Smyrna times., 1912-12-11
u. S. ARTILLERY
SUPPLY is SHORT
StlmSOn Says 1t is Insufficient
For a Big Battle.
REGRETS LOSS OF CANTEEN

War Secretary Declares Much Vice In
the Army Is Caused by Anti-canteen
Law, Which Breeds Dives Near the
Fosts.
Washington, Dec. 9-Unsparing con-
lemnation of those who would from |
misplaced sentimentality or lazy self
Interest" cast the Filipinos upon the
world in state of helplessness and
before they had acquired the full ben
efits of American civilization, is
strong feature in the annual report of
Secretary of War Henry l.. Stimson.
Many other subjects of interest are
treated in the report, such as the re-
lations of the National Guard to the
army, the improvement in the army
tactical methods, the inadequacy of
the present reserve. law, the crying
need of citizenship for the Porto Ri
cans, the conservation of the national
water powers in navigable streams and
the advisability of amending the Pan
anna canal tolls act so as to reimburse
tolls on American coastwise shipping
leaving the waterway.
Secretary Stimson calls attention tc
the great shortage in the supply of
field artillery, which cannot be pur-
chased in time of war and requires
years to manufacture. Taking a lesson
from the present great struggle in the
east, Secretary Stimson says:
'The amount which we have permit
ted to accumulate would be insufficient
for a single engagement of the char
acter of the engagements in either the
Russo-Japanese or the present Balkan
war"
Dealing first with purely military
subjects, the secretary states that the
strength of the regular army at the
beginning of the present fiscal year
was 82,305, an increase during the year
of 189 officers and 1854 enlisted men.
He says the spirit of the personnel of
the army continues to improve, at
tributable not only to the work of the
service schools and the general staff,
but to the practical opportunities af-
forded by the recent maneuvers and
changes in organization and methods.
In treating of the morals of the
army, Secretary Stimson asserts his
belief that the so-called anti-canteen
legislation has been responsible for
much vice, a statement which he sup
ports by a recital of the results of his
own inspection of forty-nine of the
mobile army posts, where he found
the military reservations adjoiped by
dives and i'll resorts of the vilest char
acter These conditions he believes tc
be the ultimate causes which make
the record of our army in this respect
shameful beyond that of the army OF
any civilized nation"
The immediate completion of the
posts at Panama and Hawaii he
strongly urges as by far the most
important items of military expendi
ture for the immediate future.
1t is said that the locks and machin
cry of the Panama canal already have
reached a condition of extreme vul
nerability in case of sudden attack
yet no greater force can be sent there
than the one regiment now on guarC
until new quarters are constructed
for them, and the secretary urges tina
such works should begin at once.
A strong plea is made for the pas
sage of the militia pay bill, now pend
ing, because the 100000 men now il
the National Guard, eager and ambi
tious to be of service in case of wal
are practically unavailable under pres
ent conditions. These men, the secre
tary says, should not only be traine
for war in time of peace and paid b.
the national government, but 1t mus
be possible to transfer them imme
diately into the general military fore
and not militia in time of war.
In connection with the subject tn
secretary also recommends the pa!
sage of the pending volunteers bill
which would not entail dollar of el
pense upon the government at thi
time or in the future until war comes