The Forrest City times., 1908-12-11

to continue under the protection or strong and disinterestcd power able to
 guarantee to the islands order at home and protection from foreign invasion.
 Good Work Done in Cuba.
 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 occu-
 patton on this occasion has lasted a It. tie over two years. and Cuba has thriv-
 en and prospered under 1t. Our earnest
 hope and one desire Is that the people of the island shall now govern them selves with justice. so that peace and or der may be secure.
 The president urges that national
 parks adjacent to national forests be placed under the control of the forest service of the agricultural depart
 ment; he also points out the benefits
 derived from pure food legislation. The National Guard.
 Urging continued efforts to in- crease the efficiency of the National Guard the president continues: Now that the organized militia, the National Guard has been incorporated with the army as a part or the national
 
 do every reasonable thing in it's power to perfect it's efficiency. It should be assisted in it's instruction and other wise aided more liberally than hereto fore. The continuous services of many
 well-trained regular officers will be essential in this connection. bill is now pending before the
 congress creating a number of extra officers in the army, which If passed
 as 1t ought to be, will enable more 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.
 The Army.
 AS regards the army I call attention
 to the fact that while our junior off cers and enlisted men stand very high the present system of promotion by seniority results in bringing into the higher grades many men of mediocre
 capacity who have but a short time to serve. No man should regard 1t as his vested right to rise to the highest rank in the army any more than in any other profession. It is curious and by no means ereditable fact that there should be so often a failure on the part of the public and it's representa- tives to understand the great need
 
 | the nation, of refusing to promote re- | spectable elderly incompetents. The 1 higher places should be given to the l most deserving men without regard to | seniority; at least seniority should be I treated as only one consideration. In | the stress of modern industrial com l petition no business firm could succeed l if those responsible for it's mana cement | were chosen simply on the ground that | they were the oldest people in its em- IT.1n at Et Ra l cated as regards the army, and re- | quired by law for all grades except those of general officer As matter | of fact all of the best officers in the | highest ranks of the army are those who have attained their present posi- | tion wholly or in part by a process of | selection.
 The scope of retiring boards should | 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 temperamental disabilities But this plan is recommended 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 elimination for age. Officers who | fail to attain certain rank by a cer- | tain age should be retired-for in- 1 stance, if man should not attain | field rank by the time he is 45 he l should of course be placed on the re- | tired list. General officers should be | selected as at present. and one third | of the other promotions should be | made by selection, the selection to be made by the president or secretary of
 war from list of at least two candi- 1 dates proposed for each vacancy by A | board of officers from the arm of the service from which the promotion is Ya ha d 1efl f- | congress having for it's object to se- 1 cure the promotion of officers to vari- | ous grades at reasonable ages through 1 process of selection. by boards of of | ficers. of the least efficient for retire. | ment with percentage of their pay | depending upon length of service. The | bill, although not accomplishing all | that should be done. is a long step in 1 the right direction; and l earnestly | recommend it's passage or that of \
 more completely effective measure
 Japanese Exposition.
 The Japanese government has post 1 poned until 1917 the date of the great | international exposition. the action be- | ing taken so as to insure ample tims | in which to prepare to make the expo- | sttion all that it should be made Tho | American commissioners have visited l Japan and the postponement will mere 1 ly give ampler opportunity for Ameri- | ca to be represented al the exposition 1 Not since the first international expo 1 sition has there been one of greater | importance than this will be- marking. 1 as it does. the hftieth anniversary of l the ascension to the throne of the em- l peror of Japan. The extraordinary l leap to the foremost place among the | nations of the world made by Japan l during this half century is something | unparalleled in all previous history. For More War versels.
 The navy is the last subject dealt
 with. In that connection the presi- 1 dent says:
 I approve the recommendations of 1 the general board for the in-
 crease of the navy. calling especial l attention to the nfed of addl- | tional destroyers and coiliers. and above l all of the four battleships It Is desi-- 1 able to complete as soon as possible
 squadron of eight batt'eships of the best 1 existing type.
 l I most earnestly recommend that the | general board be by law turned into a | general staff. There is literally no ex- i cuse whatever for continuing the pres