Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-12-06

db wen ihAAAhoAg AhN % ~
rienees of the war have shown in con
elusive fashion that while sea-goinI
and sea-keeping torpedo destroyers ar
indispensable, and fast lightly arme'
and armored cruisers very useful, ye
that the main reliance, the main stand
by in afy navy worthy the name, mus
be the. great battleships, heavily ar
mored And heavily gunned. Not Rus
sian or Japanese battleship has beer
sunk by a torpedo boat, or by gunfire
while among the less protected ships
cruiser after cruiser has been destroyed
whenever the hostile squadrons have
gotten within range of one another
weapons. There will always be a large
field of usefulness for cruisers, espe
cially of the more formidable type. We
need to increase the number of torpedo
boat destroyers, paying less heed to
their having knot or two extra speed
than to their capacity to keep the seas
for weeks, and, if necessary, for months
at time. 1t is wise to build subma-
rine torpedo boats, as under certain cir
eumstancos they might be very useful.
But most of all we need to continue
building our feet of battleships, or
ships so powerfully armed that they
can infict the maximum of damage
upon our opponents and so well protect
ed that they can suffer severe ham
mering in return without fatal impair
ment of their ability to fight and ma
neuver. OF course ample means must
be provided for enabling the personnel
of the navy TO be brought to the high
est point of efficiency. Our great fight
ing ships and torpedo boats must be
eeaseessly trained and maneuvered 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 bet
ter to have no ships at all than to have
ships of poor and ineffective type, or
ships which, however good, were yet
manned by unframed and unskillful
crews The best officers and men in a
poor ship could do nothing against fair
ly good opponents, and on the other
hand a modern warship is useless unless
the officers and men aboard her have
become adopts in their duties. The
in our navy has i'm
proved in an extraordinary degree dur
ing the last three years, and on the
whole the types of our battleships are
but much remains to be
lone. Sooner or later we shall have
70 provide for some method by which |
here will be promotions for merit as
we'll as for seniority, or else retirement |
If all those who, after a certain age, |
lave not advanced beyond a certain
,rade. while no effort must be spared |
o make the service attractive to the |
nlisted men in order that they may |
,e kept as long as possible in it. Res
Tvation public schools should be pro-
-ided wherever there are navy yards.
The Army.
Within the last three years the Unit
d States has set an example in dis
where disarmament was
roper. BY law our army is fixed at
maximum of 10000 and a minimum
{ 10000 men. When there was insur
ection in the Philippines we kept the
rmy at the maximum. Peace came in
he Philippines, and now our army has
cen reduced to the minimum at which
is possible to keep it with due regard
, its efficiency. The guns now mount
/ require $4,000 men, if the coast for
fcations are to be adequately manned.
to the nation, it is not now
, large as the police force of New {
ork or Chicago relatively to the pop Il
ation of either city. We need more r
licers; there are not enough to per- I
,rm the regular army work. 1t is very a
lportant that the officers of the army y
Iould be accustomed to handle their n
en- in masses, as it is also important n
Iat the national guard of the several a
ates should be accustomed to actual \
Id work, especially in connection "a
it'll the regulars. For this reason we /,
e to be congratulated upon the sue g
IS of the field maneuvers mt Manassas Il
st fall, maneuvers in which larger n
Imber of regulars and national guard !,
Ok part than was ever before as n
mbled together in time of peace. No
her civilized nation has, relatively to n,
population, such a diminutive army a,
ours, and while the army is so small A
, are not to be excused if we fail to n,
ep it at a very high grade of pro- a,
iency. 1t must be necessarily prac- n
ed; the standard for the enlisted 4,
IN should be kept very high, while n
the same time the service should be ~
lde as attractive as possible, and the a,
lndard for the officers should be kept ~
en- higher-which, as regards the v,
per ranks, can best be done by intro Ia,
cling some system of selection and re- -
'tion into the promotions. We should nr
able, in the event of some sudden 90
orgency, to put into the field one first isl
ss army corps, which should be, as a aa
ole, at least the equal of any body m,
troops of like number belonging to IN
y other nation. ~
Great progress has been made in pro- ON
ting our coasts by adequate fortif-
ions with sufficient guns. We should, an
Yever, pay much more heed than at ,,,
sent TO the development of an ex- 81.
sive system of floating mines for 80
in all our more important harbors. sr,
ese mines have been proved TO be aPP'
most formidable safeguard against 81,
tile fleets. ."'
Medals of Honor in the Navy. ~
earnestly call tho attention of the "m
gress to the neeG of amending the H.,
sting law relating to the award of -