The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-12-06

regimental sergeant major These
men should be men who had fully
resolved TO make the army q life
occupation and they should be able
to look forward 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 one or two enlistments. but the
increase should be marked for the
non-commissioned officers of the up
per grades who serve long enough
TO make IL evident that they intend
to stay permanently in the army.
while additional pay should be given
for high qualifications In target prac-
tice. The position of warrant off,
Ger should be established and there
should be not only an increase OF
pay, but an increase OF privileges
and allowances and dignity, so as
to make the grade open to nom
commissioned officers capable of fill
ing them desirably from every stand
point. The rate Of desertion in our
army now in time of peace is alarm
ing. The deserter should be treat
ed by public opinion as a man guilty
of the greatest crime; while on the
other hand the man who serves
steadily in the army should be treat
ed as what he is, that is, as pre-
eminently one of the best citizens
Of this republic. After twelve years
service in the army my own belief
is that the man should be given a
preference according to his ability
for certain types of office over all
civilian applicants without examina-
ton. This should also apply, of
course, to the men who have served
twelve years in the navy. A special
corps should be provided to do the
manual labor now necessarily de-
manded of the privates themselves.
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 average capacity could
never get beyond the position of ma
jor, 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 re-
tired. The practice marches and
field maneuvers of the last two or
three years have been invaluable to
the army. They should be continu-
ed and extended. A rigid and not
a perfunctory examination of physi-
cal capacity has been provided for
the higher grade officers. This will
work well. Unless an officer has a
good physique, unless he can stand
hardship, ride we'll, and walk fairly,
he is not fit for any position, even
after he has become a colonel. Be
fore he has become a colonel the
need for physical fitness in the Off
Ger is almost as great as in the en-
listed man. l hope speedily to see
introduced into the army far more
rigid and thoToughgoing test Of
horsemanship for all field officers
than at present. There should be a
chief of cavalry just as there is a
chief Of artillery.
Perhaps the most important of all
legislation needed for the benefit of
the army is a law to equalize and
Increase the pay of officers and en-
listed men of the army, navy, marine
corps, and revenue-cutter service.
Such bill has been prepared, which
vorable consideration The next
most essential measure is to- author
ne a number of extra officers as
mentioned above. To make the
army more attractive to enlisted
men, 1t is absolutely essential to
create a service corps, such as ex-
lists in nearly every modern army in
the world, to do the skilled and un-
Ck
with military administration wffFc h
is now exacted, without just COM
pensation, of enlisted men who vol
unfairly entered the army to do ser
vice OF an altogether different kfnd.
There are a number of other laws
necessary to SO organize the army
as to promote its efficiency and IA
cilitate' it's rapid expansion in time
of war; burt the above are the moSt
important
THE NAVY.
1t was hoped The Hague confer
ence might deal with the question
of the lfmita ton of armaments. But
even before it had assembled infor-
NAL inquiries had developed that rs
regards naval armaments, the only
ones in which this country had any
interest, it was hopeless to try to
devise any plan for which there was
the slightest possibility of securrng g
the assent of the nations gathered
at The Hague. No plan was even
proposed which would have had the
assent OF more than one first-cfass
power outside OF the United States.
The only plan that seemed at all
feasible, that of limiting the size of
battleships, met with no favor at all
It is evident, therefore, that it is
folly for this nation to base any hope
OF securing peace on any internatfon-
al agreement as to the limitation OF
armameRts. Such being the fact, il
would be most unwise for US to stop
the upbuilding of our navy. To
build ore battleship Of the best and
most advanced type a year would
barely keep our fleet up to its pres
ent force. This is not enough. In
nv Judgment We should this yeal