Salt Lake Tribune | 1904-05-14 | Page 9 | What is Needed on a Battlefield

WHAT IS NEEDED ON' A BATTLEFIELD Gen. Miles Expresses His Opinion in Explaining- Success of Japanese Soldiers. NEW YORK, May 13. "The Russian soldier Is courageous in saying his prayers before going Into battle, and the same thing may bo said of the soldiers of the Sultan; but I have found that on the battlefield It Is tho fighting and not the praying that wins," said' Gen. Nelson A. Miles tonight, in explaining the success of Japanese soldiers sol-diers against Russia. Gen. Miles wbb speaking at a dinner to members of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, of which Admiral George Dewey today was elected Governor-General. Governor-General. "It has been my privilege." said Gen. Miles, "to see most of the armies of the world. I have studied carefully the armies of Japan and of China and the soldiers of Russia, and the success in the East today of the soldiers of tho Mikado S duo to their wonderful skill, the faithful performance of their duties .and their remarkable enterprise. "Of all the armies of the world," continued con-tinued Gen. Miles, "ours seems to differ dif-fer in that the men are serving for principle. Our men seem to feel that they are working for a free peopie, for a republic In which every man Is" a sovereign and every woman a superior of a sovereign. Our flag represents the sovereignty and the freedom of manhood. man-hood. It Is a pleasure as well oa an honor to serve under It. I know this from my forty years' experience as a soldier. In all that time there never was an hour of the day that Jt was not a pleasure to me to be In tho service." ser-vice." Admiral Dewey said: "I do not know as wo havo any better navy than wo had, but we have better tools than we had a few years ago. Of couree the newspapers will say we have not, but, take my word for It, we have the best ships and tho best officers nnd the best men In the whole world. As to the enlisted en-listed men especially, we are getting the cream of the world, and with such men ready and eager to fight, the other nations are going to let us alone. And In a few 3'ears to come, tho American people are going to have the very beat navy In tho world, not for aggression, but to protect our rights,"