Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-12-09


sparing condemnation Of those WHO
would from misplaced sentimentaliS
or lazy self-!nterest' cast the tillplnor
upon the world in the state OF help
lessness and before they had acquif
ed the fall benefits of American clNl
li2ation, is q strong feature III the an
nual report of Secretary Of War Hen
~ l.. Stimson. Many other subjects
of interest are treated in the report
such as the relations Of the Natlona
Guard to the army, the improvement
III The army tactical methods, the III
adequacy of the present reserve law
the crying need Of citizenship for the
Porto Ricans, the conservation of the
national water power in naNlgablc
streams and the adyisabiiity Of amend
ing The Panama Canal tolls act so
as to reimpose tolls on merican coast
wise shipping leaving the water way
Dealing first with purely military
subjects, the secretary states the
strength of the regular army at the
beginning of the present fiscal year
at sos, an increase during the year
He says the spirit Of the personnel OF
the army continues to improve, attrib-
uable not only to the work OF the ser
vice schools and the general staff, but
to the practical opportunities afforded
by the recent maneuvers and changes
IT. organization and methods. Unit
officers are speedily discovered under
4, ~tf f;x1l
One Of the surest ways of getting rid
Of the dead wood OF the army is to
work it as far as possible, under the
applicatory methods of modern mill
tary training, the secretary de-
clares. In treating of the morals OF
the army, Secretary Stimson asserts
his belief that the so-called antican-
teen legislation has been responsible
for much vice, a statement which he
supports by a recital Of the results
Of his own inspection Of forty-nine
OF the Mobile army posts, where he
found the military reservation adjoin-
ed by dives and ill-resorts of the vii
est character. These conditions he
believes to be the ultimate causes.
which make the record OF our army
il. this respect shameful beyond that
OF the army of any other civilized ma
ton
Under the head OF reorganization OF
the foreign garrlsops the report di-
rects attention TO the benefits attend
ing the substitution for twelve re-
duced strength regiments i'll the Phlll-
ppines, by a garrison OF full strength
with a resulting saving OF over one
million dollars per year. The lmme-
diate completion OF the posts at Pan
anna and Hawaii, he strongly urged as
by far the most important items OF
military expenditure for the immediate
future 1t is said that the locks and
machinery at Panama already have
reached condition of extreme vul-
nerability in case of sudden attack.
yet no greater force can be sent there
than the one regiment now on guard
until new quarters are constructed
for them, and the secretary urges
that such work should begin at once.
On the other hand, says the secre-
tary, the base at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii, is OF far greater stragetic inn
portance for the protection of the en-
tire Pacific coast from attack than
any CT the positions on that coast now
Sc strongly fortified. No naval enemy
could make serious effective attack
upon any portion of the American Pa.
cific coast, unless it had first reduced
the position at Oahu, threatening its
flank. Quarters for the men who are
to protect the great stalls, naval ma
terial and seacoast guns from falling
into the hands Of land attackers should
be pushed to completion as rapidly as
possible.
The tactical reorganization of the
army on the basis of three infantry di
Visions the report shows, has pro-
gressed as far as possible without
congressional assistance in the way
OF providing for large ample posts
and series of conferences of the gen
eral officers of the army has been
planned for this winter a result,
the time now necessary at the out
break OF war to organize the regular
army, will be dispensed with.
Touching the army reserve to-
ward which congress has made al
start in the present appropriation bill,
the secretary said that the most SER
ious defect in the plan is that ii
creates too long period of service
with the colors. The experience of
the United States and that of Euro
pean nations, has shown that the sol
dier can be adequately trained for his
duties in considerably less than three
years. / shortening of the period of
training With the colors, says the sec
retary. would greatly improve the
character of the young men who will
ccme into the army and in no way
diminish the effectiveness of their
training.
A strong plea is made for the pas.