The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-05


 ticable done to render the service attrac- tive to men of the right type. They should be held to the strictest discharge of their duty, and in them a spirit should be encouraged which demands not the mere performance of duty, but the per formance of far more than duty. if 1t conduces to the honor and the interest of the American nation; and 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 scholas- tic 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 fighting man. In the army in particular 1t is not necessary that either the cavalry or in fantry officer should have special math- ematical ability Probably in both schools the best part of the education Is the high standard of character and of professional morale which it confers.
 But in both services there is urgent need for the establishment of a principle of selection which will eliminate men after certain age if they can not be promoted from the subordinate ranks, and which will bring into the higher ranks fewer men, and these at an earlier age. This principle of selection will be objected to by good men of mediocre capacity who are fitted to do well while young in the lower positions, but who are not fitted to do well when at an ad- vanced age they come into positions of command and of great responsibility. But the desire of these men to be promoted to positions which they are not compe- tent to fill should not weigh against the interests of the navy and the country. At present our men, especially In me navy, are kept far too long in the junior grades, and then. at much too advanced an age, are put quickly through the sen for grades, often not attaining to these senior grades until they are too old to be of real use in them; and if they are of real use, being 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 in the fact that the officers or high rank are actually trained in the continual performance of their dutles that Is, in the management of the battle ships and armored cruisers gathered into fleets. This is not true of the army offi- cers, who rarely have corresponding chances to exercise command over troops under service conditions The conduct of the Spanish war showed the lamentable loss of life. the useless extravaganza. and the lneflclGncN certain 10 result II uaiiiiS peace the high officials of the war and navy departments are praised and re- warded only if they save money at no matter what cost to the efficiency of the service and if the higher officers are given no chance whatever to exercise and practice command. For years prior to the Spanish war the secretaries of war were praised chiefly if they practised economy; which economy, especially in connection ,,.fo arf. medical departments, was directly re- sponsible for most of the mismanage- ment that occurred in the war itself-and parenthetically be it observed that the very people who clamored for the mis- directed economy in the first place were foremost to denounce the mismanage- ment. loss, and suffering which were pri- marily due to this same misdirected economy and to the lack of preparation it involved There should be an increase in the number of men for our coast de- lenses; these men should be of the right type and properly trained and there should, therefore, be an increase or pay for certain skilled grades, especially in the coast artillery. Money should be ap- propriated to permit troops to be massed in body and exercised in maneuvers, par ticularly in marching. Such exercise during the summer just past has been of incalculable benefit to the army and should under no circumstances be dis continued. If on these practise marches and in these maneuvers elderly officers prove unable to bear the strain they should be retired at once, for the fact is conclusive as to their unhtness Tor war; that, for the only purpose because of which they should be allowed to stay in the service It is a real misfortune to have scores of small company or reg mental posts scattered throughout the country; the army should be gathered in a few brigade or division posts; and tho generals should be practised in handling the men in masses. Neglect to provide for all of this means to Incur the risk of future disaster and disgrace
 The readiness and efficiency of both the army and navy in dealing with the recent sudden crisis in Cuba Illustrate afresh their value to the nation This readiness and efficiency would have been very much less had it not been for the exist ence of the general staff in the army and the general board in the navy; both are essential to the proper development and use of our military forces afoat and ashore. The troops that were sent to Cuba were handled flawlessly It was the swiftest mobilization and dispatch of troops oyer sea ever accomplished by our government The expedition landed com pletely equipped and ready for imme- diate service, several of it's organizations hardly remaining in Havana over night before splitting up into detachments and going to their several posts. It was fine demonstration of the value and eff ciency of the general staff. Similarly 1t was owing in large part to the general board that the navy was able at the out set to meet the Cuban crisis with such instant efficiency; ship after ship appear ing on the shortest notice at any threat ened point, while the marine corps in particular performed indispensable serv- ice. The army and navy war colleges arc of incaiculable value to the two services, and they cooperate with constantly ln- creasing efficiency and importance.
 The Congress has most wisely provided for national board for the promotion of rifle practice. Excellent results have already come from this law. but 1t does not go far enough. Our regular army is so small that in any great war we should have to trust mainly to volunteers; and in such event these volunteers should all ready know how to shoot; for 1T sol dier has the fighting edge and ability to take care of himself in the open. his effi- ciency on the line of battle is almost di- rectly proportionate to excellence in marlsmanship, We should establish public and military schools should maintain national target ranges in different parts of the country and should in every way encourage the form a tion of rifle clubs throughout all parts of the land. The little republic of Switz- erland offers us an excellent example in all matters connected with building up an efficient citizen soldiery.
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
 The White House, December 3, 1906
 Appendix.
 Address by the secretary of state of the