The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1907-12-03


engaged ln serious conflict
"Huf the medical department is net th-
only department for which Increased pro-
vision SHOULD pc made The rate of paV
for the oHcera should be greatly I1-
cfeased there is no higher type 81 citizen
than the American regular officer and De
should have g fair reward for his ae-
mirabie work There shoHld be 6 reia-
lively even greater increase ~ the pay for
the enlisted men. All especial provision
should be made for establishing grades
equivalent 70 those of warrant officers Ca
the navy, which should be open to the
enlisted men who serve sufficiently ionE
and who do their work wen. Inducements
should be offered sufficient 10 encourage
really good men to make the army a life
occupation. The prime needs Of our prea-
ent army Is TO secure and retain compe-
tent noneommissioned officers. This afli-
Guilty rests fundamentally on the ques-
/ ton Of pay. The n0ncommlesoned 0fueer
does not correspond with an unskilled la-
borer; he corresponds to the best type 9f
| skilled workman or To the subordinate
oficial Ia civil institutions. Wages have
/ greatly increased In outside occupations
! Ia the last 40 years and the pay Of tho
soldier, like the pay Of the officers should
be propoTtionately Increased The hrst
sergeant OF q company, II a good man.
must be one Of such executive and adj
minstratiye ability, and such knowledge
OF hts trade as to be worth far more than
we at present pay him The same is true
Of the regimental sergeant major These
/ men should be men who had fully re~
solved to make the army life 0ccupa-
ton and they should be able to look for
ward 20 ample reward while only men
properly qualified should be given "a
chance to secure these final rewards. The
increase over the present pay need not
be great In the lower grades FOR the frst
one or two enlstments, but the Increase
should be marked for the noncommig~
stoned officers Of the upper grades who
serve long enough to make Il evident that
they intend to stay permanently IN th9
army, while additional pay should ba
given for high qualifications In target
practice
Among the offcefs there should be
severe examinations 10 weed out this
unfit up to the grade Of major. From
that position on appointments should
be solely by selection and 1t should b.
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 certain
length Of time prior to promotion ~
the next grade without getting tho
promotion 10 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-coask
4.0
coast fOrtihcations The only efficient
use for the navy Is for offense. The
only way in which Il can eficiently 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 fleet which actually
attacks them, the coast cities must de-
pend upon their forts, mines, torpedoess
submarines and torpedo boats and de-
stroyers. All Of these together are ef-
ficient for defensive purposes but they
in no way supply the place Of thor
oughly efficient navy capable Of acting
on the offensive; for parrying never yet
won tight 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 f0otloose. IN time OF war
there is sure to be demand. under pres
sure OF fright, for the ships 70 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
iective made the enemies fleet n
fortihcations 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 size or efficiency. But unless
! there exists such navy then the FORTH
!, ications are powerless by themselves
= 70 secure the victory. For of course
: the mere deficiency means that anS
!, resolute enemy can at his leisure COM
bine all his forces upon one point with
the certainty. that he can take II.
Gives Reasons for Despatch
OF Fleet to the Paeifc.
I Until our battle feet IS much larger
u than Al present II should never be split
I into detaehments SO far apart that they
y could not in event Of emergency be
], speedily united Our coast line Is on
u the Pacific just as much as on the At
l. lantic The interests OF California
2 Oregon and Washington are as EN-.
phatloally the interests OF the whole
: union as those of Maine and New York
II OF Louisiana and Texas. The battls
g fleet should now and then be moved q
Y the Pacific just as at other times Il
,s should be kept in the Atlantic. Whel
3 the isthmian canal Is built the transit
= Of the battle fleet from one ocean 4
the other viii be comparatively easy
& Until 1t is built 4 earnestly hope tina
3 the battle feet viii be thus shifted be-
= tween the two oceans every year d
y two. The Workmanship on all on
~ shfps has improved phen0menally dur
y ing the last five years Until withiI
the last two or three years It was no
possible to train battle feet ia squad
- - ron maneuvers under service conditions
7. =. and IT is only during these last two O
= three years that the training uude
y these conditions has become really ef
~ fective, Another and most neceasar
= stride IN ad-ance IS now being taken
The battle heet Is about starting b
: the Straits of Magellan to VISIT En-
i Pacific coast Sixteen battieships ar
~ going under the command OF Rear Ad
- miral Evans, while eight armore
Il, cruisers and two other battleahips VII
- meet him at San Francisco whithe
rs certain torpedo destroyers are also 70
- ing. No fleet OF such size has eve
~ made such a voyage. and Ii Will be O
= very great educational use 10 all en-
sa gagged In It. The only way BY which I
~ teach officers and men how 70 handl
- the fleet so as to meet every possibI
an strain and emergency Ia time Of war
he to have them practice under HimiIa
conditions IN time OF peace Moreover
a. the only way to nnd out our actus
o- needs is to perform In time Of peac
lr- whatever maneuyeTa might ba neces
on sary In time Of war. After war is de
al aaI Na HaA. a. "A