The Washington herald., 1916-05-11
By z. ID. JOHNS.

The War College takes issue with the
old theory that blind. unreaeoning ODE
dience to arbitrary rules is the essential
element of military discipline. In its re-
port on a plan for military training in
public schools the War College insists
that the proper method is to encourage
initiative and individuality in the student
as we'll as teach the value Of obedience
to superior authority.
In the course Of the report it is stated:
The object of the prescribed course of
instruction is to incuucate high ideals and
correct views on the duties of the citizens
TO the State The training is given along
military lines but is so conducted S to
encourage initiative and individuality, to
correct defects and develop natural gifts,
and to teach self control by showing the
value of obedience to superior authority
The old method of breaking the will by
insisting on blind, unreasoning obedience
to arbitrary rules is replaced by one
showing how to use the individual will
in attaining the concerted effert known
as team work which is the secret OF
efficiency. and which is dependent upon
a conscious and willing obedience to n
superior directing authority. Those who
learn how to obey, fit themselves to direct
and by praCticing self-control, become
imbued with the fundamental principle
underlying good citizenship.
In urging the establishment Of naval
base on the Columbian river, F. c. Harle
chairman Of the Columbia River Naval
Base Committee. declares that the Puget
Sound yard is dominated by the British
naval station at Esquimalt and subma-
rtnes operating from the Victoria base
He claims that in the event Of war
with Great Britain any American feet in
Puget Sound could be bottled UP by the
British guns at the mouth of the straits
of Fuca
"On the south or American shore OF the
straits of Fuca there are no defenses
whatsoever" says Mr.. Harley in his brief
submitted to the House Committee on
Naval Affairs The first American forti-
fications Encountered after leaving the
Pacific Ocean are found at the narrow
entrance to the Puget Sound. These for
fcations encountered after leaving the
the inner portions of Puget Sound and
the navy yard at Bremerton, but they
are solely for defense. They do not COM
mand the straits OF Fuca nor are they
of the slightest value in protecting the
American fleet, seeking to leave Puget
Sound and go TO sea, or seeking to enter
Puget Sound from the Pacific. Assuming
that Puget Sound had a naval base
three times the size of the present one,
no" nlOCn would the Oe1enSlNe Strengtn
of the Pacific Coast be increased in case
of war with England and her Japanese
ally? Would it be increased at all? 1t
would not for there is a British naval
station located at Esquimalt halfway be-
tween Bremerton and the open sea on
the strait Juann de Fuca and at that
point it is just seventeen miles wide. 1t
is questionable whether our feet at the
Sound would ever get out past that sta
tion.
"And as to the Mare Island Navy
yard. the only other yard on the Pa
cfic it today lacks sufficient depth of
water to enable a battleship to reach
its docks. There is not enough water
below the yard to permit the passage
to the sea of the dreadnought which
is to be built on the ways yet to be
constructed in the yard. True, the
channel is to be dredged to an 4de-
quate depth but it must bed redged TO
even a greater depth, if disabled ships,
drawing more water than ships in nor
NAL condition, are able to reach it. And
a navy yard to be fully efficient, must
be available at all times to crippled
warships down at the head or down
at the stern, as the result of injuries
received in battle.
with the Puget Sound navy yard
cut off from the sea by British guns,
with the Mare Island navy yard inac-
cessible because of the lack of depth