Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-12-09

] vi bAitttAFF u Aftf tfrtFA h'N
: retirement with a percentage OF the.
t pay depending upon length ot service
/ The bill. although not accom- pllShln
t all that should be done. b d long ste
in the right direction and / eafnestl
8 recommend its passage. or that OF
more complete effective measure.
The cavalry arm should be reor
ganiZed along modem lines. rms
an arm in which It is peculiarly neces
sary hat the field officers should no
be Did. The cavalry is much more DIFF
ficult to form than infantry, and
should be kept up to the maximum
both In efficiency ana i'm strength, TO
ii cannot be made in q hurry. At pres
Cnt both infantry and artillery are to
few in number for our needs. Espe
cial attention should be paid to de
yelopment of the machine gun.
general service corps should be cs
tablished. As things are now the aN
erage soldier has far too much la
Dor of a nonmilitary character to per
form.
National Guard.
Now that the organized militia. TIL
national guard has been Incorporated
with the army as a part of the ma.
tionaI forces, it behooyes the govern
mcut to do every reasonable thing II
its power to perfect its efficiency, II
should be assisted in its instruction
ana otherwise aided more literally
than heretofore. The continuous serv-
ices of many wen trained regular of
/ ncers viii be essential in this connec-
ton. such officers must be specially
trained at service schools best to
qualify them as instructors of the ma
tional guard. But the detailing Off
GERS for training at the service schools
and for duty with the 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 the
\ bill is now pending before the
congress creating a number of extra
officers in the army, which il passed,
as ii ought to be, will enable moro
officers to be trained as instructors
of national guard and assigned to
that duty. In case Of war it will be
Of tho almost importance to have a
large number of trained officers to
used 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 rifle prac-
tee 50 tlat our men III the service
or out Of them, may know how to
use the rifle. While teams represent
ing the Chlted States won the Fllie
anu revolver championships OF the
world against al eoileIa III EhsldHd,
TINS year II IS unfortunately true that
the great BODY oil cur eitlzehS Shoot
less ana less as tnle goes on, IL
meet TINS we shoula tHeouldsT M
pfactlee among SchooIDoSs' anu IN
ieed' among an classes as Wen as III
me military services by every means
IN our power Inus' ana not otHet-
wise we may pc ahie 70 a'sslsl III pre-.
the peace o. the world flt
70 hold our " against 'he Sl'1n
nations o. the t"Itl ouF NoiOc ioi
WI carry 10 n ehuS OF tno
arth O~hprepaIcu ana therefore uH-
1t, We must sl duhhp ana hrlpleSS 20
leIehd ourselves nroteSt otherS' a.
preserve peace ih' lllsl ateplu
direction OF PREPARATION 70 akeft
war possible ana 70 DC ~ lor war
u II FhouIu toile-Is 70 t'acl out men
4" shoot
me NAVY
/ approve the recommendations OF
n, general board for the increase of
ba na,,. .,IItro ,.noci,t attention ia
. "''e' '"'""H ''p'ei"'
ne nrcd OF adultional utstioNeIS anu
OILERS, ana above an OF the fouI
llete as soon as possible a squadron
# eight battlrshlps OF the best ~
tlng typrS. Inc North Dako,' Dela-
ware. Florida and Utah will form ~
lrSt DIVISION OF uls squadron.