Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-12-21

lines PROVIDED In the Dill under con-
sideration-
am opposed to any plan the result
Of which would be to break up or in
terfere with the essential principles of
the detail system in the staff corps es-
tablished by the act Of Feb. 2, 1901,
suit Of which would be to give to the
officer selected as chief of staff or to
any other member OF the general staff
corps greater permanency Of Office
than he now has.
In making the consultations no re-
duction should be made in the total
number of officers Of the army, of
form the duties imposed by law.
have in the past recommended an in
crease in the number Of officers by 600
in order to provide sufficient officers
to perform ali classes Of staff duty and
to reduce the number of line officers
detached from their commands. Con-
gress at the last session increased the
total number Of officers by 200, but this
is not enough. Promotion in the line
Of the army is too slow. officers do
not attain command rank at an age
early enough properly to exercise it.
Another feature of the bill which /
believe to be a mistake is the proposed
increase in the term Of enlistment from
three to five years believe It would
be better to enlist men for six years.
release them at the end of three years
from active service and put them In re-
serve for the remaining three years.
Re-enhstments should be largely con-
fined to the noncommissioned officers
and other enlisted men in the skilled
grades.
The army Of the United States is in
good condition 1t showed itself able
to meet an emergency In the success
full mobilization Of an army division of
from 1900 to 10000 men, which took
! place along the border OF Mexico dur
! ing the recent disturbances in that
| country. The marvellous freedom from
the ordinary camp diseases of typhoid
7 fever and measles is referred to in
the report Of the secretary of war and
/ shows such an effectiveness in the
sanitary regulations and treatment of
the medical corps and in the discipline
! Of the army itself as to invoke the
! highest commentator.
beg to renew my Recommendation
| Of last year that the congress apprO-
! pirate for a memorial amphitheater at
Arlington. Va, the funds required to
construct it upon the plans already ap-
proved.
The Panama Canal.
The very satisfactory progress made
on the Panama canal last year has
continued. and there is every reason
to believe that the canal will be COM
pleted as early as the LIST of July 1913,
unless something Unforeseen occurs
This is about eighteen months before
the time promised by the engineers.
We are now near enough the com
pletion Of the canal to make it i'm
peratively necessary that legislation
should be enacted to fix the method by
which the canal shall be maintained
and controlled and the zone governed
The fact is that today there is nc
statutory law by authority of which
the president is maintaining the gov
eminent of the zone Such authority
was given in an amendment by the
Spooner act, which expired by the
terms of its own limitation some years
ago.
l fully concur with the secretary Of
war that the problem is simply the
mana cement of a great public worl
and not the government Of local re
public; that every provision must b.
directed toward the successful main
tenance of the canal as an avenue o.
commerce and that all provisions fol
the government Of those who live
within the zone should be subordinate
to the main purpose.
The zone is forty miles long and tel
miles wide. Now it has a population
of 10000 or 10000. but as soon as tn
work of construction is completed tn
towns which make up this population
will be deserted and only comparative
ly few natives will continue their resi-
dence there. The control of then
ought to approximate a military gov
eminent. One judge and two justice
of the peace will be sufficient to atten,
to all the judicial and litigated busi
ness there is.
Furnishing Supplies and Repairs.
In my last annual message ! discuss
ed at length the reasons for the gov
ernment's assuming the task of ful
nishing to all ships that use the cana
} whether our own naval vessels or otl
ers. the supplies of coal and oil an
! other necessities with which they mus
be replenished either before or afte
passing through the canal, togethe
with the dock facilities and repairs Q
every character. This 1T is though
wise to do through the government, bt
cause the government must establis
for itself for its own naval vessel
large depots and dry docks and war,
houses, and these may easily be er
larged SO as to secure to the worl
public using the canal. REASONABLE
| prices and certainty that there wi
, be no discrimination between thos
who wish to avail themselves of sue
: facilities.
Tolls.
/ renew my Recommendation wit
: respect to the tolls Of the canal tina
: within limits which shall seem wis