Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-12-22
FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT
of Panama Canal Bonds Shows Credit of United Saes be
Better Than That of Any Other Government

I am thoroughly in accord and am con
WINGED that the establishment of such
Il corps viii result in a material econ
0ny and very great increase of eff.
cheney in the army. 1t has repeatedly
been recommended by me and my
predecessors. 1 also believe that con
SoIidation of the staff corps can be
msda with resulting increase in effi-
cheney and economy. but not along the
lines provided in the bill under con-
Eideration.
1 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. ,, 1901.
and 1 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 staff
corps greater permanency OF office
than he now has.
In making the consultations no re-
duetion 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
crease 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
| 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 l
! believe to be mistake is the proposed
increase in the term of enlistment from
three to five years. I 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-enlistments 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 $4,000 to 10000 men, which took
PA-~%C aAOI5 Tic DOL0cA VI mGAlGO QuI-
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
p
1 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 APP
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 viii 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 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.
1 fully concur with the secretary of |
war that the problem is simply the |
mana cement of a great public work |
and not the government of a local re- |
public; that every provision must be
directed toward the successful main |
tenance Of the canal as an avenue OF |
commerce and that all provisions for
the government of those who live
within the zone should be subordinate
to the main purpose.
The zone is forty miles long and ten
miles wide. Now it has a population
of 10000 or 6o.Ooo, but as soon as the
work of construction is completed the
towns which make up this population
will be deserted and only comparative
" few natives will continue their resi-
dence there. The control of them
ought to approximate military gov
eminent. One judge and two justices
Of the peace Will be sufficient to attend
10 all the judicial and htigated bust
ness there is.
Furnishing Supplies and Repairs.
In my last annual message / discuss
ed at length the reasons for the gov
srnments assuming the task of fur
nishing to all ships that use the canal,
whether our own naval vessels or 9th
ers, the supplies of ceal and oil and
0ther 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
arge depots and dry docks and ware
houses, and these may easily be en-
arged so as TO secure to the world
public using the canal reasonable