, 1906-03-01

Washington, March President
Roosevelt has addressed to the secre.
tary of war, who has promulgated the
same in a general order, a letter re-
citing the achievements of the Japan
csc Admiral Togo, during the late war
between Japan M Russia, and repeat
ing for the benefit of American soldiers
and sailors the address issued by the
admiral upon the conclusion of the
war.
The portion of the address of AID
miral Togo quoted by the president fol
lows:
THE war of twenty months duration
is now a thing of the past, and our unit
ed squadron, having completed its func.
tions, is u be forthwith dispersed. But
our duties as naval men are not at all
frightened for that reason. To preserve
in %perpetuity the fruits of this war, to
promote to even greater heights OF
prosperity the fortunes Of the country,
the navy, which, irrespective of peace
or war, has to stand between the EN-.
pire and shocks from abroad, must
maintain its strength at sea n must
be prepared to meet any emergency.
Man Behind the Gun.
This strength does not consist Who'll.
ly in ships and ornaments; it consists
also in material ability to utilize such
agents. When we understand that one
gun which scores a 100 per cent of hits
is a match for a hundred of the en-
lemy's guns, each OF which scores l
per cent, it becomes evident that we
sailors must have recourse before ev.
erything to the strength which is over
and above externals.
THE triumphs recently won by our
navy are largely to be attributed to the
habitual training which enabled us to
garner the fruits of the fighting. If.
then, we infer the future from the past,
we recognize that though we may
cease, we cannot abandon ourselves to
ease and rest. A soldiers whole life
is one continuous and ~unceasing battle
and there is no reason why his respon
sibilities should vary with the state Of
the times. In days of crisis he has to
display his strength; in days of peace
to accumulate it, thus perpetually dis,
charging his duties to the full. If men
lcalling themselves sailors grasp at the
pleasures of peace, they will learn the
lesson that, however fine in appearance
their engines of war, these like a house
built on the sand will fall at the first
approach of the storm.
American and English Navies.
when in ancient times we conquer
ed Korea that country remained over
400 years under our control, only to be
lost Immediately So 500 as our navy
declined. Again, when under the. sway
lof the Tokugawa in modern days our
armaments were neglected, the coming
of a few American ships threw us into
distress.
ION the other hand, the British navy
which won the battles of the Nile ant
of Trafalgar, not only made England
as secure as a great mountain, but alsC
by ~thenceforth carefully maintaining
it's strength, II keeping it on a leve
with the worlds progress, has safe
guarded that country's interests ant
promoted it's fortunes.
For such lessons, whether ancient
or modern, Occidental or Oriental,
though to some extent they are the
outcome of political happenings, must
be regarded as in the main the natural
result of whether the soldier remem-
Ibers wal in the day Of peace.
we naval men who have survived
the war must plan future developments
and seek not to fall beyond the pro
gress of the time. If in keeping the in
lstructions of Our sovereign ever graver
on Il hearts we so earnestly and dill
gently put forth our full strength anC
await what the hour may bring forth
we shall then have discharged GU
praat duty of nprnatual1v Guarding on