Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-05

kind and to include unceasihS practico
ut the guns conducted ulluer cohui-
tons that will test craftsmanship ia
time of war.
Maintain High Standard.
In both the army and the navy there
is urgent need that everything l'osSipie
should be done 10 maintain the hlShcsl
standard for the personnei ami '''
CARDS the officers and the enlisted hieh'
| do not believe that in amy service
there is 4 finer body OF enlisted men
and of junior officers than we nave III
both the army and the navy, lhrlhuihs
the marine CORPS. All possible ehcour
aeement 10 the enlisted men should he
given i'll pay and otherwise ana every
thing practicable done 10 rehuef thc
service attractive to men OF Tue fish'
type. They should be held 10 tlie
strictest discharge of their dtl'y, ana III
them Il spirit should be encouraged
Which demands not the mere perform
ance Of duty. but the performance Oh
far more tlian duty if 1t collduces 10
the honor and. the interest oi the Amer
lean uation and in return the alnplest
| consideration should be theirs.
West Point and Annapolis already
| turn out excellent officers. We do not
need to havetthese schools made more
scholastic On the contrary, we should
never lose sight Of the fact that the
aim of each school is to turn out
man who shall be above everything
else q fighting man. In the army III
particular it is not necessary that either
| the cavalry or infantry officer should
have special mathematical ability.
Probably in both schools the best part
of the education IS the high standard
of character $nd Of professional morale
which it confers.
But In both services there is urgent
need for the establishment of prln-
ciple Of Selection which will eliminate
men after a certain age if they cannot
be promoted from the subordinate
ranks and Which will ing into the
higher ranks fewer men and these ut
an earlier age This principle Of Sc
lection will be objected to by good men
do well while Young in the lower pc
sitions, but who are not fitted to do
we'll when at an advanced age they
come into positions Of command and
of great responsibility. But the de-
sire Of these man to be promoted to
positions which hey are not competent
to fill should not weigh against the in
terests of the mvy and the country.
At present our men, especially in the
navy. are kept far too long in the
junior grades and then, at much too adj
; vanced an age, ire put quickly through
the senior grads, often not attaining
those senior grades until they are too
old to be of real Use to them and. if they
are of real use, icing put through them
so quickly that little benefit to the
navy comes from their having been In
them at all
The navy has one great advantage
, over the army II the fact that the of
, ficers Of high rank are actually trained
| in the continual performance Of their
duties that is, II the management OF
> the battleships and armOred cruisers
! gathered into tltAtS. This is not true OF
f the army officers who rarely have cor
: responding chances 10 exercise COM
h mand over troops under service cOndi-
r tons. The conduit Of the Spanish war
showed the lamoltablc loss of life, the
o useless eXtrava@nce and the ine1ii-
: cheney certain to .esult IL during peace
q the high officials Of the war and navy
l. departments are praised and rewarded
a only f they save money, at no matter
- what eOSt to the efficiency of the Sery-
Or ice, ana if the higher officers are given
Il no chalce whatever to exercise and
q practice command. For years prior t.
a the Spanish war die secretaries of wal
! were p:aisel chiefly if they practiced
y. ecOnom!. which economy, especially il
II connection with the quartermaster
~ commiss,ry and Medical departments
! was directly responsible for most OF
the misnanagemelt that occurred il
the warItself. AMI parenthetically bt
=. it obsered that tie very people VIII,
u clamoreC for the mkdrected economy
20 in the fist place wcie foremost to de
49, nOunce he mismanagement. loss an(
- sufferingwhich were primarily due t
- this same misdirected economy and t
- the lack preparation it involved.
~ toast Defense Needs.
id There aould soon be an increase il
Id the numhr of men TO. our coast de
up fenses. these men shauld be Of tn
he right typ and properly trained, ant
It there shNld therefore le an increas
a of pay fc certain skilled grades, es
IN pecially il the coast artillery. None.
ps should b, appropriated to permit
lis troops to b massed in BODY and cxer
% cised in 1aneuvers, particularly il
ne marching. Such exercise during tn
IS summer jus past has been Of inca
to culable bendt to the army and shoul
sc under no circumstances be discontir
I'M ued. If on thse practice marches an
DC: u these mneuvers elderly officer
one pfovc unable to bear the Srain the
u sholld be retrad at once, for the fac
ere is conclusive rs to their untftness 70
en- WaLthat is, br the only purpose bt
de- cause IF which they should be Above
mel 10 SHY Ia fhn II l., n yy,tS