The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-12-08

be extended so that they could con
slider general unfitness, to command
for any cause, in order to secure a
far more rigid enforcement than at
present in the elimination of officers
for mental, physical or temperament
al disabilities. But this plan is rec
commended only if the Congress does
not see fit to provide what in my
Judgment is far better; that is for
selection in promotion, and for elm
ination for age. Officers who fail to
attain a certain rank by a certain age
should be retired-for instance, if a
man should not attain field rank by
the time he is 45 he should of course
be placed on the retired list. General
officers should be selected as at pres.
ent, and one-third of the other pro.
motions should be made by selection,
The selection to be made by the Pres
ident or the Secretary of War from
list of at least two candidates pro-
posed for each vacancy by a board of
officers from the arm of the service
| from which the promotion is to be
made. A bill is now before the Con
gress having for it's object to secure
the promotion of officers to various
grades at reasonable ages through a
process of selection, by boards of Of
1cers, of the least efficient for retire
ment with a percentage of their pay
depending upon length OF service. The
bill, although not accomplishing all
that should be done, is a long step in
the right direction; and I earnestly
recommend it's passage. or that Of a
more completely effective measure.
The cavalry arm should be reorgan-
lied upon modern lines. This is ar
| arm in which it is peculiarly neces-
sary that the field officers should not
be old. The cavalry is much more
difficult to form than infantry, and it
should be kept up to the maximum
both in efficiency and in strength. for
it can not 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 es-
tablished As things are now the av-
erage soldier has far too much labor
| of a nonmilltary character to perform.
Now that the organized militia the
National Guard. has been incorporat-
ed with the army as a part of the ma
| tional forces, it behooves the Gov
ernment TO do every reasonable thing
in its power to perfect its efficiency.
II should be assisted in its instruc-
ton and otherwise aided more liber.
ally than heretofore. The continu-
ous services of many well-trained reg
ular officers will be essential in this
connection. Such officers must be
specially trained at service schools
best to qualify them as instructors of
| the National Guard. But the detail
ing of officers for training at the ser
vice schools and for duty with the
National Guard entails detaching
them from their regiments which are
already grca'7 depleted by detach-
ment of Office for assignment to
duties prescribed by acts of the Con-
gress.
A bill is now pending before the
! Congress creating a number of extra
officers to be trained as instructors
of National Guard and assigned to
! that duty. In case of war it will be
| of the utmost Importance to have a
| large number of trained officers to
use for turning raw levies into good
troops.
There should be legislation to pro-
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 who
are endeavoring to promote rife
practice so that our men, in the ser
vices or out of them, may know how
to use the rife While teams repre-
senting the United States won the
rife and revolver championships or
the world against all corners IL Eng
land this year, it is unfortunately
true that the great body of our cirt-
zens shoot less and less as time goes
on Tt moDt ,"1s We should en"9nr-
ago rife 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 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. Unprepared, and therefore I'M
fit, We must sit dumb and helpless to
defend ourselves, protect others, or
preserve peace. The first step-in the
direction of preparation to avert war
if possible, and to be fit for war if it
should come-is to teach our men to
shoot
l approve the recommendations Of
the General Board for the increase OF
the Navy, calling especial attention to
the need of additional destroyers and
golfers, and above all, of the four
battleships. 1t is desirable to COM
plete as soon as possible a squadron