The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-12-03


dents In mills, mines or on railroads.
For the entire country. therefore. 1t is
safe to say that the deaths due TO In
dustrial accidents aggregate In the
neighborhood of 10000 year. Such
record makes the death rate In all
our foreign wars utterly trivial by
comparison. The number Of deaths In
battle In all the foreign wars put to-
gether for the last century and a quar-
ter aggregate considerably less than
one years death record for our indus
tries. A mere glance at these figures
is sufficient to show the absurdity Of
the outcry against militarism.
But again and again in the past our
little regular army has rendered serv-
ice literally vital to the country, and it
may at any time have to do so In the
future. Its standard of efficiency and
instruction is higher now than ever
In the past, but 1t Is too small. There
are not enough officers. and 1t Is i'm
possible to secure enough enlisted men.
We should maintain in peace fairly
complete skeleton of a large army. A
great and long continued war would
have TO be fought by volunteers, but
months would pass before any large
body OF efficient volunteers could be
put In the field, and our regular army
should be large enough to meet any
immediate need. In particular 1t is es-
sental that we should possess a num-
ber OF extra officers trained i'm peace
10 perform efficiently the duties ur-
gently required upon the breaking out
OF war
The medical corps should be much
larger than the needs OF our regular
army in war. Yet at present It Is
smaller than the needs of the service
demand even in peace. The Spanish
war occurred less than ten years ago.
The chief loss we suffered In il was
by disease among the regiments which
never left the country. At the mo.
mcnt the nation seemed deeply Impress
cd by this fact, yet seemingly IL has
already been forgotten. for not the
slightest effort has been made to pre-
pare a medical corps Of sufficient size
fo prevent the repetition of the same
disaster ON much larger scale If we
should ever he engaged in a serious
conflict The trouble in the Spanish
War was not with the then existing
officials OF the war department.: IL was
with the representatives of the people
as Il whole who for the preceding thr-
ty years had declined TO make the
necessary provision for the army. Tn
less ample provision is now made by
congress 10 put the medical corps
where IL should be put disaster In the
next war is inevitable. and the respon-
sbility will not lie with those then In
charge of the war department, but
with those who now decline to make
the necessary provision. \ well or
ganiZed medical corps. thoroughly
trained before the advent Of war i'm
I'll the important administrative duties
of "a military sanitary corps. is essen
tial to the efficiency of any large army.
and especially of II large volunteer
army. Such knowledge of medicine
and surgery as Is possessed by the
medical profession generally will not
alone srfiicc To make an efficient mill
tary surgeon. He must have. in addi-
tlon. knowledge OF the administration
and sanitation of large field hospitals
aud camps ia order To safeguard the
health and lives OF men intrustcd i'm
great numbers To his care. 4 bill has
long been pending before the congress
for the reorganization of tho medical
corps Its passage is urgently needed.
But the medical department is not
the only department for which increas
ed provision should he made. The rate
Of pay for the officers should he great
ly increased. There is no higher type
Of citizen than the American regular
officer, and he should have "A fair re-
ward for his admirable work. There
should be a relatively even greater in
crease In the pay for the enlisted men.
I'm especial provision should be made
for establishing grades equivalent to
those of warrant officers I'm the navy
which should be open TO the enlisted
men who serve sufficiently long and
who do their work we'll. Inducements
should he offered sufficient TO encour-
age really good men to make the army
a life occupation. The prime need of
our present army is to secure and re-
tain competent noncommissioned Off
GERS. This difficulty rests fundamental
ly on the question OF pay. The non
commissioned officer does not CORE
spoHa with an unskilled laborer. He
corresponds to the best type of skilled
workman or to the subordinate official
in civil institutions Wages have great
~ increased in outside occupations in
the last forty years, and the pay Of the
soldier. like the pay of the officers,
should be proportionately increased.
The first sergeant of n company, If a
good man, must be onef such execu-
tive and administrative 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 regimen
tai sergeant major. These men should
be men who had fully resolved to
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