the performance of duty,
can advance him, and no slackness or
indifference that falls short Of court
martial offense can retard him. Until
this system is changed we cannot hope
that our officers will be of as high grade
as we have a right to expect, consider
: ing the material upon which we draw
Moreover, when q man renders such
! service as Captain Pershing rendered last
spring in the Moro campaign, it ought
to be possible to reward him without al
once jumping him to the grade Of briga.
, dier-general
The Navy.
Shortly after the enunciaticn Of thai
! famous principle of American foreign
! policy now known as the Monroe Doc
: trine," President Monroe. in a specia
message to Congress on Jan. 80. 1924
spoke as follows: 1.-The navy is the arm
from whc4- our Government will Away.
derive most aid in support of our
4 rights. Every power engaged in war will
know the strength of our naval power
the number of our ships of each class
their condition. and the promptitude will
e which we may bring them into service
n and will pay due consideration to tina
n | argument"
= l heartily congratulate the Congress
: upon the steady progress in building VI
= the American navy. We can not affor,
o a let-up in this great work To stant
= still means to go back. There should b.
o no cessation in adding to the effectiv
n units of the fighting strength of the fleet
Meanwhile the Navy department and TIL
officers of the navy are doing well thei
part by providing constant service a
sea under conditions akin to those o
: actual warfare Our officers and enlste
e men are learning to handle the BATH
- SHIPS, cruisers, ana torpedo DOatS VIII
;, high efficiency in fleet and squadron for
u nations, and the standard of markham
l, ship is being steadily raised. The hes
!" work ashore is Indispensable, but tn
highest duty of naval officer is to eS
= ercise command at sea.
+ The establishment of a naval base i
I. the Philippines ought not to be longe
II postponed Such a base is desirable
- time OF peace: in time of war it woul
&c be indispensable. and its lack would /
d ruinous. Without it fleet would /
i helpless. Our naval experts are agree
!, that Subig bay is the proper place fc
l. the purpose. The national interests r,
sc quire that the work of fertilization an
I'll development of a naval station at Subj
10 bay be begun at an early date; for vi
der the lest conditions it is wor
II which will consume much time.
$ 1t is eminently desirable, however, tn;
" there should be provided naval gener
~ staff on lines similar to those of the Gel
III eral Staff lately created for the arm
III Within the Navy department itself Il
d, needs of the service have brought abo,
10 a system under which the duties of
r. general staff are partially performed: #
~ the Bureau of Navigation has under
ne direction the War College, the Office
e. Naval Intelligence. and the Board of 1
spection, and has been in close tout
with the General Board of the Navy. b
es though under the excellent officers
IN their head. these boards and bureaus
IT. good work, they have not the authori
on | OF general staff and have not suffice
he scope to insure a proper readiness +
,s- emergencies. We need the establishme
,al by law of a body of trained officers, w
1T shall exercise a systematic control of t
S25 military affairs of the navy, and be a
ar. thorized advisers of the Secretary co
lly corning 1t.
RS lsthman Canal.
eh By the act of June 2S 1902, the Co
ne gress authorized the President to ent
at INTO treaty with Colombia for the bull
ing of the canal across the Isthmus
Panama. it being provided that in t
list | event of failure to secure such trea
gh after the lapse of reasonable time,
i'll | course should be had to building car
an | through Nicaragua. it has not be
INT necessary to consider this alternative,
MS am enabled to lay before the Sens
"a L. treaty providing for the building of t
on canal across the Isthmus of Panan
he This was the route which commend
raj itself to the deliberate judgment of t
ice congress, and we can now acquire
ch treaty the right to construct the cal
On over this route. The question now, the
vii | fore, is not by which route the isthmi
ans | canal shall be built, for that Questi