The state herald., 1907-12-06


repetition of the same disaster on IA
much larger scale If we should ever be
engaged in 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 he greatly In
creased. there is no higher type of citizen
than the American regular officer, and ho
should have n fair reward for his ad-
mirable work. There should be rela.
lively even greater Increase In the pay for
the enlisted men An especial provision
should be made for establishing gradea
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 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 noncommissoned officers. This diff
Guilty rests fundamentally on the aues-
ton OF pay The noncommissioned officer
does not correspond with an unskiled la
borer: he corresponds to the best type OF
skilled workman or to the subordinate
official In civil Institutions. Wnges have
greatly Increased In outside occupations
In the last ~ years and the pay Of tho
soldier, like the pay OF tho officers should
be proportionntely Increased. The first
sergeant OF n company, II good man.
must be one OF such executive and nd
minstrntlve ability. aud such knowledge
Of his trade. MS to be worth far more than
we at present pay him. The same is true
OF the regimcntal sergeant major These
men should he men who had fully res
solved to make the army life Occupa-
tlon and they should be able to look for
ward to ample reward. while only men
properly qualified should he given
chance to secure these final rewards. Tho
Increase over the present pay need not
be great in the lower grades for the first
one or two enllstments but the Increase
should he marked for the noncommls-
stoned officers OF the upper grades who
serve long enough to make II 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 bs
severe examinations to weed out tho
unit up to the grade OF major, From
that position on appointments should
be solely by selection and II should be
understood that man OF merely nv-
craEc capacity could nevcr get beyond
the position of major. while every man
who serves In nny grade a certain
length of time prior to promotion To
the next grade without getting tho
promotion to the next grade should be
'orthwith retired"
President Sees Need OF
Largely Increased sHNy.
The president asks for a continuous
Increase In the navy, and asks present
congress for appropriations for four
new battlcships. und says;
we need always to remember thnt
In time of war the navy II not 10 b"
used to defend h'rhorg and Hon-cnlst
cities; we should perfect our system Of
cofst fortihcntions- The only efficient
use for the navy Is for oncnrc. This
only way In which IL can efficiently pro-
toct our own coast against the possible
action of foreign navy IL by destroy
ing that foroirn navy. For defense
against "A hostile fleet which actually
attacks them. tho coast cities must de-
pend upon their forts, mines. torpcdora.
submarines and torpedo boats and do
stroyrrs. All Of these together are of-
nccnt for defensive purposes. but they
In no way supply the place of a thor
oughly efticicnt navy capable Of acting
on the offensive for purrYing never yet
won u nrht. II can only be won by
hard hitting. and an aggressive A"a-go-
ing navy alone cnn do this hard hitting
Of the Offensive type. But III" forts
and tho like are necessary 20 thnt tho
navy may he footlposc, In time of war
there is sure 10 be demand. under proa-
sure Of fright for the ships Ia be- scat
tered 80 as To defend all kind Of ports,
Under penalty Of terrible disaster. this
demand must he refused. The ships
must be kept together. and their OBJ
iectivc made the enemies fleet ~
fortlhrations ARE sufficiently stron" no
modern navy will venture TO attack
them. so long as tho foe has In exist
encr hostile navy ~ anything liks
the same size or eflci"nry- liut unl'ai
there exists such navy then th" fDrti-
nrutinnH are powrrlrsH nv themselves
10 secur, the Victory For Of courH"
tho mere deficiency means that any
rcsolutc enemy can nt his loiHur" COM
blne al his forces upon one point with
the certainty that he can take IT,
Gives Renson- for Despatch
Ot Ei--t To the Pacific.
Until our battle ncot IN much lnrRer
thun at present N should never be- split
into detachmonts so FAR apart that they
could not In event of emergency b.
speedily united our coast line IN on
the Pacific just nH much nH on tho At
iantic The Interests Of California.
Orernn and Washington are ha em-
phaticaily the Interests of the Who'll.
union ms those Of Maine and New York.
Of Louisiana and Texas The battle
Zee, should now and then be moved to
the Pacific. Just ns at other times II
should be kept In the Atlantic, when
the lsthninn canal w built the transit
Of the battle toet from one ocean to
tho other will be comparatively easy.
rntll n iH built I earnestly hope that
the battle fert will he thus shifted boz
tween the two oceans every year or
two The mnrksmnnship On MI our
ships has Improved pheuomonnlly dur
ing the last ave years untll Within
the last two or three years II was not
possible to train battle fleet In squad
ron mhneuvers under service conditions.
and II Is only during thrs" last two or
three yenra that tho training under
these conditions has become really ~
fcctiyr. Another nnd most nrcrFs1ry
stride In advance IN now being taken.
Ihe battle fleet II about Htarting by
the straits of Magellan 90 visit tho
Pncinc coast sixteen bBttisHhlpF ~.
going under the command ~ Rear M.
mirai Evans while siEht urHofod
cruisers and two other baiilsHhipH VIII
meet him ~ san Francisco, whittier
certain torpedo deHtrnyErH Hru nlHn 70
inF No fleet of such size has ever
made such voyage, and " viii be- of
very great educational USE o. ~ en-
gnn~d In A. The only way by which 10