Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1907-12-06


has been made to prepare medical
corps of sufficient size to prevent the
repetition of the same disaster on
much larger scale II we should ever be
engaged in a serious conflict.
But the medical department Is not tho
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 mon who serve sufficiently long
| and who do their work we'll Inducements
should be offered sufficient to encourage
| really good men to make the army n life
| occupation. The prime needs of our pres
| ent army is to secure and retain compe-
| tent noncommssioned officers. This diff
| Guilty rests fundamentally on the ques-
| uon of pay. The noncommissioned officer
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 tho
| soldier, like the pay OF the officers, should
| be proportionately increased. The first
sergeant of a company, II a good man.
| must be one of such executive and ad-
| minstrative 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 resimental sergeant major. These
men should be men who had fully re>
| solved to make the army 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
| be great in the lower grades for the first
| enc or two enlistments, 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 tho
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 1t 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 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
The president asks for continuous
increase in the navy. and asks present
| congress for appropriations Tor Tour
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 fortifcations. The only efficient
use for tho navy Is for offense. The
only way in which 1t can efficiently pro-
..e,N Nl..r fl,l
action of a foreign navy is by Destroy
ing that foreign navy. Fer defense
against hostile feet which actually
attacks them the csast cities must de-
pend upon their forts, mines, torpedoes,
submarines and torpedo boats and de-
stroyers. All of these together are ef-
ficient for defensive purposes, but they
in no way supply the place of n thor
oughly efficient navy capable of acting
on the offensive; for parrying never yet
won n night. 1t can only be won by
hard hitting, and an aggressive sea-go-
ing navy alone can do this hard hitting
of the offensive type But the forts
and the like are necessary so that the
navy may be footloose. In time of war
there is sure to be demand, under pres
sure of fright, for tho 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
must be kept together. and their OBJ
| JeCtlVe 1nAue lne eneIIlltS licbl. IL
fortifcations are sufficiently strong, no
modern navy will venture to attack
them, so long as the foe has in exist
ence hostile navy of anything like
the same size or efficiency. But unless
there exists such navy then the forti-
fcations are powerless by themselves
to secure the victory For of course
the mere deficiency means that any
resolute enemy can at his leisure COM
bine all his forces upon one point with
the certainty that he can take 1t.
Gives Reasons for Despatch
OF Fleet to the Pacific.
Until our battle fleet is much larger
than at present 1t should never be split
into detachments so far apart that they
could not in event of emergency be
speedily united. Our coast line is on
| the Pacific Just as much as on the At
lantic. The interests of California.
Oregon and Washington are as en-
| phatically the interests of the whole
union as those of Maine and New York.
of Louisiana and Texas. The battle
feet should now and then be moved to
the Pacific. just as at other times 1t
should be kept in the Atlantic. When
the isthmian canal is built the transit
of the battle fleet from one ocean to
the other will be comparatively easy.
Until 1T is built earnestly hope that
the battle feet will be thus shifted be-
tween the TIVE oceans every year or
two. The craftsmanship on all our
ships has improved phenomenally DUR
ing the last Ave years. Until within
the last two or three years 1t was not
possible to train battle fleet in squad
, ron maneuvers under service conditions.
and 1t is emily during these last two or
three years that the training under
these conditions has become really eff
, fective. Another and most necessary
stride in advance is now being taken.
The battle feet is about starting by
the Straits Of Magellan to visit the
Pacific coast. Sixteen battleships are
, going under the command of Rear Ad-
miral Evans, while eight armored
! cruisers and two other battleships will
meet him at San Francisco. whittier
, certain torpedo destroyers are also go
! ing. No fleet Of such size has ever
made such a voyage. ana 1t will be OF
very great educational use TO all en-
gagged in 1t. The emily way by which to