The Calumet news., 1911-12-11
WAR WOULD FIND
U.S. UNPREPARtD
Continued from Page one.

the idea of uplifting or governing a
dependant people. The question of
tolls, he believes, should be left 10 the
determination Of the president
American shipping should be
granted practically free use Of the
canal. The Interstate Commerce Com
mission should extend It's Jurisdiction
over the new rans-continentaI route
through the waterway and to regulate
rates, thus preventing the great rail
way interests from exercising control
While the government should build and
J operate drydocks repair shops and
coaling stations along the canal, Sec
retary Stimson urges that opportunity
| be offered for the sale of coal and
other supplies by private persons.
Secretary Stimson takes a stand
with his predecessors, Root, Taft
Wright and Dickinson, in favor of a
system of selection in making army
promotions instead Of complete rel-
ance upon the rule OF seniority He
notes a distinct Improvement i'm the
personnel but declares that there isl
much dead wood i'm the army and many
downward tendencies.
Army Posts Expensive.
The army posts as at present located
are declared to be wholly unfit to
lead to great extravaganza They
were originally I'm many cases located
with reference to possible Indian trou-
bles and few OF them are in positions
suited to meet the strategic needs Of
national action or defense The aver
age number of companies to each oil
the 40 posts is only nine.
"In short" says the secretary, 1--WE
have scattered our army over the
country as if it were merely groups OF
local constabulary instead of a nation-
al organization. The result. is an
army which is extraordinarily eX-
pensive to maintain, and one whose
efficiency for the main purpose of itsl
existence has been nullihed so far as
geographical location can nullify it. Itl
is true that the small units into which
il has thus been sub-divided have as
a whole maintained efficiency To re-
markable extent. But for the remote |
contingency by which a national army |
must be always judged, namely, the
contingency of war with a first
class power, the army is practically !
unprepared."
Calling attention to the fact that up
wards of $94 ,O00. 900 has been spent on
existing army posts and that the profit
which each post furnishes to neighbor
inc communities causes strong local |
pressure against any change Jn loca-
tion, the secretary declares that never
the less steps have been taken, and
others are i'm the course of prosecu-
tion to correct as far as possible these
faults of organization.
Remove Cavalry Southwark.
1t is also in contemplation to remove
the cavalry situated i'm the far north
ern posts to The southward, substitute
ing infantry FOR them. The Texas
have shown the admirable
adaptation of the southwestern states
for cavalry training and drill at all
seasons, whereas i'm the far north, for
many months in the year il is impos-
sible to drill out Of doors.
The secretary commits himself un-
qualifedly to the theory that IT Is a
function of the modern army to be the
school of the citizen soldier, as oppos-
ed To those who contend for n perma-
nent organization of professional sol
diers. He declares that the body of
highly polished soldiers with which
r-radoricl, the Great conducted his