The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-07

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 q Knot or two eX-
ira speed than to their capacity TOT
keep the seas for weeks, and, if ne
cesSary, 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 ileet
of battleshipS, or ships so powerfully
armed that they can infict the max
imum Of damage upon our opponents.
and so well protected that they can
suffer hammering i'm return without
fatal impairment of their ability To-
fight and manoeuVef OF course ample
means must be provided for enabling
the personnel of the navy to he
brought TO the highest point of eff
cheney. Our great lighting ships ana
torpedo boats must be ,ccaseleSsiy
trained and manoeuvered in squad
rons. The officers and men can only
learn their trade thoroughly by cease
less practice ON the high seas. In
the event of war il would be far bet
ter to have no ships at all than, 10
have ships of poor and ineffective
type, or ships which, however good,
were not manned by unframed and
lnskilled crews. - .~
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 hundred thous
and and minimum or sixty thousand
men. When there was an insurrec-
ton i'm the Philippines we kept the
army at the maximum. Peace came
lin the Philippines, and now our army
has been reduced to the minimum at
which it is possible TO keep ii With due
regard to it's efficiency. The guns now
mounted require twenty EIGHT thous-
and men. if the coast fortihcations 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 population
Of either city We need more officers;
there are not enough to perform the
regular army work. 1t is very import
ant 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 sew
eral States should be accustomed 10
actual field manoeuvering. especially
in connection with the regulars For
this reason we are to be congratulate
ed upon the success of the field ma
noeuVering at Manassas last fall, ma
noeuvering in which larger number
of regulars and National Guard took
part than was ever before assembled
together in time of peace No other
civilized nation has, relatively to its
population. such a diminutiVe army
as ours; and while the army is so
small we are not to be excused if we
fail to keep it at q very high grade
of proficiency. 1t must be incessant-
ly practiced; the standard for the en-
islted men should be kept very high,
while at the same time the service
should be made as attractive as pos
sible; and the standard for the Off
GERS should be kept even higher
which, as regards the upper ranks,
can best be done by introducing some
system of selection into the promo
tions. We should be able, in the event
of some sudden emergency, to put in
to the field one firSt-clasS army corps,
which should be. as whole, III 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
tifications with sufficient guns. We
should, however, pay much more heed
than at present 10 rhe development
of an extensive system of floating
mines for use in all our more inn
portant harbors. These mines have
been proved to be most formidable
safeguard against hostile fleets.
Medals of Honor i'm the Navy.
1 earnestly call the attention of
the Congress to the need of amend
ing the existing law relating 10 the
award Of Congressional medals Of
honor in the navy so as to provide
that they may be awarded to commits
stoned officers and warrant officers as
well as to enlisted men. These justly
priced 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 Of
ficers of the navy should not in this
respect have the same rights as their
brethren in the army and as the en-
listed men of the navy.
The Philippines.
In the Philippine Islands there has
been during the past year continua-
ton Of the steady progress which has
obtained ever since our troops definite
ly 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 another more or less sharply, who
go to make up the people of the Phil
ippine 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 a civilization of their
own. / firmly believe that we can help
them to rise higher and higher in the
scale of civilization and of capacity
for self-government, and / most earn
estly hope that in the end they will be
able to stand, if not entirely alone, yet
IN some such relation to the United
States as Cuba now stands. This end
is not yet in sight, and it may be in
definitely postponed if our people are
foolish enough to turn the attention
of the Filipinos away from the prob
lens of achieving moral and material
prosperity, of working for a stable
orderly, and just government, and to-
ward foolish and dangerous intrigues
for a complete independence for which
they are as yet totally unfit.
On the other hand our people must
keep steadily before their minds the
fact that the justification for our stay
in the Philippines must ultimately rest
chiefly upon the good we are able to
do in the islands. / do not overlook