Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-12-05

h president deyotes much space t.
the affairs of the army, and strongly
urges that our regular military organl-
cation be kept up TO the highest possible
standard of efficiency, and says:
9Th medical corps should be much
greater than the needs of our regular
army in war. Yet at present it is small
er than the needs of the service demand
even In peace The Spanish war &C.
Cured less han ten years ago. The
chief loss we suffered in 1t was by dis
ease among the regiments which never
left the country. AT the moment the
nation seemed deeply impressed by this
fact: yet seemingly 1t has already been
forgotten, for not the slightest effort
has been made to prepare a medical
corps of sufficient size to prevent the
repetition of the same disaster on a
much larger scale if we should ever be
engaged in a serious conflict.
But the medical department is not the
only department for which increased pro-
vision should be made. The rate OF pay
for the officers should be greatly in
creased; there is no higher type of citizen
than the American regular officer, and he
should have a fair reward for his ad-
mirable work. There should be a rela-
lively even greater increase in the pay for
the enlisted men. An especial provision
should be made for establishing grades
equivalent to those of warrant officers in
the navy, which should be open to the
enlisted men who serve sufficiently long
and who do their work well. Inducements
should be offered sufficient to encourage
really good men to make the army a life
occupation. The prime needs of our pres
ent army is to secure and retain compe-
tent noncommissioned officers. This diff
Guilty rests fundamentally on the ques-
ton of pay. The noncommissioned ot1cer
does not correspond with an unskilled la
borer; he corresponds to the best type OF
skilled workman or to the subordinate
official in civil institutions. Wages have
greatly Increased in outside occupations
In the last 40 years and the pay OF the
soldier, like the pay of the officers. should
be proportionately increased. The hrst
sergeant of a company. If a good man,
must be one of such executive ad-
ministrative ability. and such knowledge
of, his trade, as to be worth far more than
we at present pay him. The same is true
of the regimental sergeant major. These
men should be men who had fully re-
solved to make the army a life occupa-
ton and they should be able to look for
ward to ample reward; while only men
properly qualified should be given a
chance to secure these final rewards. The
increase over the present pay need not
De great III Illb lOW6F BIdueo tho $3.50
one or two e~nlistments, but the increase
should be marked for the noncommis-
stoned officers of the upper grades who
serve long enough to make 1t evident that
they intend to stay permanently In the
army, While additional pay should be
given for high qualifications in target
practice.
Among the officers there should be
severe examinations to weed out the
unfit up to the grade of major. From
that position on appointments should
be solely by selection and it should be
understood that a man of merely av-
erage capacity could never get beyond
the position of major, while every man
who serves in any grade a certain
length of time prior to promotion to
the next grade without getting the
promotion to the next grade should be
forthwith retired"
President Sees Need of
Largely Increased Navy.
The president asks for a continuous
increase in the navy, and asks present
congress for appropriations for four
new battleships, and says:
1--WE need always to remember that
in time Of war the navy Is not to be
used to defend harbors and sea-coast
cities: we should perfect our system of
coast Notifications. The only efficient
| use for the navy is for offense. The
5 only way in which it can efficiently pro-
: tect our own coast against the possible
action Of a foreign navy Is by Destroy
. ing that foreign navy. For defense
: against a hostile fleet which actually
attacks them, the coast cities must de-
pend upon their forts, mines, torpedoes,
submarines and torpedo boats and de-
. s~troyers. All of these together are eff
fcient for defensive purposes, but they
in no way supply the place of a thor
1 ouEhly efficient nav capable of acting
. on the offensive; for parryins never YET
{ won a fight. 1t can only be won by
hard hitting, and an aggressive sea-go-
|, ing navy alone can do this hard hitting
. of he offensive type. But the forts
: and the like are necessary so that the
q navy may be footloose. In time of wal
there is sure to be demand, under pres
sure of fright, for the ships to be scat
tered so as to defend all kind of ports
Under penalty of terrible disaster, this
demand must be refused. The ships
g must be kept together, and their OBJ
jective made the enemies fleet. Il
y f~ortifcations are sufficiently strong, nj
modern navy will venture to attach
them, so long as the foe has in exist
ence a hostile navy of anything Xix
the same size or efficiency. But unless
there exists such a navy then the forti
fcations are powerless by themselve'
to secure the victory. For of cours'
the mere deficiency means that an!
g resolute enemy can at his leisure com
t, bine all his forces upon one point witt
the certainty that he can take 1t.
Gives Reasons for Despatch
d OF Fleet to the Pacific.
.IInti1 our pattle fleet Is much large
Re than at present it should never be spill
into attachments so far apart that the,
could not in event of emergency b
speedily united. Our coast line Is Of
Or the Pacific just as much as on the AT
n lantic. The interests OF California
n Ore~on and washington are as EN-
t. nhatically the interests of the Who'll
il ppnion as those of Maine and New Yorl
Or IF Louisiana and Texas. The battl
Of deet should now and then be moved t
p the Pacific. Just as at other times
ne should be kept in the Atlantic. Whe
I'd the isthmian canal is built the trans
X of the battle fleet from one ocean
a. the other will be comparatively easy
O. Until 1t is built / earnestly hope tina
ry the battle fleet will be thu shifted be
mt tween the two oceans every year G
two. The craftsmanship on all on
is ships has improved phenomenally du
ty ing the last five years. Until With
the last two or three years 1t was nc
possible to train a battle feet in squad
ron under service condition
and it is only during these last two {
n. three years that the training undo
these conditions has become really el
OF fective. Another and most necessar
ny stride in advance is now being take
N, he battle fleet is about starting b
al the Straits OF Magellan to visit tt
n paciac coast. Sixteen battleships al
Ter going under the command of Rear AZ
miral Evans, while eight armorf
Mt, cruisers and two other battleships vi
,neot him at San Francisco, width,