The Grit-advocate., 1906-03-02
ADVICE OF TOGO
PRESIDENT QUOTES GREAT JAPA.
NESE ADMIRAL.
IMPORTANCE OF THE NAVY
Safety Demands That the Army and
Navy be Kept at the Highest Point
pasf

of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of the
Past.
Washington.-Pres Roosevelt
has addressed to the secretary of war,
who has promulgated the same in
general order, letter reciting the
achievements of the japanese admiral,
Togo, during the late war between
Japan and Russia, and repeating for
the benefit of American soldiers and
sailors the address issued by the ad-
miral upon the conclusion of the war.
The point of the Presidents letter is
the necessity Of keeping the personnel
OF the army and navy at the highest
pitch in time of peace, in order to be
prepared for war.
The portion of the address of Ad-
miral Togo quoted by the President
follows:
The war of twenty months duration
Is now a thing of the past, and our
united squadron, having completed its
functions, is to be herewith dispersed.
But our duties as naval men are not at
all lightened for that reason. To pre-
serve in perpetuity the fruits of this
war; to promote to ever greater height
of prosperity the fortunes of the coun-
try, the navy, which. irrespective of
peace or war. has to stand between the
empire and shocks from abroad, must
always maintain it's strength at sea
and must be prepared to meet any
emergency.
This strength does not consist
solely in ships and armaments. 1t con-
sists also in material ability to utilize
such agents. When we understand
that one gun which scores hundred
per cent. of hits is match for a hum
dred of the enemys guns each of
which scores only one per cent, 1t be-
comes evident that we sailors must
have recourse before everything to the
strength which is over and above ex
ternals. The triumphs recently won
by our navy are largely to be at
tributed 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 fighting, we cannot abandon
ourselves to ease and rest. A soldiers
whole life is one continuous and un-
ceasing battle, and there is no reason
why his responsibilities should vary
with the state of times. In days of
crisis he has to display his strength:
in days OF peace to accumulate it. thus
perpetually discharging his duties to
the full. If men calling themselves
sailors grasp at the pleasures of peace,
they will learn the lesson that, how
ever fine in appearance their engines
Of war, these. like house built on the
sand, will fall at the first approach of
the storm.
"When in ancient times we con-
quered Korea that country remained
over 400 years under our control, only
to be lost Immediately so soon as our
navy declined. Again. when under the
sway of the Tokugawa in modern days
our armaments were neglected, tho
coming of few American ships threw
us into distress.
"On the other hand, the British
navy, which won the battles of the Nile
and of Trafalgar. not only made Eng
land as secure as a great mountain,
but also by thenceforth carefully main
tanning its strength and keeping it on
level with the worlds progress, has
safeguarded that country's Interests
and promoted it's fortunes. For such
lessons, whether ancient or modern,
Occidental or Oriental, though to some
extent they are the outcome of politi-
cal happenings, they must be regarded
as in the main the natural result of
whether the soldier remembers war in
the day of peace. We naval men who
have survived the war must plan fu,
ture developments and seek not to fall
behind the progress of the time