Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1907-12-05
THE PRESIDENTS
ANNUAL MESSAGE



ranted, nor Ii II necessary to dwell upoI
the incidental benefits to our foreigI
commerce, to the shipbuildihg industry
and TO ship owning and navigation which
will accompany the discharge Of thes,
urgent public duties. though they. too
should have weight"
Asks decrease in Pay
for Array OMceFs and Men.
Tho president devotes much space ID
the AFFAIRS Of the army, and strongly
Kation DO 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 IL small
or than the needs Of 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 medical
corps of sufficient size to prevent the
repetition of the same disaster on q
, much larger scale II We should ever be
engaged in q 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 10 no higher type of citizen
than the American regular officer, and he
should have q fair reward for his ad-
fairable work. There should be 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 we'll Inducements
should be offered sufflcient to encourage
really good men to make the army life
occupation The prime needs Of our pres
ent army is to secure and retain compe-
tent noncommissioned officers This dim
Guilty rests fundamentally on the queS-
ton Of pay The noncommissioned onicef
does not correspond with an unsktlled Ia
borer; he corresponds to the best type OF
skilled workman or to the subordinate
oficial In civil institutions. Wages have
greatly increased In outside occupations
IN the last 10 years and the pay Of the
soldier, like the pay Of the officers. should
be proportionately increased. The hrst
sergeant Of a company, II good man.
must be one Of such executive and ad-
ministrative ability. and such knowledge
" VI n Y i STsssA vss 6 '! ms
Of the regimental sergeant major. These
men should DO men who had fully res
solved to make tho army life oocupa-
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 ANAL rewards. The
Increase over the present pay need not
be great In the lower grades for the first
one or two enllstments, but the increase
should be marked for the noncommis-
stoned officers Of the upper grades who
serve long enough to make It 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
unit up to the grade Of major From
that position on appointments should
be solely by selection and 1t should DO
understood that 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:
I'VE 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 fortlncations. The only eficient
use for the navy Ia for offense. The
only way in which II 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
flcient for defensive purposes, but they
in no way supply the place Of thor
oughly eficient navy capable of acting
on the offensive for parrying never yet
won q fight, 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 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 and their OBJ
jectlve made the enemies Meet II
fortiflcatlons 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 like
the same slxe or eficlency But unless
there exists such a navy then the forth
ications are powerless by themselves
to secure the victory. For Of course
the mere deficiency means that any
resolute enemy can at his leisure COM
blne 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 10 much larger
than at present II should never be split
into detachments so far apart that they
could not in event OF emergency be
speedily united. Our coast line IL on
the Pacific Just as much as on the At
lantic The interests OF California,
Oregon and Washington are as em-
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 II
should be kept in the Atlantic. When
the isthmian canal is built the transit
Of the battle feet from one ocean to
the other will be comparatively easy.
Until II is built earnestly hope that