Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-12-16

impregnable. 1t is useless to develop
the industrial conditions Of the islands
and establish there bases of supply for
our naval and merchant fleets unless
we insure, as far as human ingenuity
can, their safety from foreign seizure.
One thing to be remembered with our
Notifications Is that it is almost use
less to make them impregnable from
the sea if they are left open to land
attack
The Philippines.
The Filipino people, through their
officials. are making real steps in the
direction Of self-government. The
president hopes and believes that
these steps mark the beginning of
course which will continue till the FIJI
ipinos become fit to decide for them
se.ves whether they desire to be an
prophesy the exact date when it will
be wise to consider independence as a
fixed and definite policy. 1t would be
worse than folly to try to set down
such date in advance, for it must de-
pend upon the way in which the Phil
ippine people themselves develop the
power of self-mastery.
A Hint to Cuba.
The president again recommends
that American citizenship be confer
red upon the people of Porto Rico. In
Cuba our occupancy will cease in
about two months time; the Cubans
have in orderly manner elected their
own governmental authorities, and the
island will be turned over to them
Our occupation on this occasion has
lasted little over two years. and
Cuba has thrived and prospered IN
der it. Our earnest hope and one de-
sire is that the people of the island
shall now govern themselves with jus
tice, so that peace and order may be Sc
cured. I'VE will gladly help them to
this end; but / would solemnly warn
them to remember the great truth that
the only way people can permanent
ly avoid being governed from without
is to show that they both can and Will
govern themselves from within"
The Army.
AS regards the army the president
calls attention to the fact that while
our junior officers and enlisted men
stand very high, the present system OF
promotion by seniority results in bring
ing into the higher grades many men
of mediocre capacity who have but a
short time to serve. No man should
regard it as his vested right to rise
to the highest rank in the army any
more than in any other profession. 1t
is a curious and by no means credit
able fact that there should be so often
failure on the part of the public and
it's representatives to understand the
great need, from the standpoint of the
service and the nation. of refusing to
promote respectable, elderly incompe-
tents. The higher places should be
given to the most deserving men with
out regard to seniority.
National Guard.
Now that the organized militia, the
national guard, has been incorporated
with the army as part of the national
forces, it behooves the government to
do every reasonable thing in it's power
to perfect it's efficiency 1t should be
assisted in it's instruction and other
wise aided more literally than hereto
fore The continuous services of many
well-trained regular off GERS will be
essential in this connection. Such Of
ficers must be specially trained at serv-
ice schools best to qualify them as in
Istructors of the national guard. But the
detailing of off GERS for training at the
service schools and for duty with the
national guard entails detaching them
from their regiments which are al
ready greatly depleted by detachment
of officers for assignment to duties pre-
scribed by acts of congress. bill is
pending before congress creating
number of extra officers in the army,
which, if passed, will enable more Off
GERS to be trained as instructors OF
guard and assigned to that duty. LII
case of war it will be of the utmost I'M
portance to have large number OF
trained officers to use for turning raw
levies into good troops. There should
be legislation to provide complete
plan for organizing the great BODY OF
volunteers behind the regular army
and national guard when war has
come. Congressional assistance should
| be given those who are endeavoring to
promote rife practice so that our men,.
| in the services or out of them, may
know how to use the rifle. We shouadt
encourage rifle practice among schcoi
boys, and indeed among all classes, as
we'll as in the military services. Thus,
and not otherwise, may we be able TO