Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1907-12-12

movement OF passens-,s between Hawaii and
the mainland Unless the Congress Is pre-
pared by positive encouragement to secure
proper facilities In the way Of shipping be-
tween Hawaii and the mainland. then the
| coastwise. shipping laws should be so far re-
| laxed AZ to prevent Hawaii suffering It
is now suffering. l again call your attention
! to the capital importance from every stand
point Of making Pearl Harbor available for
| the largest deep-wat.r vessels and Of suit
| ably foItifJ ing the island
The Secretary Of War mas gone to the Phil
ippines On his return shall submit to you
his report on the islands.
/ again recommend that the rights Of ctl.
| zenship be conferred upon the people of Porto
| lIico.
| A bureau of mines should be created under
the control and direction OF the Secretary Of
the Interior; the bureau to have power to
collect statistics and make investig igatlons in
all matters pertaining to mining and par
ticularly to the accidents and dangers Of the
industry. If this cannot be done at
least additional appropriations should be given
| the Interior Department TO be used for the
| study Of mining conditions, for the prevention
of fraudulent mining schemes, for carrying
| on the work OF mapping the mining distIIc
| for studying methods for minimizing the ac-
| cidents and dangers in the industry; in short,
| to aid in all proper ways the development
of the plining Industry.
| call your especial attention to the un-
| satisfactory condition OF our foreign mall
service which. because of the lack Of Amer.
through foreign lines, and which, particularly
| go far as South and Central America are
| concerned, is done in manner which consti.
| tutes a serious barrier to the extension or
our commerce.
| Not only there is not now. but there never
has been any other nation in the world
wholly free from the evils OF militarism as
Is ours There never has been any other
large nation, not even China, which for so
| long period has had relatively to its num-
bers SO small a regular army as has ours.
Never at any time in our history has this
Nation suffered from militarism been in
the remotest danger of suffering from mill
| tarism. Never at any time of our history
has the regular Army been of size which
caused the slightest apprecabe tax upon
| the taxpaying citizens OF the Nation AL
| most always it has been too small in size
and underpaid. Never in our entire history
has the Nation suffered in the least particu-
| lar because too much care has been given to
the Army too much prominence given II,
| too much money spent upon 1t, because it
| has been too large But again and again
| have suffered because enough care has not
been given to 1t, because 1t has been too
small, because there has not been sufficient
preparation in advance for possible
Every foreign war in which have
gagged has cost many times the amount.
which, IL wisely expended during the preced-
ing years Of peace on the regular Army,
would have insured the ending in but a
fraction of the time and but for fraction
OF the cost that was actually the case AS
Nation have always been shortsighted
in providing for the efficiency OF the Army
In time Of peace. 1t is nobody's especial in
terest to make such provision and no one
looks ahead to war at any period no mat
ter how remote. as being a serious possi-
tlity; while an improper economy, or rath-
er niggardliness, can be practiced at the
pense OF the Army with the certainty that
those practicing 1t will not be called to ac-
count therefor, but that the price will be
paid by the unfortunate persons who hap
pen to be in office when a war does actually
come.
Industry is always necessary, just as war
Is sometimes necessary. Each has its price,
and industry in the United States now
acts, and has always exacted far heavier
toll OF death than all our wars put to-
gether. The statistics OF the railroads of
this country for the year ended June 80,
1906, the last contained in the annual sta
tstical report of the Interstate Commerce
Commission. show in that year total
of lOs.324 casualties to persons of which
l06lS represent the number of persons
killed In that wonderful hive of human
activity, Pittsburg, the deaths due to indus
trial accidents in 1905 were 919, all the re-
suit of accidents n mills, mines or on rail-
roads. For the entire country, therefore, it
is safe to say that the deaths due to indus
trial accidents aggregate in the neighbor-
hood of 10000 year. Such a record makes
the death rate in all our foreign ut
terly trivial by comparison. The number of
deaths In battle in all the foreign wars put
together, for the last century and a quarter,
aggregate considerably less than years
death record for our industries mere
glance at these figures is sufficient to show
the absurdty of the outcry against militar'
ism.
The Medical Corps should be much larger
than the needs of our regular Army in war.
Yet at present 1t Is smaller than the needs
OF the service demand eSon IN peace. The
Spanish War occurred less than ten years
by disease among the regiments which never
left the country. At the moment the Nation ,
seemed deeply impressed by this fact; yet
seemingly it has already been forgotten. for
not the slightest effort has been made to |
prepare medical corps Of sufficient size |
TO prevent the repetition Of the same dis |
aster on a much larger scale if we should |
ever be engaged in serious conflict. The |
trouble in the Spanish War was not with
partment: 1t was with the representatives
of the people as whole who, for the pre-
ceding 35 years had declined to make the ,
necessary provision for the Army. Unless
ample provision is now made by Congress
to put the Medical Corps where it should be
put disaster IN the next Is inevitable,
and the responsibility will not lie with those
then in charge of the War Department, but
with those who now decline to make the
But the Medical Department is not the
only department for which increased pro-
e should be Fneav IN PsS
there is no higher type OF citizen than the
american regular officer. and he should
There should be a relatively even greater
Increase in the pay for the enlisted men. An
especial provision should he made for estab-
ant officers in the Navy which should he
,pen to the enlisted men who serve suf-
inducements should he offered sufficient to
really good to make the
/
" our present Army is to secure and retain | |
Competent noncommissoned officers. This
ifficulty rests fundamentally the Ques- |
ion of pay. I
The noncommissoned officer does not cor /
espond with an unskilled laborsr; he corre- | |
ponds to the best type Of skilled workman {
r to the subordinate official in civil insti s
utions. Wages have greatly increased in {
utside occupations IN the last 40 years and I
he pay OF the soldier. like the pay of the {
Ulcers. should be proportionately increased S
he first sergeant of company. II a good I
nan. must be one OF such executive and J
ability. and such knowledge q
C at present pay him The is true
f the regmental sergeant major. Thee
len should be men who had fully resolved n
make the Army a life occupation and o
hey should be able to look forward to il
mple reward; while only properly n
ualifcd should be given chance to secure d
lese final rewards. The increase over the S
resent pay need not be great in the lower A
rades for the first one two enlistments. ii
Ut the increase should be marked for the /
onCommissioned officers Of the upper | D
rades who serve long enough to make it | 81
,ident that they intend to stay perma- d
entity in the Army, while additional pay 81
,ould be given for high qualifications in Il
rgct practice. Il
ere examinations to weed out the unfit d
. to the grade of Major. From that po- II
ton on appointments should be solely by n
lection and ii should be understood that h
OF merely average capacity could "a
'ver get beyond the position Of Majo-. eS
hile every who serves IN any grade 81
certain length ct time prior to promotion | re
the next grade without getting the pro- | 10
otion TO the next grade should be forth | 81
II los nd y