The San Francisco call., 1907-01-20

Moneyback grocer sells Schilllng
Best tea and coffee.
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their use. The portion of the Inspector
generals report quoted below seems
pertinent"
Major General Corbin makes the fol-
lowing statements and recommends
tions in his annual report Of 1904:
Taking all these
facts into consideration, the need for
Congressional action is urgent. l say
tbis NOT for the benefit of the officers
of the artillery, or Of the artillery arm,
but for the army and the nation. EiaD-
crate preparations and large allotments
have been made for building the neces-
sary emplacements and the construc-
tfon of the guns and carriages. A great
part of the guns and carriages are now
in place. To use them properly is the
function OF the Coast Artillery. Unless
they are properly used, 1t is so much
money practically thrown away. Should
war arise and the officers and men
be not SUFFICIENT in number or be de-
flcient in training, disaster would fol-
low; or. IL not disaster. certainly not
eminent success. therefore very
strongly advocate that the Coast Ar
tillery be increased at least one-half'
and the pay of the enlisted men of the
grades nOteQ ralSeo-
COMMENTS OF BOARD
Comments of the Board of Review
on the army and navy joint exercises,
June IL TO June II, 1906, are as follows;
The most important object lesson
AFFORDED by the joint exercises was
found in the fact that to provide OFF,
GERS and men sufficient to provide one
relief for the operation Of the elements
of defense il was necessary practically
to strip the Atlantic and Gulf coast OF
artiIlerymen. The insufficiency of the
present personnel of the artillery arm
TO man the coast defenses OF the coun-
trv was strikingly illustrated. The
total number of troops engaged In the
exercises was 1927. OF these, 1898
were permanently stationed within the
exercise area, and 1929, comprising
thirty-seven companies of Coast Ar
tillery and several detachments of Hos
pftal Corps. Signal Corps, etc, were
drawn from elsewhere. All the artll-
lery posts from Fort Mckinley, Me-,
to Key West, Fla, were crippled to
supply the needed one relief. These
are certainly not service conditions.
There is a lesson conveyed that should
be gravely needed by the authorities.
Blows are struck with suddenness un-
der the conditions of modern warfare.
The coast defenses should be ready to
Withstand the first attack and cause
the enemy to pause, and provide the
delay so previously needed by us for
preparation elsewhere. The militia
troops cannot be looked to to supply
deficiencies The work, in the first
place, is distasteful to them, They
cannot. in time of peace. be interested
or induced to prepare themselves TO
cooperate with the Coast Artillery,
and in time of war they could, as a
-. oI~-
the efforts Of the War Department to
that end have been, it is learned, most
discouraging. Where then, in time OF
war, are officers and men to be had
to man the guns? Artillerymen can
not be improvised. The skill needed
efficiently to hadnle modern high power
guns with their numerous and complex
accessories is not a commercial article
to be had to order in the market
Weakness in our coast defenses from
any cause would be serious military
defect, laying the coast open to direct
attack and affecting the value of the
navy, which, under such circumstances
might be called upon to adopt a de-
fensive rather than an offensive role.
That the policy of the United States
as a nation points to the construction
and maintenance of a large navy is
evident. Millions have been spent and
will continue to be spent on the main
tenance of an efficient navy. The nor
NAL function of a navy is in time OF
war to take to the high seas, assume
the aggressive, seek the enemy's ships
and engage them wherever they may
be found It's proper field of action is
away from the home coast. If, how
ever, our coast defenses. through either
a lack of personnel or material, are
inadequate to guarantee the safety OF
our populous, commercial or strategic
coastwise centers, battleships would be
called upon to make good the def
cheney, and the scope of naval activity
would be curtailed probably to an ex-
tent so great as materially TO affect
the progress of the war and the sue
cess and prestige of the national arms. .
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