The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-06

to the needs of this country's position.
We have pndertaken to 6uIta ene ~ se
cure for ourselves our just share in the
trade of the Orient. We have undertaken
treatment in foreign lands. We continue
steadily to insist on the application of the
Monroe doctrine to the Western Hem1S-
phere. Unless our attitude in these and al
similar matters is to be a mere boastful
naval programme. Our voice is now po-
tent for peace, and is so potent because
ate not nn a6pa beSaf Of 6eace our would
neither receive nor deserve the slightest
attention if we were impotent to make
The war which now unfortunately RACES
in the far east has emphasized in striking
fashion the new possibilities of naval war
fare. The lessons taught are both strait
egic and tactical, and are political as well
as military. The experiences of the war
have shown in conclusive fashion that
while sea-going and sea-keeping torpedo
destroyers are indispensable, and fast
useful, yet that the main reliance, the
main standby, in any navy worthy the
lily armored and heavily gunned. Not a
Russian or Japanese battle ship has been
sInk SUM- by torP Pee ooa' OF py su sbips
cruiser after cruiser has been destroyed
whenever the hostile squadrons have got
ons. There will always be a large. field
of usefulness for cruisers, especially of
increase the number of torpedo boat de-
stroyers, paying less heed to their having
a knot or two extra speed than to their
capacity to keep the seas for weeks, and,
if necessary, for months at a time. 1t Is
wise to build submarine torpedo boats. as
under certain circumstances they might
be very useful. But most of all we need
to continue building our fleet of battle
ships, or ships powerfully armed that
they can inf1ict the maximum of damage
upon our opponents, and so well protected
that they can surfer severe h IAN 4 n{
their ability to fight and maneuver OF
course ample means must be provided for
enabling the personnel of the navy to be
brought to the highest point of efficiency.
Our great fighting ships and torpedo boats
must be ceaselessly trained and maneu-
Vered In squadrons. The officers and men
can only learn their trade thoroughly by
ceaseless practice On the high seas. In
the event of war it would be far better
to have no ships at all than to have ships
of a poor and ineffective type, or ships
by unframed and unskilled crews. The
best officers and men in a poor ship could
and on the other hand a modern war ship
is useless unless the officers and men
duties. The craftsmanship in our navy
has improved in an extraordinary degree
during the last three years, and on the
whole the types of our battle ships are
improving; but much remains to be done.
Sooner or later we shall have to provide
some method by which there will be pro-
motions for merit as well as for seniority,
else retirement of all those who after
a certain age have not advanced beyond
a certain grade; while effort must be
spared to make the service attractive to
the enlisted men in order that they may
walton public schools should be provided
wherever there are navy yards.
The Army.
Within the last three years the United
States has set an example in disarmament
where disarmament was proper. By law
our army is fixed at a maximum of one
ty thousand men. When there insur-
rection in the Philippines we kept the
army at the maximum. Peace came in
the Philippines and now our army has
been reduced to the minimum at which it
its Peee9cy The guns MIn
Quire twenty-eight thousand men, if the
manned. Relatively to the nation. it is
not now SO large as the police force of
New York or Chicago relatively to the
population 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 to handle their men
in masses, as it is also important that the
be accustomed to actual field maneuver-
ing, especially in connection with the reg
ulars. For this reason we are to be con-
graduated upon the success of the field
maneuvers at Manassas last fall, maneu-
vers in which a larger number of regulars
ever before assembled together i'll time of
peace. No other civilized nation has rel
atively to its population, such diminu-
tive army as ours and while the army is
so small we are not to be excused if we
fail to keep 1t at a very nigh grade OF
proficiency. 1t must be necessarily prac-
ticed; the standard for the enlisted men
should be kept very high, while at the
same time the service should be made as
attractive as possible; and the standard
for the officers should be kept even higher
which, as regards the upper ranks, can
best be done by introducing some system
of selection and rejection into the promo
lions. 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 whole, at least the equal
of any body of troops of like number be-
longing to any other nation.
Great progress has been made in pro-
tecting our coasts by adequate fortihca-
lions with sufficient guns. We should,
however, pay much more heed than at
present to the development of an extern
sive system of floating mines for use in
all our more important harbors. These
mines have been proved to be a most for
midable safeguard against hostile fleets.
Medals of Honor in the Navy.
I earnestly call the attention of the
congress to the need of amending the ex-
listing law relating to the award of con-
as to provide that they may be awarded
to commissioned officers and warrant Of
ficers as well as to enlisted men. These
justly priced medals are given In the
army alike to the officers and the en-
listed men, and it is most unjust that
the commissioned officers and warrant Of
ffcers of the navy should not in this re-
spect have the same rights as their breth-
rem in the army and as the enlisted men
of the navy.
The Philippines.
In the Philippine island there has been
during the past year a continuation Of the
steady progress which has obtained ever
since our troops definitely got the upper
hand of the insurgents The Philippine
people, or, to speak more accurately, the
many tribes, and even races, sundered
from one another more or less SHARPLY,
ippine islands, contain many elements of
good, and some elements which we have a