Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-12-08

duct is not only unjust and irritating
toward us, but 1t is difficult to see its
wisdom from Russia's standpoint. No
conceivable good is accomplished by it.
II an American Jew or an American
Christian misbehayes himself in Rus
STA he can at once be driven out, but
the ordinary American Jew, like the
ordinary American Christian, would
behave Just about as he behaves here
that is, behave as any good citizen
ought to behave-and where this is the
case it is wrong against which we are
entitled to protest to refuse him his
passport without regard to his conduct
and character merely on racial and re-
ligious grounds. In Turkey our diff
ficuties arise less from the way in
which our citizens IRE sometimes treat
ed than from the Indignation inevitably
excited in seeing such fearful misrule
rs has been witnessed both in Armenia
I, and Macedonia.
The Navy.
The strong arm of the government in
enforcing respect for it's just rights in
international matters is the navy of
the United States. | most earnestly
recommend that there be no halt in the
work of upbuilding the American navy.
There is no more patriotic duty before
US as a people than to keep the navy
adequate to the needs of this country's
position. We have undertaken to build
the isthmian canal. We have under
taken to secure for ourselves our just
share in the trade Of the 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 the Monroe
doctrine to the western hemisphere.
Unless our attitude in these and all
similar matters is to be mere boast
full sham we cannot afford to abandon
our naval programme. Our voice is
s now potent for peace and is SO potent
because we are not afraid of war. But
our protestations upon behalf Of peace
would neither receive nor deserve the
slightest attention IL we were impotent
to make them good.
The war which now unfortunately
RACES in the far east has emphasized
in striking fashion the new possibili-
ties of naval warfare. The lessons
taught are both strategic and tactical
and are political as well as military.
J The experiences of the war have shown
in conclusive fashion that, while sea-
going and sea keeping torpedo destroy
crs 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
name must be the great battleships,
heavily armored and heavily gunned.
Not a Russian or Japanese battleship
has been sunk by Il torpedo boat or by
gun fire, while among the less protected
ships cruiser after cruiser has been de.
stroyed whenever the hostile squad
rons have got within range of one an
others weapons. There will always be
large field of usefulness for cruisers
especially of the more formidable type
We need to increase the number of tor
J pedo boat destroyers, 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 ut time 1t is wise to
build submarine torpedo boats, as un.
der certain circumstances they might
be very useful. But most of all we
need to continue building our fleet of
battleships or ships SO powerfully arm
; ed that they can inflict the maximum
of damage Upon our opponents, and SC
well protected that they can suffer q
severe hammering in return without
fatal impairment of their ability te
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. Oul
great fighting ships and torpedo boats
must be ceaselessly trained and maneu
|, vered in squadrons. The officers ant
men can only learn their trade thor
oughly by ceaseless practice on the
high seas In the event of war Ii
would be far better to have no ships
! at all than to have ships Of poor anC
!; ineffective type or ships which, how
; ever good, were yet manned by un
trained,and unskillful crews. The bes
; officers and men in poor ship could d.
nothing against fairly good opponents
!. and, on the other hand, a modern war
. ship is useless unless the officers ant
men aboard her have become adopts II
; their duties. The craftsmanship il
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, bu1
much remains to be DONE Sooner o.
} later we shall have to provide for som,
method by which there will be promo
lions for merit as well as for seniority
or else retirement of all those WHIT
after certain age have not advanced
beyond certain grade, while no eff
fort must be spared to make the serv
J ice attractive to the enlisted men il
order that they may be kept as long al
possible in it. Reservation public
schools should be provided wherever
there are navy yards.
The Army.
Within fha last three years thf