Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-05
trainea IN the REHABILITATION d military

medical service.
Our navy must, relatively to the navies
OF other nations. always be of greater sise
than army. We have most wisely con-
tinced for number of years to build up
our navy. and 1t has now reached fairfy
high standard of efficiency. This standard
of efficiency must not only be maintained.
but increased. 1t does not seem to me nee
~essary. however. that the navy shouldn't
least in the immediate future-be increased
beyond the present number of units. What
is now clearly necessary is to substitute
efficient for inefficient units as the latter
BECOME worn outer as 1t becomes apparent
that they are useless. Probably the result
would Re attained by adding single bat
tleship to our navy each year, the super
seeded or outworn vessels being iafd up q
broken up as they are thus replaced. Inc
four single-turret monitors built imme-
diately after the close OF the spanish war,
for instance, vessels which would be
of but little use in the event of war The
money spent upon them could have been
more usefully spent in other ways. Thus
it would have heen far better never to have
built a single one OF these monitors and
to have put the money into an ample sup
ply of reserve guns. Most of the smaller
cruisers and gunboats, though they serve
a useful purpose so far as they are needed
for international police work, would not
add to the strength Of our navy in a con-
fiiet with serious foe. There is urgent
need of providing 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 topedo boats
destroyers are indispensable, not only
for making night attacks by surprise upon
an enemy, but even III battle for finishing
already crippled ships. Under exceptional
circumstances submarine boats would
doubtless be of use. Fast scouts are need
ed. The main strength of the navy, how
ever, lies and can only lie in the great bat
tleships the heavily armored, heavily
crItnn n1 h tch 1aoi do tpe ctpry
of the seas Heavy-armed cruisers also
play most useful part. and unarmed
cruisers. if swift enough are very useful
as scouts. Between antagonists of APP
proximately equal prowess the comparative
perfection OF the instruments of war will
ordinarily determine the fight But it 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
individually, but especially with regard to
the way in which they work together, are
even more important than the weapons
with which they work. The most formi
da BILE battleship is of course, helpless against
even light cruiser if the men aboard 1t
are unable to hit anything with their guns:
and thoroughly well-handled cruisers may
count seriously in engagement with
the latter are ineffective, whether from
lack of training or from any other cause.
Modern war ships most formidable
mechanismS when well handled. but they
and they cannot be handled at all without
long and careful training. This training
can under no circumstance be given when
once war has broken out. No fighting 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. 50 that she may stand at the
highest point of perfection. To put a new
and unframed crew upon the most power
full battleship and send 1t out to meet a
formidable enemy is not only to invite but
to insure disaster and disgrace. To i'm
proFise crews at the outbreak of war,
SO far as the serious fighting craft are con-
cerned, is absolutely hopeless. If the Off
GERS and men are not thoroughly skilled
in. and have not been thoroughly trained to,
their duties. it would be far better to keep
the ships in port during hostilities than to
send them against a formid BILE opponent
for the result could only be that they would
be either sunk or captured. The marks
nlanship of our navy is now on the whole
in a gratifying condition, and there has
been great improvement in feet practice.
We need additional seamen: we need a
large store of reserve guns: we need suff1-
4ent money for ample target practice. am
pie practice of every kind at sea- We should
substitute for compare lively inefficient
types-the old third-class battleship Texas,
the Slngie-turreted monitors above men
toned. and indeed all the monitors and
some of the old cruisers-efflcient, modern,
seagoing vessels. Seagoing torpede-boat
destroyers should be substituted for some
present Congress there need be- no addi-
tons to the aggregate number of units of
the navy. Our navy, though very small
relatively to the navies of other nations, is
for the present sufficient in point of num-
bers for our needs. and while we must
constantly strive to make it's efficiency
higher. there need be no additions to the
total number of ships now built and build
ing, save in the way of substitution as
above outlined. l recommend the report
OF the Secretary of the Navy to the careful
consideration Of the Congress, especially
with a view to the legislation therein acy,,-
Gated.
Naturalization Laws.
During the past year evidence has ac-
cumulated to confirm the expressions con-
tanned in my last two annual messages as
to the importance of revising by appro-
pirate legislation our system of naturaIiz-
ing aliens. / appointed last March a com
mission to make a careful examination of
our naturalization laws and to suggest ap-
proprlate measures to avaid the notorious
abuses resulting from the improyident or
unlawful granting of citizenship. This
commission, composed of an officer of the
Department of State. of the Department
of Justice and of the Department of Com
merce asd Labor has discharged the duty
imposed upon 1t. and has submitted a re-
port, which will be transmitted TO the Con-
gress for its consideration and 1 hope, for
its favorable action.
The distinguishing recommendations of
the commission are:
First. federal bureau of naturalization
to be established in the Department of
Commerce and Labor, to supervise the ad-
mnistration of the naturalization laws and
to receive returns of naturalizations pend
ing and accomplished.
Second. Uniformity of naturalization Ger
tificates. fees to be charged and proce-
dure.
Third. More exacting qualifications for
citizenship.
Fourth. The preliminary declaration of
intention to be abolished and no alien to
be naturalized until at last ninety days
after the filings of his petition.
Fifth. Jurisdiction to naturalize aliens
to be confined to United States district
courts and to such state courts as have
jurisdiction in civil actions in which the
amount in controversy is unlimited: in cities
of over 100000 Inhabitants the United
States district courts to have exclusive
jurisdiction in the naturalization of the
alien residents OF such cities
Criminal Laws.
In my last message | asked the attention
| of the Congress TO the urgent need OF ac-
| ton to make our criminal law more effec-
| tive; and | most earnestly request that
| you pay heed to the report of the At
| torney General this subject Centuries
ago II especially needful to throw
\ every safeguard round the aneused Tho