The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1904-12-06

us as 4 Iseo3ie taan 70 keep the navy
adequate TO tie needs OF this country's
position We have undertaken to build
| the isthlnian canal We have under
taken to secure for ourselves our just
share iii the t.'ade of tie orient We
have undertaken to protect our citi
zens from improper treatment in for
eign lands. We continue steadily to
insist on the application Of tie Monroe
| doctrine to tie western hemisphere.
] Unless our attitude IN uiesc and all
| similar matters is to be q mere boast
full sham we cannot afford to abandon
our naval programme Our voice is
| now potent for peace and IS 50 potent
| because we are not afraid Of war. But
| our proteStations upon behalf Of peace
would neither receive nor deserve the
slightest attention if we were impotent
! to make them good
The war which now unfortunately
| RACES in the far east las emphasized
| in striking fashion TIE new possibili
! ties Of naval warfare The lessons
| taught are both strategic 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 destroy
ers are indispensable and fast. lightly
armed and armored cruisers very use
full, yet that the main reliance, the
main standby in any navy worthy the
Il I, ia;
heavily arnored and heavily gunned
| Not Russian or Japanese battleship
has been sunk by a torpedo boat or by
gun fire, while among the less protectei
| ships cruiser after cruiser has been de-
i stroyed whenever the hostile squad
rons have got within range Of one an
others weapons There will always be
a large field of usefulness for cruisers,
/ especially Of the more formidable type
i We need to increase the number of tor
i pedo boat destroyers, paying less heed
! to their having Il knot or two extra
j speed than to their capacity to keep
/ the seas for weeks and il necessary
/ for months at time. It is wise to
1 build submarine torpedo boats, as I'M
4
! be very useful. But most of all we
need to continue building our fleet of
i battleships or ships 50 powerfully arm
/ ed that they can infict the maximum
Of damage upon our opponents, aad so
well protected that; they can suffer a
! severe hammering in return without
4 fatal impairment of their ability to
4 fight and mancuver. OF course ample
i means must be provided for enabling
the personnel of the navy to be brought
/ to the highest point Of efficiency. Our
i great fighting ships and torpedo boats
must be ceaselessly trained and maneu-
4 vered in squadrons. The officers and
n men can only learn their trade thor
oughly by ceaseless practice on the
i high seas. In the event of war it
Il would be far better to have no ships
j at all than to have ships of a poor and
/ ineffective type or ships which, how
1 ever good, were yet manned by I'M
! trained and unskillful crews. Tie best
i officers and men in poor ship could Go
4 nothing against fairly good opponents,
i and, on the other hand, a modern war
1 ship is useless unless the officers and
i men aboard her have become adopts in
their duties, The craftsmanship in
i our navy has improved in an eXtraor-
binary degree during the last three
years. and on the whole the types Of
our battleships are: improving, but
much. remains to be done. Sooner or
4 later we shall have to provide for some
4. method by which there will be promo
). lions for merit as well as for seniority,
or else retirement of all those who
], after a certain age have not advanced
4 beyond certain grade, while no eff
, fort must be spared to make the serv-
! ice 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 States has set an example In
disarmament where disarmament was
!, proper. By law our army is fixed at a
maximum of 100000 and a minimum
Of 10000 men, When there was 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 is possible to keep it with due
regard to it's efficiency. The guns now
mounted require $4,000 men if the
coast Notifications are to be adequate
{ " 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 te
perform the regular army work. 1t Is
very important that the officers of the
army should be accustomed to handle
their men in masses, as it is also I'M
portant that the national guard of the
several states should be accustomed te
actual field mansuv ering, especially In
: connection with the regulars. For this
reason we are to be congratulated upon the
success OF the field maneuverst at Ma
nassas last fall, maneuvers in which
! larger number of regulars and nat1ona
: guard took part than was ever before as
z sembled together in time Of peace. NJ
s other civilized nation has relatively to 1T
: population such a diminutive army a!
!, ours, and while the army is so small ~
! are not to be excused II we fail to keel
. 1t at a very high grade Of proficiency 1
. must be necessarily practiced. The stand