Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1906-12-10

men from the naval academy and reg
ulating the punishment and proceed
lure in cases of hazing has had sal
utary effect. 1t has enabled the SUI
perintendent to deal nationally and
effectively with hazing and other
breaches of discipline, and it is be-
Ilieved that the first mentioned prac-
tise is practically il not wholly ex-
ltinct
| The Enlisted Personnel.
| An impression prevails in some
quarters that it is difficult to obtain
recruits for the navy by reason OF an
aversion to military service on the
part of our population. 1t is true the
navy is not recruited to its full
strength, but this fact is due to the
stringency of it's requirements and
not to the lack of applicants, only one
out of every three or four of the lat
| ter being accepted as a recruit.
In every foreign country possess
ing a first class navy provision is
made for a large reserve of trained
seamen, to be added to the enlisted
personnel of the navy at the out
break of war Our provisions for this
contingency are manifestly made
quate. Beyond few men on the re-
tired list, for the most part too old to
render effective service, we have no
other reserve than the officers and
men of the revenue marine and the
officers and men of the naval militia
of the several states. The last men
toned force constitutes, in analogy
to the relations of our national guard
to the army, the form of reserve best
adapted to our federal institutions;
but, while great credit is undoubt-
eddy due to the patriotism and public
spirit displayed by its members, so
long as it is organized upon it's pres
ent basis there seems to be no hope
that it can adequately fulfil the du-
ties of a reserve.
In dealing with this question, we
must remember that to get anything
of serious value one must be willing
to pay for it, II the nation wishes
the services of trained seamen when
ever it needs such services, it must
pay them a reasonable compensation
for the obligation they assume to
thus serve whenever called upon. A
man could hardly afford. in justice
to himself and to his family, to as
sumo such an obligation and with it,
the impediments it would involve to
his securing permanent employment,
for SO or SIS or $25 a year, but if he
were given $3.50 a year, and if the
conditions of membership in the re-
serve were not made unduly onerouS,
it would undoubtedly prove attractive
to many competent men; yet the as
surance that 10000 thoroughly com
petent seamen could be secured at
any moment for our fleet would be
very well worth $5,000,000 year,
| declares the secretary.
He suggests the propriety of allow
| ing every able-bodied man of good
moral character, within certain limits
of age, who has served at least four
years in the navy and been dis
charged with credit, to be enrolled on
reserve list, in return for which he
should receive from SIS to $25 per
month, according to his rating at the
| time of leaving the service. Enlist
ments in the reserve should not be
permitted, unless under very eXcep-
tional circumstances. Men on the re-
serve list must draw their pay each
month personally at places designat-
ed by the department, submit Co a
physical examination a least once
each year to determine their con-
| tinued fitness for the service, keep
| the department informed of any
change of address, and enlist in the
naval militia of the state of their res
| idence Or of some other state desig-
mated by the department.
The Marine Corps.
Secretary Bonaparte endorses the
recommendation of the commandant
of the marine corps for the increase
of the force. Our recent experience
| in Cuba has shown that the marine
corps is clearly insufficient in num-
bers to satisfactorily discharge all
| the multifariCus duties now imposed
upon it. In order to provide the
force needed for service there, it was
necessary to strip both the ships of
the Atlantic fleet and al the shore
stations of their marine guards, and,
although no serious consequences re-
suited from so doing, it was a source
of embarrassment and might have
had undesirable results.