The Elbert County tribune., 1907-12-05


forgotten. for not the slightest effort
has been made 10 prepare medical
corps of sufficient size TO prevent the
repetition OF the same disaster on .
much larger scale II we should ever be
engaged In serious conflict.
But the medical department Is not The
only department for which Increased pro-
vision should be made. The rate OF pay
for the officers should he greatly i'm
creased. there Is no higher type Of citizen
than the American regular officer. and he
should have fair reward for his I'd
mirablc work. There should be rcla-
lively even greater Increase in tho pay for
the enlisted men. An especial provisiou
should be made for establishing grades
equivalent to those OF warrant officers In
the navy. which should he open to 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 pres
ent army Is to secure and retain compe-
tent noncommissioncd officers This difft-
Guilty rests fundamentally on the ques-
tion OF pay. The noncommissioncd officer
does not correspond with unsiSiiled la
borer; he corresponds to the best type OF
skilled workman to 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. Tile first
sergeant OF company, " good man.
must be one of such executive and nd
mniatrativc ability, and such knowiedse
OF his trade. Rs to be worth far more thar
we at present pay him. The same is trus
OF the regimontai sergeant major These
men should be men who had fully re-
aolvcd to mako the army n life occupa-
tion and they should be able to look for
ward to 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 firsS
one or two cnlistments. hut the Increase
should be marked for the noncomnis-
stoned officers OF the upper grades who
serve long enough TO make IL evident that
they intend TO stay permanently In tho
army, while additional pay should Dc
given for high qualifications In target
practice.
Among the officers there should be
severe examinations to weed out the
unit up TO the grade OF major. From
that position on appointments should
be solely by selection and II should Dc
Understood that man of merely av-
crage capacity could never get beyond
the position OF major, while every man
who serves In any grade certain
length OF time prior to promotion to
the next grade without getting the
promotion to the next grade should be
-orthwith retired"
President Secs 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-coast
cities. we should perfect our system OF
| coast fortincations. The only efficient
use for the navy is for ofrense. Tho
only way in which II can efficiently pr.-
tect our own const against the possible
| action of foreign navy is by destroy
| Ing that foreign navy. For defense
| against n hostile fleet which actually
| attacks them. the coast cities must do
| pend upon their forts. mines. torpedoes-
submarines and torpedo boats and de-
/ RtroyerR All OF these together are ef-
| hclent 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 a fight. II 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 Ike are necessary so that the
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 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
| jective made the enemies' fleet IL
| fortfcations are sun i'ciently strong. no
| modern navy viii venture to nttack
| them. so long as the foe has In exist
| cnce hostile navy OF anything liiss
| the same size efficiency. But uniesS
there exists such navy then the forti-
| fcations are powerless by themselves
to secure the victory. For OF course
the mere deficiency means that any
resolute enemy can at his leisure COM
bine all his forces upon one point with
the certainty that he can take it
Gives Reasons for Despatch
OF Fleet to the Pncihr.
Until our battle fleet is much larRer
than at present It should never be split
into detachments so far apart that they
could not in event OF emergency be
speedily united Our coast line Is on
the Pacific Just as much as on the At
lantic. The interests of CALIFORNIA;
Oregon and Washington are as en-
phatically the interests of the whole
union as those of Maine and New York
of Louisiana and Texas. The battle
fleet should now and then be moved to
the Pacific. Just as at other times ~
should be kept in the Atlantic. When
the istbmian canal is built the transff
of the battle feet from one ocean to
the other will be comparatively easy
Until II Is built I earnestly hope fbae
| the battle fleet will be thus shifted be-
tween the two oceans every year or
two. The marksmanship on all our
| ships has improved phenomenhIly dur
| ing the last Ave years. Untii within
| the last two or three years IL was NOT
| possible to train battle fleet in squad
| ron maneuvers under service conditions.
| and IL Is only during these last two or
| three years that the training under
| these conditions has become really ef-
fectfve. Another and most necessary
stride in advance Is now being taken
| Ihe battle feet is about starting by
| the Straits of Magellan TO visit the
| Pacific coast. Sixteen battIeships are
/ going under the command of Rear Ad
| miral Evans. while eight arrnored
| cruisers and two other battleships Win
meet him at San Francisco. whittier
| certain torpedo destroyers also go