The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-12-09
|STIMSON OPPOSES
FREEDOM vF0R
FILIPINOS
SAYS SUGGESTION IS "MisPLAcEn
sENTIMENTALITY OR LAZY
SELF INTEREST"
.fAVORS Citizenship
FOR PORTO RICANS
Secretary of War In Annual Report
Suggests Amending Panama Canal
TolIs-BIames Antl-canteen LegisIa-
tlon For Much Vice In Regular Army.
(By Associated Press.)

NDV ddSOCtUtcU fT6SSsl
Washington, Dec. o. Unsparing
condemnation of those who would
from misplaced sentimentality or
lazy self-interest" cast the Filipinos
upon the world in the state OF help
lessness and before they had acquired
the full benefits of American civiliza-
tion, is strong feature in the annual
report of Secretary of War Henry L.
Stimson. Many other subjects of in
terest are treated in the report, such
as the relations Of the National Guard
to the army, the improvement in the
army tactical methods, the made
quacy of the present reserve law, the
crying need of citizenship for the
Porto Ricans, the conservation Of the
national water powers in navigable
streams and the advisability Of amend
ing the Panama Canal tolls act SO as
to reimpose tolls on American coast
wise shipping leaving the waterway.
Dealing first with purely military
subjects, the Secretary states the
strength of the regular army at the be-
ginning of the present fiscal year was
S2,305, an increase during the year
of 1S9 officers and 1884 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 ar
forded 5y the recent maneuvers and
changes in organization and meth
DDS. Unfit officers are speedily dis
covered under the searching tests or
field conditions. zone Of the surest
ways Of getting rid Of the dead wood
Of our army is to work IL az far Al
possible, under the spplicatory meth
DDS of modern military training" the
Secretary declares. In treating OF the
morals Of the army, Secretary Stim-
son asserts his belief that the social
ed anti-canteen 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 reservations ad-
Joined by dives and ill-resorts Of the
: vilest character. These conditions he
> believes to be the ultimate causes.
(which make the record Of our army
: in this respect shameful beyond that
of the army of any civilized nation
: Under the head of reorganization
: OF the foreign garrisons, the repor.
/ directs attention to the benefits a.
d tending the substitution for twelv
J. reduced strength regiments in Z
b Philippines by a garrison Of six rec
ments of fun strength with result,
? saving of over one million dollars
e year. The immediate completion
l. the posts at Panama and Hawaii, L
e strongly urged as by far the most I'm
l. portant items of military expenditure
for the immediate future. 1t Is said
that the locks and machinery at Pan
anna already have reached a condi
Y. ton of extreme vlunerability in case
of sudden attack, yet no greater force
lie can be sent there than one regiment
le now on guard until new quarters are
n constructed for them, and the Secre
n tary urges that such works should lie
p gin at once. On the other hand, says
5, the Secretary, the base at Pearl Har
= Dor, Hawaii, is Of far greater stragetis
l. Importance for the protection Of ths
entire Pacific coast from attack thar
any Of the positions on that coast nov
. so strongly fortified. No naval enem,
= could make serious effective attacl
= upon any portion OF the American Pa
= cific coast unless 1t had first reduces
. the position at Oahu. threatening ID
. flank. Quarters for the men who an
= to protect the great stalls, naval ma
= terial and seacoast guns from falling
= into the hands Of land attackers shouI,
= be pushed to completion as rapidl,
= as possible.
= The tactical reorganization Of tn
= Continued on Page Four.l