The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-12-06

Philippines, and now our army has
been reduced to the minimum at
which it is possible to keep it with
due regard to its efficiency. The guns
now mounted require t~wenty-eight
thousand men, if the coast fortified.
items are to be adequately manned
Relatively to the nation. it is not now
so large as the police force of New
York or Chicago relatively to the pop
ulation of either city. We need more
officers; there are not enough to per-
form the regular army work. It is
very important that the officers Of
the army should be accustomed tn
handle their men in masses. as i; is
also important that the national
guard of the several states should be
accustomed to actual field
ing. especially in connection with fhe
regulars. For this reason We are to
be congratulated upon the success of
the field maneuvers at Manassas last
fall, in which a larger
numbers of regulars and national
guard took part than vas ever before
assembled together in time of peace.
Nc other civilized nation has. rela-
lively to its population. such a dimin-
utive army as ours; and while the ar
my is so small we are not to be OK
cused if we fail to keep it at a very
high grade of proficiency. 1t must
be necessarily ~practiced: the stand-
ard for the enlisted men should re-
kept very high, while at the same
attractive as possible; and the stand
ard for the officers should be kept
eel higher-which. as regards the
upper ranks, can best ne done by in.
Producing some system of selection
and rejection into he promotions.
We should be able, in the event of
some sudden emergency. to put into
the field one first class army corps.
which should be, as a whole. at leas.
NV O1bbl vi III ~ VI Nl'Olo vi
like number belonging to any other
nation.
Great progress has been made IN
protecting our coasts by adequate for
tificatiOns with sufficient guns. We
should. however. pay much more heed
han at present to the development
IF floating mines for use in all eur
more important harbors. These
mines have been proved to be a most
formidable safeguard against hostile
fleets.
Medals of Honor in the Navy.
| earnestly call the attention of the
congress to the need of amending
the existing law relating to the
award Of congressional medals of aDn
OF in the navy so as to provide thai
they may be awarded to commission
ed officers and warrant officers as
well as to enlisted men. These Justly
priced medals are given in the army
alike to the officers n enlisted men.
M it is most unjust hat the com
missioned officers and warrant offir-
ers Of the navy should not in this re-
spect have the same rights as their
listed men of the navy.
The Philippines.
In the Philippine Islands there has
been during the past year a confirm
alton of the steady progress which
definitely got the upper hand of the
insurgents. The Philippine people.
or. to speak more accurately. the ma
ny tribes, and even the races. sunder
ed from one another mere or less
sharply, who go to make ~ the PEG
pie of the Philippine Islands. contain
many elements of good. and some Of
ements which we nave a right t.
hope stand for progress. At present
they are utterly incapable Of existing
in independence at all or of building
up a civilization of their own. | firmly
believe that we can help them TO rise
higher and higher in the scale of civ
ilization and of capacity for self-gov-
eminent, and | most earnestly hope
that in the n they will ne able TO
stand. if not entirely alone, vet n
some such relation TO the United
States as Cuba now stands. This end
is not yet in sight. n it may he
indefinitely postponed if orr people
are foolish enough to turn the atten
ton of the Filipinos away from the
problems of achieving moral and ma
teriaI prosperity. of working for a sta
BILE. orderly, and just government.
and toward foolish and dangerous in
trigues for a complete independence
for which they are as yet totally IN
fit.
On the other hand our people must
keep steadily before their minds tire
fact that the justification for our stay