Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-12-07
cavalry Just as thsr. is a chief .f .r,ll.

cavalry Just as there Is a chief Of arfii-
terry.
Perhaps the most important of all legis-
.ation needed for the benefit OF the army
is a la~' to equaiige and increase the pay
OF omcers and enlisted men Of the army.
navy. marine corps and revenue cutter
service. Such a bill has been prepared
which II is hoped viii meet with your
favorable consideration. The next most
essential measure IL to authorize a num-
Der OF extra officers as mentioned above.
To make the army more attractive to en-
listed men. II is absolutely essential to
M Morea5e service corps, such as exists in
nearly every modern army In the world.
To do the skilled and unskilled labor in
separately connected with military ad-
mlnistration. which Is now exacted. with
out Just compensation. of enlisted men
who voluntarily entered the army to do
service OF an altogether different kind.
mere are number of other laws neces-
sarv 10 so organize the army as TO pro-
mote its efficiency and facilitate it's rapid
expansion in time OF war: but the above
are the most important
TO build one battleship OF the best and
most advanced type a year would barely
Keen our fleet IN 10 its present force
This Is not enough
ne NAVY. In my judgment. we
should this year
provide for four bsttleships. But Il is
idle to build battleships unless I'm addi-
ton to providing the men. and the means
FOR thorough training we provide the
auXiliaries for them, unless we provide
docks. the coaling stations, the coliers
and supply ships that they need We are
extremely deficient in coalina stations
and docks on the Pacific. and this
deficiency should not longer be permitted
TO exist Plenty of torpedo boats and de-
stroyers should be built Both on the At
lantic and Pacific coasts fortifcations OF
the best type should be provided for all
our greatest harhOrs.
Until our battle fleet is much larger
than at present It should never be split
into deta"hments 80 far apart that they
could not in event OF emergency be
speedly united Our coast line Is on the
Pacific Just as much as on the Atlantic
Tho interests of California Oregon and
washington are as emphatlcally the in
terests OF the whole Union as those of
Texas. The battle fleet should now and
then be moved to the Pacific just as at
other times IL should be kept in the At
lantic
When the isthmian canal is built the
transit of the battle fleet from one ocean
TO the other will he comparatively easy.
Until II is built ] earnestly hope that the
battle fleet Will he thus shifted between
the two oceans every year or two. The
craftsmanship ON all our ships has Inn
proved phenomenally during the last hve
years. Until within the last two or three
years II was not possible to train "A bat
tie fleet in squadron maneuvers under
service conditions and IL is only during
these last two or three years that the
come really effective. Another and most
necessary stride in advance Is now being
taken. The battle fleet Is about starting
BY the straits of Magellan TO visit the
racine coast Sixteen battleships are go
ing under the command of Rear Admiral
Evans. while eight armored cruisers and
Two other bajtleships Will meet him at
san Francisco, whittier certain torpedo
destroyers are also going No fleet OF
such size has ever made such a voyage
anu II VIII be OF very great educational
use TO all engaged In IL. The only way
bN which 10 teach officers and men how
70 handle the heet so as to meet every
possible strain and emergency i'm time OF
war ~ 10 have them practice under sim
iar conditions In time of peace More
over. the only way 10 find out our actual
needs is TO perform In time of peace
Whatever maneuVers might he neces-
sarN IN time of war. After war is de-
clared II is too late To find out the needs;
that means to invite disaster This trip
TO the Pacific will show what some OF
our needs are and will enable US TO pro-
vide for them. The proper place for an
officer To learn his duty is at sea. and
the only way I'm which navy can ever
be made efficient Is by practice at sea,
under all the conditions which would
have to be met II war existed