The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-12-05

unless he comes up TO a certain standard OF
excellence, and when he graduates he takes
rank In the army according 10 his rank Of
graduation The results are good at West
Point; and there should be in the army IT.
self something that will achieve the same
end After a certain age has been reached
the average officer Is unft to DO good work
below a certain grade. Provision should be
made for the promotion Of exceptionally mer-
ltorious men over the heads Of their COM
rades and for the retirement OF all men who
have reached given age without getting
beyond a given rank; this age Of retire
ment Of course changing from rank to rank.
In both the army and the navy there should
| be some principle OF selection, that Ia Of
promotion for merit and there should be
resolute effort to eliminate the aged ofhcers
OF reputable character who possess 10 spe-
cai efficiency.
There should be an Increase in the coast
\ artillery force, SO that our coast fortified
| tons can be In some degree adequately
manned. There is special need for an in
crease and reorganization OF the Medical de-
partment Of the army. In both the army
| and navy there must be the same thorough
training for duty in the staf corps as IN the
| fighting line. Only by such training In ad-
vance can we be sure that In actual war
neld operations ana those al sea Will be
| carried on successfully. The Importance OF
this was shown conclusively In the Spanish
American and the Russo-Japanese wars. The
work OF the medical departments in the
Japanese army and navy is especially wor-
thy Of study renew my recommendation
! OF January 3, 1905. as 10 the Medical de-
partment Of the army and call attention %
| the equal Importance Of the needs OF the
| stan corps Of the Navy. In the Medical
| department Of the navy the first 10 impor.
tance Is the recognition Of the Hospital corps,
on the lines Of the Gallnger Bill rs. 1854,
| February I. 190I and the reapportionment
| OF the different grades OF the medical off,
GERS to meet service requirements, i
! seems advisable also that medical Of
GERS OF the army and navy should have sim
1 liar rank and pay In their respective grades,
so that their duties can be carried on with
out friction when they are brought together
| The base hospitals OF the navy should be
/ put in condition to meet modern require
ments and hospital ships be provided I'm
| less we now provide with ample forethought
for the medical needs of the army and navy
/ appalling suffering OF a preventable kind is
| sure to occur II ever the country goes to war.
It is not reasonable to expect successful ad-
/ mnistration In tim Of war OF a department
/ which lacks a thr0 OF the number OF officers
| necessary to perform the medical service In
/ time Of peace. We need men who are not
| merely Doctors they must be trained in the
/ administration OF military medical service.
Our navy must. relatively to the navies OF
| other nations. always be OF greater size than
our army. We have most wisely continued
/ for number Of years to build up our navy.
1 and 1t has now reached a fairly high stand
| ard Of efficiency. This standard OF efficiency
must not only be maintained. but increased.
| II does not seem to me necessary, however,
/ that the navy shouldn't least In the imme-
| diate future-be increased beyond the pres
| ent number Of units. What is now clearly
/ necessary IS 10 substitute emcleul IOI lhem-
/ cient units as the latter become worn-out or
| as II becomes apparent that they are useless.
| Probably the result would be attained by
4 adding a single battle ship to our navy each
year, the superseded or outworn vessels be-
| ing laid up or broken up as they are thus
/ replaced The four single-turret monitors
built Immediately after the close Of the Span
/ ish war, for instance, are vessels which
would be OF but little use in the event OF
war. The money spent upon them could
i have been more usefully spent In other ways.
7sa, u how hoo f,r to
/ have built a single one OF these monitors and
/ to have put the money into an ample supply
/ of reserve guns. Most OF the smaller cruis-
ers and gunboats, though they serve use
fui purpose so far as they are needed for In
/ ternationaI police work, would not add to the
strength Of our navy in a conflict with Sc
rious foe. There is urgent need Of proyid-
| ing large increase in the number Of officers,
and especially in the number Of enlisted
/ men.
Recent naval history has emphasized GER
tain lessons which ought not to, but which
/ do, need emphasis Seagoing torpedo boats
or destroyers are Indispensable not only for
/ making night attacks BY surprise upon an
enemy but even in battle for finishing al
| ready crippled ships. Under exceptional cir
| cumstances submarine boats would doubtless
/ be OF use. Fast scouts are needed The main
/ strength of the navy, however, lies and can
| only lie in the great cattle ships, the heavily
armored heavily ground vessels which de-
/ eide the mastery Of the seas. Heavy armed
| cruisers also play most useful part, and
useful as scouts Between antagonists of
approximately equal prowess the comparative
| perfection Of the instruments Of war will or
| dlnarly determine the fight. But II Is Of
| course true that the man behind the gun, the
man In the engine room and the man In the
coming tower, considered not only individ-
ualIy, but especially with regard to the way
in which they work together. even more
important than the weapons with which they
work. The most formidable battle ship is Of
course helpless against even a light cruiser
rnon nh I'd re pna IN
thing with their guns; and thoroughly we'll
handled cruisers may count seriously in an
engagement with much superior vessels II
the men aboard the latter are Ineffective.
whether from lack Of training or from any
other cause. Modern war ships are most for
midable mechanisms when we'll handled. but
they are utterly useless when not well han
died; and they cannot be handled at all
without long and careful training. This
training can under no circumstances be given
when once war has broken out. No fight
ing ship OF the FIRST class should ever be laid
up save for necessary repairs; and her crew
should be kept constantly exercised on the
high seas. so that she may stand at the high
est point OF perfection. TO put new and
unframed crew upon the most powerful bat
tie ship and send it out TO meet formidable
enemy Is not only to invite but to insure
disaster and disgrace. To improyise crews
at the outbreak Of a war, so far as the Sc
rious fighting craft are concerned. Is abso-
lutely hopeless. II the officers and men are
not thoroughly skilled in, and have not been
be far better to keep the ships In port dur
ing hostiities than to send them against
formidable opponent. for the result could
only be that they would be either sunk or
captured. The Workmanship OF our navy Is
now on the whole in a gratifying condition.
and there has been a great Improvement in
feet practice. We need additional seamen.
we need a large store OF reserve guns we
need sufficient money for ample target prac-
tice, ample practice OF every kind at sea.
We should substitute for comparatively in
eficent types-the old third-cass battle ship
Texas the single-turreted monitors above
mentioned. and indeed all the monitors and
some OF the old cruisers-eficient. modern.
seagoing vessels Seagong torpedo boat de-
stroyers should be substituted for some of
the smaller torpedo boats. During the pres
ent Congress there need be no additions TO
the aggregate number OF units OF the navy.
Our navy, though very small relatively to
the navies OF other nations. is for the pres
ent su1icient in point OF numbers for our
needs, and while must constantly strive
to make its efficiency higher there need be
no additions to the total number OF ships
now built and building, save in the way OF
substitution as above outlined, l recommend
the report OF the Secretary OF the Navy to
especially with a view to the legislation
therein advocated.
Naturalization Laws.
During the past year evidence has aecu-
tanned in my last two annual messages as
to the importance OF revising by appropriate
legislation our system Of naturalizng aliens
] annnfnfad faef March cnununfreion 70 make