Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-12-06

gress to prevent the introduction of
arms into the island for revolutionary
purposes.
Under the course taken. stability and
order and all the benefits Of peace are
at last coming to Santo Domingo. dam
ger of foreign intervention has been
suspended, and there Is at last a pros
pect that all creditors will get justice.
no more and no less. II the arrange
ment Is terminated by the failure of the
treaty chaos will follow; and If chaos
follows, sooner or later this Govern
meht may be involved in serious diff
cultfes with foreign governments over
the island. or else may be forced itself
IT, Intervene IN the island in some ,lin
pleasant fashion. Under the proposed
treaty the independence OF the island
is scrupulously respected. the danger
of violation OF the Monroe Doctrine by
the Intervention of foreign powers
vanishes, and the interference of our
Government is minimiZed, so that we
shall only act in conjunction with the
Santo Domingo authorities to secure
the proper administration of the GUS
toms. and therefore to secure the pay
ment OF just debts. and to secure the
Dominican government against de-
mands for unjust debts. The proposed
method will give the people Of SantO
Domingo the same chance to move on
ward and upward which we have al
ready given to the people of Cuba 1t
will be doubly to our discredit as a ma
t1on If we fail to take advantage of this
chance: for it will be of damage to our
selves, ana it will be of incalcula BILE
damage to Santo Domingo. Every con-
sideration of wise policy, and. above all
every consideration of large generosity.
bids us meet the request of Santo
Domingo as we are now trying to meet
it.
ARMY AND NAVY.
We cannot consider the question OF
our foreign policy without at the same
time treating of the Army and the
Navy. We now have d very small army
indeed. one well-nigh infinitesinal
hen 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 it's size as
is possible. l do not believe that any
army in the world has better average
Of enlisted man or better type of
junior officer; but the Army should BIZ
trained to act effectively in mass.
Provision should be made by sufficient
appropriations for maneuvers of a
practical kind 50 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 colonels would thereby have
opportunity of handling regiments,
brigades. and divisions, and the COM
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 di-
vision in marching and embarking at
some point OH our coast and disem-'
barking at some other point and con-
tinuing it's march. The number of
posts in which the Army is kept in time
of peace should be materially dimin-
ished and the posts that are left made
ccrrespondingly larger No local inter-
ests 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
as Will permit the best training to be
given to the personnel of all grades, in
Guiding the high officers and staff Off
GERS. To accomplish this end we must
have, not company or regimental garri-
sons, hut brigade and division garri-
sons. Promotion by mere seniority can
n"rcr result in a thoroughly efficient
corps Of officers in the higher ranks un-
less there accompanies 1t vigorous
Weeding-out process. Such wedding
out process-that is, such a process of
selection-is 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 unless he comes up to a
certain standard of excellence, and
when he graduates he takes rank in the
Army according to his rank of gradu-
atior. 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 un-
fit 70 do good work below a certain
grade. Provision should be made for
the promotion of exceptionally meri-
torlous men over the heads of their
comrades and for the retirement of ali
men who have reached a given age
without getting beyond a given rank:
this age of retirement of course chang
ing 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
VINO posses no special efficiency.
There should be an increase in the
coast artillery force. SO that our coast
1ortffcations can be i'm 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 fighting line. Only by such
training in advance can we be sure
that in actual war field operations and
those at sea will be carried on success
fully. The Importance of this was