Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-12-09

tAAhS MIAMI - ASA&es SSSRGAA<
the right direction; and I earnestly
recommend Its passage or that Of
more comple etely ffective measure.
The cavalry arm should be reorgan-
lied upon modern lines. This is an
arm In which 1t is peculiarly neces
isary that the field officers should not
be old The cavalry is much more.
difficult to form than infantry, and 1t
should be kept up to the maximum
both In efficiency and in strength, for
1t cannot be made in a hurry. At
present both infantry and artillery are
too few in number for our needs.
Especial attention should be paid to
development of the machine gun. A
general service corps should be estab-
lished. As things are now the. aver
age soldier has far too much labor Of
a nonmilitary character to perform.
56. ..s National Guard.
93 Now that the organized militia, the
national guard, has been incorporated
with the army as a part Of the nation
al forces it behooves the government
" Wv SNSA ASuSOAuUkO LAlAS III lis
power \ to perfect It's efficiency. It
should be assisted in its instruction
and otherwise aided more literally
than heretofore. The continuous serv-
Ices Of many well trained regular Of
ficers will be essential in this connec-
tion. Such. officers must be specially
trained at service schools best to quail
Gfu fh0fro a a iY,c,} oS.> offt
guard. But the detailing Of officers
for training at the service schools
and for duty with the national guard
entails detaching them from their reg
1ments which are already greatly de-
pleted by detachment of officers for
assignment to duties prescribed by
acts OF. the congress. r
"A 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 Of
ficers to be trained as instructors Of
national guard and assigned to that
duty. In cnse Of war it will be Of the
utmost y! most imnortance to have large
number Of trained officers to use 1or
turning rav- levies into good troops.
There should be legislation to pro-
vide complete plan for organic
Ing the great body Of volunteers be-
hind the regular army and national
guard when war has come. Congress
sional assistance should be given those
who are endeavoring to promote rifle
practice, so that our men, in the serv-
Ices or out of them, may know how to
use the rifle. While teams represen.
ing the United States won the rife
and revolver championships of the
world against all comers 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 this we should encourage
rifle practice among schoolboys and
indeed among all classes, as well as
In the military services, by every
means in our power. Thus, and
not otherwise, may we be able to as
sist 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. Unprepared and there
fore unfit. we must sit dumb and help
less to defend ourselves, protect 9th.
ers or preserve peace. The first step
tn the direction ~ Of preparation to
avert war If possible and to be fit for
war If 1t should come-is to teach our
men to shoot.
The Navy.
approve the recommendations of
the general board for the increase of
the navy, calling especial attention to
the need Of additional destroyers and
colliers and. above ALL Of the four bat.
tleships 1T is desirable to complete
as soon as possible a squadron of eight
battleships of the best existing type.
The, North Dakota, Delaware, Florida
and Utah will form the first division
Of this squadron. The four vessels
proposed will form the second divi-
sion. 1t viii be an Improvement on
the first, the ships being Of the heavy,
single caliber. all big gun type. Ali
the vessels should have the same tao
tical qualities that Is, speed and turn
Ing circle - and as near as possible
these tactical qualities should be the
same as Is in the four vessels before
named now being built. H.. f..
most earnestly recommend that the
general board be by law turned into
a general staff There is literally no
excuse whatever for continuing the
present bureau organization Of the
navy. The navy should be treated as
a purely military organization, and
everything should be subordinated to
the one object Of securing military
aficieney. Such military efficiency can
only be guaranteed In time Of war If
there IS the most thorough previous
preparation in time Of peace-a prepa-
ration, may add. which will In all
probability prevent any need Of war.
The secretary must be supreme, and
he should have as his official ad-
visers a body Of line officers who
should themselves have the power to
pass upon and coordinate all the
work and all the proposals OF the sew
eral bureaus. A system Of promotion
BY merit, either by selection or by
exclusion or by both processes. shonId