Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-12-23

made with resulting increase in en-.
cheney and economy, but not along the
lines provided In the bill under con-
sideration,
I 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 stan corps e.
tablished by the act Of Feb. 2, 1901,
and ], am opposed to any plan the re-
suit OF which would be to give to the
officer selected as chief Of staff or to
any other member of the general stan
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
whom there are now too few to per-
form the duties imposed by law. |
have In the past recommended an in
Ecredse IN the number Of officers by 600
In order to provide sufficient officers
TO perform all classes of staff duty and
to reduce the number Of line officers
i
gress at the last session increased the
total number of officers by 200. but this
8 not enough. Promotion in the line
Of the army IL too slow. Ofacers do
1 not attain command rank at an age
early enough properly to exercise 1t.
Another feature of the bill which l
believe to be 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. ,9 '7'>''
| Tho army of the United States is in
good condition. It showed itself able
to meet an emergency in the success
full mobilization of an army division OF
from $4,000 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
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. ~. j.
beg to renew my recommendation
of last year that the congress appro-
pirate for memorial amphitheater at
Arlington, Va, the funds required to
| construct It upon the plans already ap-
proved. Il.
| The Panama Canal. I'D.
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 1t I'M
peratively necessary that legislation
should be enacted to fit the method by
which the canal shall be maintained
and controlled and the zone governed.
The fact is that today there is no
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. 80 --,.F
fully concur with the secretary OF
war that the problem is simply the
management of great public wore
and not the government Of local re-
public: that every provision must DC
directed toward the successful! main
tenance of the canal as an avenue OF
commerce and that all provisions fol
the government Of those who live
within the zqne should be subordinate
to the main purpose. <-sa ~
The zone is forty miles long and ter
miles wide. Now 1t has a population
of 10000 or 10000, but as soon as the
work of construction is completed the
towns which make up this population
will be deserted and only comparative
n " few natives will continue their resi-
dence there. The control OF them
ought to approximate military gov
ernment. One judge and two justices
Of the peace will be sufficient to attend
to all the judicial and litigated bust
ness there is. f1 :
! Furnishing Supplies and Repairs.
In my last annual message discuss
ed at length the reasons for the gov
ernment's assuming the task of fur
nishing to all ships that use the canal
whether our own naval vessels or 9th
| ers. the supplies Of coal and oil an6
other necessities with which they must
be replenished either before or after
passing through the canal. together
with the dock facilities and repairs OF
every character. This it Is thought
wise to do through the government. be-
cause the government must establish
| for itself for its own naval vessels
large depots and dry docks and ware
houses, and these may easily be Ell
l 30 <A