The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-05

against demands for unjust debts. The.
proposed method viii give the people
OF SantO Domingo the same chance to
move onward and upward which we
have already given to the people of
Cuba 1t Will be doubly to our dis
credit as a nation If we fail to take
advantage Of this chance; for 1t viii
be of damage to ourselves, and it viii
be OF 1ncalculable damage to Santo Do
mingo. Every consideration of wise
policy, and, above all, every eonsidera-
tlOn OF large generosity bids Us meet
the request of Santo Domingo as we
are now trying to meet it.
The Army and Navy.
We cannot consider the question of
our foreign policy without at the same
time treating of the army and navy.
We now have a very small army
indeed, one Well-nigh infnitesimal
when compared with the army of any
other large nation. OF course the
army We do have should be as nearly
perfect of its kind and for its size as
is possible. I do not believe that any
army in the world has a better aver
age of enlisted man or a better type of
junior officer; but the army should be
trained to act effectively in a mass.
Provision should be made by sufficient
appropriations for maneuvers of a
practical kind so that the troops may
learn how to take care of themselves
under actual service conditions; every
march, for instance, being made with
the soldier loaded exactly as he would
be in an active campaign. The gen
erals and colonies would thereby have
opportunity of handling regiments,
missary and medical departments
would be tested in the field. Provision
should be made for the exercise at
least of brigade and by preference
Of division in marching and embark
ing at some point on our coast and dis
embaTking at some other point and
continuing its march. The number of
posts in which the army is kept in
time of peace should be materially di-
minished and the posts that aye left
made correspondence larger. No local
interests should be allowed to stand
in the way of assembling the greater
part of the troops which would at
need form our field armies in stations
of such size is will permit the best
training to be given to the personnel
of all grades, includin~ the high Off
GERS and staff officers. To accomplish
this end we must have not company or
regimental garrisons, but brigade and
division garrisiOnS. Promotion by mere
seniority can never result in a thor
Oughly efficient corps of officers in the
higher ranks unless there accompanies
it vigorous Weeding-out process.
Such a Weeding-out prOceSs-that is
such a process of selections a chief
feature of the four years course of
the young officer at West Point There
is no good reason why it should stop
Immediately upon his graduation.
While at West Point he is dropped IN
less he comes up to a certain standard
of excellence, and when he graduates
he takes rank in the army according TO
his rank of graduation. The results
are good at West Point; and there
should be in the army itself something
that will achieve the same end. After
a certain age has been reached the
average officer is unfit to do good work
below a certain grade. Provision
should be made for the promotion of
exceptionally meritorious men over the
heads of their comrades and for the
retirement of all men who have
reached a given age without getting
beyond q given rank; this age of re-
tirement of course changing from rank
to rank. In both the army and the
navy there should be some principle Of
selection, that is of promotion for
merit, and there should be a resolute
effort to eliminate the aged officers of
reputable character who possess no
special efficiency.
There should be an increase in the
coast artillery force. so that our coast
Notifications can be in some degree
adequately manned. There is special
need for an increase and reorganiza-
ton of the medical department of the
army. In both the army and navy
there must be the same thorough
training for duty in the staff corps as
IN the IlgTlLlnR me- AlliN DN SuCn ITalll-
ing in advance can we be sure that in
actual war field operations and those
at sea will be carried on successfully
The Importance of this was shown con-
clusiveIy in the Spanish-American and
the Russo-Japanese wars. The work
of the medical departments in the
Japanese army and navy is especially
worthy of study. I renew my recon-
mendation of January 9, 1905, as to
the medical department of the army
!
ance of the needs of the staff corps
of the navy. In the medical depart
ment of the navy the first in import
ance is the reorganization of the hos
pital corps, on the lines of the CALM
ger bill IS. 1884 February l. 1000
and the reapportionment of the diff
ferent grades of the medical officers
to meet service requirements 1t seems
advisable also that medical officers of
the army and navy should have SINH
lar rank and pay in their respective
grades, so that their duties can be car
ried on without friction when they are
brought together. The base hospitals
of the navy should be put in condition
to meet modern requirements and hos
pital ships be provided. Unless we now
provide with ample fOrethought for
the medical needs of the army and
navy appalling suffering of d prevent
able kind is sure TO occur if ever the
country goes to war. 1t is not reason
able to expect successful administra-
ton in time of war of a department
which lacks a third of the number of
officers necessary to perform the medi-
cal service in time of peace We need
men who are not merely doctors; they
must be trained in the administration
of military medical service.
Navy Must Be Big.
Our navy must relatively to the
navies of other nations, always be of
greater size than our army We have
most wisely continued for a number
of years to build up our navy, and it
has now reached a fairly high stand
ard of efficiency. This standard of eff
ficiency must not only be maintained,
but increased. It does not seem to me
necessary. however, that the navy
should-at least in the immediate flu
ell npENl RIIEE Z.