Weekly journal-miner., 1908-12-16

least efficient for retirement with . percentage of their pay depending up on length of service. The bill. al thongh not accomplishing all that snonld be done. IS long step in inc right direction; and I earnestly re | commend its passage. or that of n more completely effective measure. The cavalry arm should hc rcorgan. ized upon modern lines. This is an arm in which it is peculiarly neces { shry that the field officers should moi ! he old. The cavalry is much moro difficult t0 form than infantry. and i, should bc kept up to the maximum both in efficiency and in strength. for it can moi be made in a hurry. Al present both infantry and artillery are too few in number for our needs Espccinl attention should be paid to development of the machine gun. X general servicc corps should he csiab lished. As things are now the over. age soldier has far too much labor of nonmilitary character to perform. National Guard.
 Now that the organized militia. the National Guard, has been incorporot. cd with the army as a part of the na. tional forces, it bebooves the Govern. inent Co do every reasonable thing in its power to perfect its efficiency. IL should be assisted in its instruction and otherwise aided more literally than heretofore. The continuous ser vices of many well.trained regular Will bc essential in this connection. such officers must he especially train. ed at service schools best to qualify them as instructors of the National Guard. But the detailing of officers Tor training at the service schools and Tor duty with National Guard entails dctaching them from their regiments which are already greatly depleted by detachment of officers for assignment to duties prescribed by acts of ioc Congress.
 bill Is now pending before the Congress creating number of extra officers in the army. which if passed. as it ought to be. will enable more officers to be trained as instructors of National Guard and assigned to that duty. In ease of war it will be of the utmost importance to have e large number of trained officers to usc for turning raw lcvies into good troops.
  vide a 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 wno are endeaVoring to promote rifle prnc- tice 70 thnt our men. in the services or out of them, may know how io use the rifle. While teams representing the United States won the rifle and re. volvct championships of the world against all corners in England this year, it Is unfortunately true that the great body of our citizens shoot less and less as time goes on. To meet tnis we should encourage rifle practice among schoolboys. and indeed among all classes, as well as in the military service, by every means in our power Thus, and not otherwise. may we be able to assist in preserving the peace of the world Fit to hold our own against the strong nations of the earth, our voice for peace will carry to the ends of the earth. Unprepar. ed, and therefore unfit. we must sit dumb and helpless to defend ourselves, protect others, ar preserve peace. The first step--in the direction of prepar atiou to avert war if possible, and to he fit for war if it should come -- is to teach our men to shoot.
 The Navy.
 l approve the recommendations of the General Board for the increase of the Navy, calling especial attention to the need of additional dcstroyers and colliers. and above all. of the four batileships. IL is desirable 10 com. plete as soon as possible squadron of eight battleships of the best exist. ing type. The North Dakota, Defa. ware, Florida, and Utah will form the first division of this squadron. The second division. It will he an i'm. of the heavy. single calibre, all big gun type, All the vessels should have the same tactical qualities, that is, speed and turning circle. and as near as possible these tactical qualities should be the same as is in tne four vessels before named now being built.
 most earnestly recommend that the General Board be by law turned into n General Stan. There Is literal. ly no excuse whatever for continuing the present bureau organization of the Navy. The Navy should be treat. cd as n purely military organization, and everything should be subordinat. ed to the one object of securing mili' tary efficiency. Such military effici' ency can only he guaranteed in time of war if there is the most thorough previous preparation in time of peace "a preparation, I may add, which will in all probability prevent any need of war. The Secretary must be supreme, and he should have as his advisers a body of line officers who should themselves have the power to pass upon and coordinate all the work and an the proposals of the several bureaus A system of promotion by merit, either by selection or by exclu- sion. or by both processes, should be introduced. It is out of the question, if the present principle of promotion by mere seniority is kept, to expect to get the best results from the higher officers. Our men come too old, and sfav for too short A time in the high