Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-02-03

"Dreadnought" manned by ill-trained
seamen is useless, for discipline,
which exists for the nation, is re-
quired to prevent the ship becoming a
shambles and a disgrace on the day
of battle The best admiral is not only
the best tactician, but the best dis
ciplinarian. "Dreadnoughts," "Indom-
tables" and numbers do not alone
constitute efficiency. 1t is the man
not weapons or numbers, that is the
winning factor. How do the British
stand as regards discipline? The dis
cipline and the spirit of the British
navy are as good as, even better than,
they were in Nelson's day. Plenty of
training and practice, smart handling,
good gunnery practice. good manic
war training, willingness all round,
and captains knowing their admirals
plans-these are the things that mean
efficiency. An efficient small fleet will
always beat half-trained large fleet.
History shows that maritime battles
are decided not by quantity, but by
quality How does the British fleet
compare with other nations in respect
to those mental and moral factors
which are of even more Importance
for fighting purposes than the material
factor? The British navy is inspired
by stately traditions possessed by the
fleets of no other nation, yet tradition
has not fossilized the British navy. Re
forms have taken place from within.
In less than seven years the accuracy
of British gunnery has been trebled.
At the last maneuvers in the North
sea not one of the 1872 pennants were
detached from the flag owing to a
breakdown. British fleets require no
pilots Their navigating officers, un-
like those of other nations, rely on
their own knowledge Of every coast
and harbor in the world
Notwithstanding its small size, the
British army contains more officers
with actual experience of war than
any nation in Europe except Russia.
The regular army at home consists of
1870 competent troops, and 12S,984
army reserve, with ,155 regulars ron
the Indian establishment The Indian
army since Lord Kitchener's reforms
were carried into effect, is considered
by the highest authorities, foreign and
English, to be the most efficient fight
ing force Of its size in the world
NOminally, the electives of 1908
number 739, 045, including the reserve
and the territorial forces; but the reg
ulars alone receive continuous train
ing in neace-time.
The new British territorial army re-
quired, if wanted at all, to meet picked
German troops receives no continu-
Gus training, except a few days in the
summer. It's war training begins only
after mobilization for war. The effect
of the new system will be to tie the
British regular army to the island
shores until the territorial are suf-
ficiently trained to repel raid or in
vasion by picked foreign troops.
The situation to-day is this: Human
ly speaking, invasion in force is i'm
possible; but if England presses Ger
many, Germany attacks France.
France and England are virtual allies,
and without infamy England cannot
hold aloof when France is attacked by
Germany.
If the British feet destroys the Ger
man fleet, the German army would be
on French soil in a few hours The
French, single-handed, cannot be ex-
pected to pull the German chestnuts
out of the FIRE for England, but the
British army today is not in a posi-
ton to discharge its irrevocable obli-
cations either to France in Europe, or
to itself in Egypt, or in the Persian
gulf. The conclusion of the whole mat
ter is a choice between the organiza-
ton for the army for war and great
ly increased navy, or a generation Of
inevitable struggle between the mas
ter Of Europe and the British people.