Arizona republican., 1904-12-07

adeDts in their duties. The markman- ship in our navy has improved in an extraordinary degree during the last three years. and on the whole the types of our battlesnips are improving; but much remains to be done. Sooner or later We shall have to provide for some method by which there will be promotions for merit as well as for seniority, or else retirement of all these who after a certain age have not ad- vanced beyond a certain grade; while no effort must be spared to make the service attractive to the enlisted men in order that they may be kept as long as possible in it. Reservation public schools should be provided wherever there are navy yards.
 THE ARMY.
 Within the last three years the United tates has set an example in disarmament where disahmement was proper. By law our army is fixed at a maximum of one hundred thousand and a minimum of sixty thousand men. When there was insurrection in the Philippines we kept the army at the maximum. Peace came in the Philip pines, and now our army has been re- duced to the minimum at which it is
 
 efficiency. The guns now mounted re- quire twenty-eight thousand men, if the coast Notifications are to be ade- quately manned. Relatively to the na- ton it is not so large as the police force of New Tory or Chicago relatively to the population of either city. We need more officers; there are not enough to perform 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 national guard of the several states should be accus- tomen to actual field maneuvering, es- peciaily in connection with the regu- .ars. For this reason we are to be con- graduated upon the success of the field maneuvers ae Manassas last fall. maneuvers in which q larger number Jf regulars and national guard took part than was ever before assembled together in time of peace. No other ciTilizen nation has, relatively to it's uopu:auon, su-ih diminutive army as CII-s; a. u while the army is so small We are not to be excused if we fail to keep 1t at a very high grade pro EceACy. IL must be necessarily Drac- dcad; the standard for the enlisted men SiiOuttt Bt kt-Bl wy niSHs W0lle dI the same time the service should be made as attractIv as possible; and the stand ard for the officers should be kept even n' 'gber-which, as regards the upper ranks, can best be done ity introducing rome system of selection and rejection into the romotions We should be able, IT the event of some sudden emer- gncy, to put into the field one first class army corps, which should be. as a whole, at least the equal of any body of troops of like number belonging to any other nation.
 Great progress has been made in protecting our coasts by adequate for tiiicatiOns with sufficient guns We should, however, pay much more heed than at present to the development of sn extensive system of floating mines For use n all our more important har- bLTs. These mines have been proved to be a most formidable safeguard against hostile fleets.
 MEDALS OF HONOR IN THE NAVY
 l earnestly call the attention of the congress to the need of amending the existing law relating to the award of congressional medals of honor in the navy so as to provide that they may be awarded to commissioned officers and warrant officers as we'll as to enlisted men. These justly prized medals are given in the army alike to the officers and the enlisted men. and it is most unjust that the commissioned officers and warrant officers of the navy should not Tn this respect have the same rights as their brethren in the army and as the enlisted men in the navy
 THE PHILIPPINES.
 icIo been during the past year a continu- alton of the steady progress which has ever since our troops ded- nftely got the upper hand of the insur- gents. The Philippine people. or. to speak more accurately. the many tribes and even races. sUndered from one 21other more or less sharply, who 20 to make Dthe people of the Philippine islands, contain many elements of good, and some elements which we have a right to hope stand for progress. At present they are utterly incapable of existing in independence at all or of building up civilization of their own. hrInly believe that we can help them to rise higher and higher in the scale Of civilization and of capacity for. self government, and I most earnestly hone that in the end they will be able to 5Iahd' II not entirely alone, yet in some l relation to the United States as Cuba | loW stands. This end is not vet in sight, and it may be indefinitely post 'oned if our people are foolish enough 1 10 turn the attention of the F'ilipinos | away from the problems of achievina, moral and material prosperity, of work HE Tor stable, orderly and just gov ernment, and toward foolish and dan serous intrigues for a complete inde- . for which they are as yet to- ally unfit
 On the other hand our people must ! 'eep steadily before their minds the S1ct that the Justification for our stay | . the Philippines must ultimately rest | hleuy upon the good we are able to 10 -h the islands. do not overlook the act thaat in the development of our in the Pacific ocean and along ts' coasts, the Philippines have played II Iid WIFI play an important part, and