The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-12-04
THE ARMY AND NAVY.


Sea Strength.
The United States navy Is the surest
| guarantor OF peace which this country
| possesses. II Is earnestly TO be wisht that
we would profit by the teachings OF hts
tory In this matter Al strong and wise
people VIII study its own lailules 70 ,ese
be learned from the study Of both, Of the
mistake as well as Of the success. For
this purpose nothing could be more ia-
structive than rational study OF the war
of 1872, as Il is told, for instance, by Capt
Mahan. There was only one way In which
that war could have been avoided IL
during the preceding i2 years a navy rela-
lively as strong as that which this coun-
try now has had been built up. and an
army provided relatively as good as that
WHICH the country now has, there never
would have been the slightest necessity
of fighting the war, and IL the necessity
had arisen the war would under such cir
cumstances have ended with our speedy
pie during those II YEARS refused to make
any preparations whatever, regarding
either the army or the navy. They saved
million or two of dollars by SO doing
and in mere money paid hundredfold
for each million they thus saved during
the three years OF war which followed
war which brought untold suffering
upon our people, which at one time
threatened the gravest national disaster,
and which, in spite CT the necessity or
wagIng II. resulted merely In what was
ili effect drawn battle. while the balance
Of defeat and triumph was almost even.
I do not ask that we continue to In
crease our navy. I ask merely that II be
maintained at It's present strength; ana ana
obsolete and outworn ships by new and
good ones, the equals Of any afioat In any
navy. TO stop building ships for one year
means that for that year the navy goes
back instead Of forward. The old battle
ship Texas. for instance. would now be
OF little service IN a stand-up fight with
a powerful adversary. The old double
turret monitors have outworn their use
fulness, while IL was waste Of money to
build the modern .single-turret monitors.
All these ships should be replaced ny
others; and this can be done BY a we'll
settled program Of providing for the
building each year OF at least one hrst-
class battleship equal In size and speed to
any that any nation Is at the same time
building: the armament presumably to
consist Of as large number as possible
Of very heavy guns Of one caiiber. to-
gether with smaller guns to repel torpedo
NOR. turbine engines, and In short, evtry
modern device. OF course, from time TO
time, cruisers, GOLFERS torpedQ-ooat de-
stroyers or torpedo boats, will have to be
built also. Al This, be It remembered:
would not increase our navy, but would
merely keep II at its present strength.
Equally Of course, the ships viii be abso-
Iufely useless il the men aboard them
are not SO trained that they can get the
best possible service out Of the formidable
but delicate and complicated n1echanisms
ship of our men has 50 improved during
the last f7ve years that l deem It within
bounds 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 II enough officers and
men are provided. and II these officers
and men are given the chance fand re-
Quired to take advantage Of ~ to stay
continually at sea and to exercise the
fleets siDgly and above all In squadron.
the exercise to be Of every kind and to
include unceasing practice at the guns:
conducted under conditions that will test
Workmanship IN time OF war.
In both the army and the navy there is
urgent need that everything possible
should be done TO maintain the highest
standard for the personnel. alike as re-
CARDS the officers and the enlisted men
Is finer body Of enlisted men and of
junior officers than We have IN both
the army and the navy, including the
marine corps All possible encourage
menf to the enlisted men should be given.
in pay and otherwise and everything
tractive to men Of the right type: They
should be held TO the strIctest discharge
Of their duty. and IN them spirit should
be encouraged which demands not the
mere performance OF duty, but the per-
Torrance Of far more than duty, II Il
conduces TO the honor and the interest
Of the American nation and N return
the amplesf consideration should be
theirs. 4
Need New PfdnedonnI syetem.l
west Point and Annapolis already turn
out excellent officers We Do not need
10 have these schools made more achoIas-
tic On the contrary we should Fever
lose sight Of the fact that the aim OF
each school Is to turn out man who