The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-12-06

1.e. ~ N-"|
for Army Ofacers and Men.
n president devotcs much space "a
the Affairs OF the army. n strongly
urges that our regular military organi-
ration be kept up to the highest possible
standard OF efficiency, n says;
The medical corps should be much
greater than the needs of our regular
army in war. Yet at present II Is small
cr than the needs of the service demand
even In peace. The Spanish wa 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 Il has already been
forgotten. for not the slightest effort
has been made TO prepare a medical
corps of sufficient size TO prevent the
repetition OF the same disaster OF a
much larger scale II W. shout ever BIO
engaged in a serious conflict,
But the medical department is not the
only department for which Increased pro-
vision should he made. The rate OF pay
for the officers should be greatly in-
creased; there is no higher type of citizen
than the American regular officer, and he
should have a fair reward for his ad-
mtrable work. There should he n rela-
ttvcly 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 10 tho
enlisted men who serve sufficiently long
and who do their work well, Inducements
should be offered sufficient to encourage
really good men to make the army a life
occupation. The prime needs OF our pros-
ont army Ia 10 Gaqura md rptuIn lnn1nR-
tent noncommissloued officers, This diff
Guilty rests fundamentally ON the ques-
ton OF pay. The noneommissioned oficor
does not correspond with an uuslSilled la
borer; he corresponds to the best type of
skilled workman or 20 the subordinate
official in civil institutions. Wages have
greatly increased In outside occupations
in the last 40 years and the pay OF the
soldier, like the pay OF the officers, should
be proportionately Increased. The first
sergeant of "A company, II a good man.,
must be one OF such executive and adj
ministrative ability, and such knowledge
OF his 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 a life oecupa-
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 final rewards. The
increase over the present pay need not
be great In the lower grades for the frst
one or two enlistments, but the increase
should be marked for the noncommis-
stoned officers of the upper grades who
serve long enough to maze II evident that
they intend to stay permanently In the
army, while additional pay should he
given for high qualifications In target
practice.
Among the officers there should be
severe examinations to weed out tho
unfit up TO the grade OF major. From
that position on appointments should
be solely by selection and II should DO
understood that n man of merely ny-
erage capacity could never get beyond
tho position OF major. while every man
who serves in any grade n certain
length of time prior to promotion to
the next grade without getting the
promotion to the next grade SHOULD BIO
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 avy IL not to be
used to defend harbors and sea-coast
cities; we should perfect our system OF
coast Notifications, The only efficient
use for the navy Is for rfense. The
only way In which IT can efficiently pro-
tectt o.ug. own ,eoast against the possible
ing that foreign navy. For defense
| against a hostile fleet which tualiy
attacks them, the coast cities must de-
pend upon their forts, mines, torpedoes,
submarines and torpedo boats and de-
| s~troyers. All of these together are ef-
fcient for defensive purposes, but they
in no way supply the place of a thor
| oughIy efficient navy capable of acting
on the offensive; for parrying never yet
won a fight. IT 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 80 that tho
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 obs
| iectlye made the enemies fleet. IL
Notifications are sufficiently strong. no
modern navy will venture to attack
| them. so long MS the foe has In exist
ence a hostile navy of anything like
the same size or efficiency. But unless
there exists such a navy then the forti-
1cations are powerlcss by themselves
to secure the victory. For or course
the mere deficiency means that n
resolute enemy can at his leisure COM
blne all his forces upon one pol1t with
the certainty that he can take II.
Gives Reasons for Despatch
OF Fleet TO the Pacific.
"IInt.I our pattle feet Is much larger
than ut present 1t should never be split
into attachments 80 far apart that they
could not In event Of emergency be
sneedfly united. Our coast line is IN
| the Pacific Just ms much as on the At
Iantic. The interests OF California.
oref-on and Washington are as en-
phaticalIy the interests OF the whole
union as those OF Maine and New York.
~ Louisiana and Texas. The battle
fleet should now and then be moved to
the Pacific. Just as at other times II
should be Kept in tho Atlantic. When
the isthmIan canal IL built the transit
of the BATHS feet from one ocean to
the other will be comparatively easy.
Until II Is built ! earnestly hope that
Inc battle fact will bc thus shifted be-
tween the two oceans every year or
two. The craftsmanship on all our
ships has improved phenomenally dur
ing the last Ave years. Until within
the last two or three years II was not
uossibie to train a battle fleet in squad
ron maneuyers under service conditions,
ana Il is only during these last two or
three years that the training under
these conditions has become really eff
fective. Another and most necessary
stride in advance Is now being taken.
me battle fleet - about starting BY
the Straits OF Magellan to visit the
Pacific coast. Sixteen battleships are
coins under the command Of Rear Adj
m,raI Evans, while eight armored
cruisers and two other battieships Will
meet him at TAI Francisco. whittier