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

flag; that the fast ocean steamships
and their crews, required for such
mail service, are valuable auxilfaries
to the sea power Of nation Fur
thermore, the construction OF such
steamships insures the maintenance
in an efficient condition of the ship
yards in which our battleships must
be built.
The expenditure of public money
for the performance of such neces-
sary functions of government Is GER
tainly warranted, nor is 1t necessary
to dwell upon the incidental BENEFITS
to our foreign commerce, to the ship
building industry, and to ship own
ing and navigation which will accom-
pany the discharge of these urgest
public duties, though they, too,
| should have weight.
The only serious question Is wheth-
er at this time we can AFFORD to i'm
prove our ocean mail service as it
| should be improved. All doubt on
| this subject is removed by the reports
of the Postoffice Department. For
the fiscal year ended June 80, 1907,
that department estimates that the
postage collected on the articles ex-
| changed with foreign countries other
| than Canada and Mexico amounted
| more than the net cost of the SER
vice exclusive of the cost of trans
porting the articles between the
United States exchange postoffices
and the United States postOffices at
which they were mailed or delivered.
! In other words, the government OF
| the United States, having assumed a
monopoly of carrying the mails for
| the people, is making profit of over
SO 100000 by rendering cheap and
| inefficient service. That profit | be-
! lieee should be devoted to strength
ening our maritime power in those
directions where it will best promote
our prestige. The country is familiar
with the facts of our maritime i'm
potence in the harbors of the great
and friendly republics of South
| America. Following the failure Of
| the shipbuilding bill we lost our only
American line of steamers to Aus
| tralasia, and that loss on the Pacific
has become serious embarrassment
to the people of Hawaii, and has
! wholly cut off the Samoan islands
, from regular communication with the
Pacific coast Puget Sound, In the
year, has lost over half (four out Of
seven) of it's American steamers
| u duIAS Will LAC oI4CAI-
We now pay unuer the act of 1891
! S4 statute mile outward to 2O-knot
| American mail steamships, built ac-
! cOrding to naval plans, available as
cruisers, and manned by Americans.
| Steamships of that speed are con-
| fined exclusively to transatlantic
trade with New York. To steam
ships of 16 knots or over only So
! ID &c. crfn
ships Of this speed and type which
are needed to meet the requirements
of mail service to South America,
Asia (including the Philippines), and
Australia | strongly recommend,
therefore, simple amendment to the
ocean mail act of 1891 which shall
authorize the Postmaster-General liz
his discretion to enter into contracts
for the transportation of mails to the
republics of South America, to Asia,
the Philippines, and Australia at
rate not to exceed "a mile for
steamships of 16 knots speed or up
wards, subject to the restrictions and
obligations of the act of 1891. The
profit of $500, 600 which has been
mentioned WIFI fully cover the maxi
mum annual expenditure involved in
this recommendation and it is be-
lieved will in time establish the lines
so urgently needed The proposition
involves no new principle, but per-
mfts the efficient discharge of public
functions now Tnadequately perform
ed or not performed at all
THE ARMY.
Not only there is not now, but
there never has been, any other ma
ton in the world so wholly free
from the evils of militarism as is
ours. There never has been any 9TH
er large nation. not even China,
which for so long a period has had
relatively to it's numbers so small
regular army as has ours. Never
at any time in our history has this
nation suffered from militarism or
been in the remotest danger of suf-
fering from militar1sm. Never at any
time of our history has the regular
army been of a size which caused
the slightest appreclable tax upon
the tax-paying citizens of the nation.
| Almost always it has been too small
! in size and underpafd. Never in our
| entire history)has the nation suffered
| in the least particular because too
much care has been given to the
army, too much prominence given it,
! too much money spent upon 1t, or
| because it has been too large. But
again and again we have suffered
because enough care has not been
given to it, because it has been too
small, because there has not been
sufficient preparation in advance for
possible war. Every foreign war in
which we have engaged has cost us
many times the amount which, if
wisely expended during the preced-
ing years of peace on the regular
army, would have insured the war
ending in but fraction of the time
and but for a fraction of the cost
that was actually the case. AS ma
ton we have always been shortsight-
ed in providing for the efficiency Of
the army in time of peace. 1t is no.
body's especial interest to make such