The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-05

service in a staud-up llBnt Wltn a
 turret monitors have outworn their usefulness, while it was waste of money to build the modern single -tur- h Eet 1ad m3nisorsi Al snese and % shis "Uuin can
 be done by weil-settled program ot5
 providing for the building each year
 of at least one first-class baltle shlb equal in size and speed to any that any nation is at the same time build ing: the armament presumably to con sist of as large number as possible
 of very heavy guns of one caliber. to.
 gether with smaller guns to repeI torpedo attack: while there mould be heavy armor, turbine engines, and In short. every modern device. of course torpedo o-boat destroyers or torpedo ]
 boats, will have to be built All this.
 be 1t remembered, would not Increase our Navy, the ships will be absolutely useless if the men aboard them are not so trained that they can get the best possible service out 9f the formld- mechanisms intrusted to their care. The craftsmanship Of our men has so improved during the last five years that l deem 1t within bouncs to say that the Navy Is more than twice as efficient, ship for ship, as half decade ago. The Navy can only attain proper efficiency if enough officers and men are provided. and if these offtcers ana men are given the chance land re- quired to take advantage of it) to stay
 continually at sea and to exercise the'I fleets singg and sress sGove to d be of evepS
 Kind and to include ,unceasing practice at the guns. conducted under condi-
 tions that will test markmanshtr in
 time of war.
 In both the Army and Navy there Is
 urgent need that everything possible should be done to maintain the highest standard for the personnel, alike as regards the officers and the enlisted
 men. do not believe that in any ser
 vice there is finer body of enlisted
 men and of junior officers tnan n we including the Marine Corps All pos sible encouragement to the enlisted men should be given. in pay and other wise, and everything practicable done the render the service attractive to men of the right type. They should be held to the strictest discharge of
 should h be encouraged with demands not the mere performance of duty, but | the performance of far more than duty. If 1t conduces to the honor and the interest of the American nation; and l in return the amplest consideration | should be theirs.
 West Point and Annapolis already turn out excellent officers. We do not need to have these schools made more | scholastic On the contrary we should never lose sight of the fact that tho aim of each school IS to turn ont a | man who shall be above everything else a fighting man. In the Army part | icular 1t is not necessary that either the cavalry or infantry offlcer shou!o ! have special mathematical ability. | Probably in both schools the best part | of the education Is the high standard | of character and of professional morale Rnt in both services there is urgent | need for the establishment of a prin~ ciple of selection which will eliminate men after certain age If they can | not be promoted from the subordinate 1 ranks, and which will bring into the | higher ranks fewer men, and these at | an earlier age. This principle of selec- ton will be objected to by good men 1 or mediocre capacity who arc fitted to | do well while young in the lower pos- Itions but who are not fitted to GO
 well when at an adysneed age tneg g | of great responsibility. But the desire f of these men to be promoted co posl. tlons which they are not competent | to fill should not weigh against the in- | terests of the Navy and the country l At present our men, especially Tn the ! Navy, are kept far too long in the | junior grades, and then. at much too l advanced an age,areput quickly through the senior grades, often not attaining | to these senior grades until they are l too old to be Of real use in them; and | if they are of real use. being put | through them so quickly that littie | benefit to the Navy comes from their having been in them at all ...,. The Navy has one great adVantase | over the Army in the fact that the 1 officers of high rank are actually | trained in the continual performance l of their duties: that is, in the manage ment of the battle ships and armored cruisers gathered into fleets, This ls not true of the army ofrlcers' Who rarely have corresponding chances 10 exercise command over troops under service conditions The conduct or the
 Spanish war showed the lamentable loss of life the useless extravaganza
 and the inefficiency certain to result,
 if during peace the htgh otflcials ot
 the War and Navy Departments are
 praised and rewarded only IT they
 save money at no matter what cost to
 the efficiency of the service, and IT
 the higher officers are given no chance
 whatever to exercise and practice com
 mand For years prior 10 the spanish
 war the Secretaries of War were praised chiefly if they practiced economy, which economy, especially in connection with
 the, quartermaster' commis Sirac,i, Saryi anu rao
 sponsible for most Of the mlsmanage- ment that occurred in the war itself and rarenthetically be 1t observed that the very people who clamored for the misdirected economy in the first place l were foremost to denounee the mls- agement, lossmfwyupb cmtwy cmtwp management, loss, and suffering Which were primarily due to this same mis- directed economy and to the lack ot preparation 1t involved. There should | our coast defenses; these men should | be of the right type and properly | trained; and there should therefore be l an increase of pay for certain skilled | grades, especially in the coast arttl- | lery. Money should be appropriated to | permit troops to be massed in body and exercised in maneuvers, particular ly in marching. Such exercise during | the summer just past has been or in- calculable benefit to the Army and | should under no circumstances be dis | continued. If on these practice marches | And in these maneuVers elderly offi- | cers prove unable to bear the strain. | they should be retired al once, for the | fact is conclusive as to their unfttneS9 | for war; that Is, for the only purpose | because of which they should be allow l ed to stay in the service. It IS real | company or regimental posts scatter l ed throughout the country; the Army | should be gathered in few brigade or | division posts; and the generals should | be practised in handling the men in | masses. Neglect to provide for all or
 this means to incur the FISK or future | disaster and disgrace.
 The readiness and efficiency of both | the Army and Navy in dealing with the l recent sudden crisis in Cuba illustrate | afresh their value to the Nation. This | readiness and efficiency would have | been very much less had 1t not been | for the existence of the General Staff | in the Army and the General Board in | the Navy; both are essential In the | proper development and use of our | military forces aflOat and ashore. The | troops that were sent to Cuba were | handled flawlessly. It was the swift | est mobilization and dispatch of troops | over sea aver accomplished by our l Government. The expedition landed | completely equipped and ready for im- - - - -