Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1907-12-05

81 the %shipyards In which our BATH eshlps
must be built.
Asks Increase In Pay
for Army Omccr. md Men.
The president devotes much space 10
the AFFAIRS OF the army, and strongly
urges that our regular military organi-
cation be Kept up to the highest possible
standard OF efficiency, and says:
THE medical corps should be much
greater than the needs OF our regular
army In war. Yet at present II Is small
er than .he needs uf the service demand
even IN peace. The Spanish war oc-
CURED less than 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 II 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 II we should ever DO
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 adj
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 servo sufficiently long
and who do their work well. Inducements
should be offered sufficient to encourage
really good men to make the army n life
occupation. The prime needs of our pres
| ant nTnV Ia IN Anttr nd ratnin Gamma.
tent noncommissioned officers. This diff.
Guilty rests fundamentally on the ques-
ton OF pay. The noncommlssioned 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 20 years and the pay OF the
soldier. like the pay OF the officers. should
be proportionately increased. The FIRST
sergeant OF a company, II n good man.
must be one Of such executive and adj
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 ergeant 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 q
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 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
aayara avn animation 70 vvaad nut thu
unfit up to the grade of major. From
that position on appointments should
be solely by selection and II 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 lex 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 wal the navy Is not to be
used to defend harbors and sea-coast
cities: we should perfect our system OF
| COAST IOTtl1CdtiOnS. u Ouly tiiCteHs
use for the navy is for offense. h
only way In which 1t 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 feet which actually
attacks them. the coast cities must de-
pend upon their forts. mines. torpedoes.
submarines and torpedo boats and de-
stroyers. All of these together are eff
hcient for defensive purposes. but they
in no way supply the place of a thor
oughly efficient navy capable of acting
on the offensive: for parrying never yet
won n light. 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 feotloose. In time OF war
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
must be kept together. n their OBJ
~jective made the enemies fleet. IL
Notifications are sufficiently strong. no
modern navy will venture to attack
them. so long as the foe has In exist
ence a hostile navy OF anything ike
the same size or efficiency. But unless
there exists such a navy then the forth
ncations are powerless by themselves
to secure the victory. For OF course
} the mere deficiency means that any
r~esolute 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.
: "JJnti our pattle fleet Is much larger
D than at present 1t should never be split
= into attachments SO far apart that they
: could not in event Of emergency b'
! speedily united. Our coast line Is or
r the Pacific Just as much as on the Al
lantic. The interests of California
: OREGON and Washington are as en-
: nhe,,ca,iy the interests of the Who'll,
1 nnIon as those of Maine and New York
3 ~ Louisiana and Texas. The battl,
I ,eet should now and then be moved 4
the Pacific, Just as at other times
Q should be kept in the Atlantic Whei
d the isthmian canal Is built the transi
Of the battle fleet from one ocean t
the other will be comparatively easy
Until IL is built I earnestly hope tina
y the battle fleet will be thus shifted be
tween the two oceans every year o
two. The marksmanship on all on
Is ships has improved phenomenally dur
y ing the last Ave years. Until with
the last two or three years II was no
possible to train a battle fleet In squad
ron maneuyers under service conditions
and II is only during these last two Q
=, three years that the training uhoe
these conditions has become really ell
of fective. Another and most necessar
" stride In advance Is now being take
u, ne hattie feet is about starting b
the straits of Magellan to visit tn
n Pacific coast. Sixteen battleshlps ar
er going under the command of Rear AZ
mIrai Evans, while eight armore
Il, cruisers and two other ba~ttleships wi
ar meet him at San Francisco. whths
re certain torpedo d~estroyers are also &c
Id ing. No fleet OF such size has ev,
as made such a voyage. and 1t will be
4, very great educational use to all Ell
az gagged In 1t. The only way by which
r. teach officers and men how to hand
We the feet 80 as to meet every possib
We strain and emergency In time OF war
nd 10 have them practice under simili
" AraAua