St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-21
OUR PEACEFUL ARMY.
Secretary Proctor Makes His
Annual Report as to Its
Condition.
DesePtions Reduced, Better
Recruits and General
Improvement.
Post Traders, Indian Regu-
lars and Many Other Mat
terS Touched On.
recommendations Made and
Compliments for Young
Officers.

w NONs TIC
report of Hon. Redfield Proctor, secre-
tary of war, for the year 1891, has been
submitted to the president. Some of
the important matters touched upon are
epitomized as follows:
In the line of coast defense. sites for
Notifications have been procured, and
engineering work has been begun on
batteries for mOrtarS and emplacements
for guns at New York, Boston, San
Francisco, Hampton Roads and Wash
ington. Provision has already been
made for the manufacture by the gov
eminent of ninety-eight breech-loading
steel rified guns of high power, and 100
more have been contracted for with
private manufacturers. A supply of
submarine mines aud seventy-three
tweive-inch mOrtaTS are also under con-
Struction.
For the improvement of the enlisted
force new methods of recruiting have
been adopted. 1t is carried on more in
small towns and rural communities, and
the recruits are held on probation and
their antecedents carefully inquired
into. The ration has been increased by
the addition Of one pound of vegetables
daily. Soldiers are now entitled to a
discharge at the end of three years of
faithful service, and are permitted 10
purchase their discharge at any time
after ore year. Summary courts have
been established for the speedy trial of
petty OtfenSes. If the men desire it,
competent officers are assigned TO de-
fend them before court martial. Sunday
inspections and tattoo roll call have been
abolished; schools and gymnasia estab-
lished. These, together with the specific
measures undertaken for that pur-
pose, have reduced the percentage Of
assertions to a lower point than ever
before in the history of the army, and
i'll the last year have reduced the num-
Der of inmates in our military prisons
over 20 per cent. In pursuance of pol
icy of concentrating the troops in larger
posts, about one-fourth of the number
of posts occupied in 1889 have been
abandoned and the reservations turned
over to the interior department. The
licenses of most post II aders have been
revoked. The enlistment of Indians
has been successfully undertaken.
Coast Defense.
The problem of adequate coast de-
tense has practically been settled. Fort
unately it has not been question of
party politics. 1t has been generally
recognized in congress and by the pub
lie press as national cODcern-a thor
oughly American policy. We have
some 1900 miles of seacoast, eXclu-
Sive of Alaska. No great naval power
has more than a few hundred miles of
coast to defend. and vet even they pro-
tect their harbOrs with heavy fortifica-
! tons and high-power guns. The cost
of land defenses has not increased as
rapidly as the cost of the means of at
lacking them. They are not only the
| cheapest to build, but once built the
! cost Of maintaining them can be reduced
TO the minimum.
Two appropriations of $500. 900 each
| for the purchase of sites for fertilization
| and SeacOast defenseS were made by
! the last congress. AllOtments have
| been made under these appro-
mortar batteries at Glover cliff
in Boston harbor; Point Comfort,
Fort Nadsworth. Plumb Island and
Sand Point in New York harbOr; La
! guna MERGED in San Francisco harbor
and Sheridan Point on the Potomac.
| Proceedings of condemnation have been
commenced to obtain other sites near
| Fort Wadsworth and Fort Hamilton in
New York harbor; Willoughby Spit in
Hampton Roads. ard Point LobOs in
San Francisco harbor. Over one-half OF
the entire appropriation has been al
lotted and about $350,G00 expended. l
recommend that an appropriation of
100000 be continued annually until the
! important sites are secured. 1t will re-
| Qulre this amount for several years to
pay for sites as rapidly as they will be
needed for use.
DeSertiOn.
| DeSertiOns from the army for the year
ending Sept. so have been less than in
any other year in the history of the
| army. Previous to 1920 there are no re-
liable records, but from that time till
beginning of the War of the Rebellion
the average annual rate of desertiOn was
las per cent of the enlisted strength.
and since the war it has been nearly the
same. From Jan. l, 1867. to June 80.
1891, twenty-fOur and one-half years,
the number of assertions from the army
was SS,475. 1t has cost the government
a very large sum for pay. clothing. sub
siStence and transportation of recruits
TO replace these men.
Fol the year ending June so, 1889, the
rate was 1l.6 per cent; for the year end
ing June 80, 1890, 9 per cent; for the
year ending June 80. 1891, 81 per cent.
During the twelve months ending Sept.
so. 1891, the rate was only SIS per cent;
for q like period ending Oct. 81. 81 per
cent. Great as the reduction has been,
however, there is no good reason why
| assertions should not be reduced to or
| - 4
be reduced below per cent. This much
will have to be charged to the perversity
of human nature, and the ineTadicable
restleSsneSS of the American people.
An effort has been made to improve
the character of the recruits of the
army by excluding, as far as practical
bic, men of questionable habits or rep
utation. Applicants for enlistment are
not accepted unless they produce salts
factory evidence of good character. AS
cruitS obtained from the rural districts
larger than heretofore, and that has
ward the great reduction of deSertion.
Organization.
The question of the liberalization
organ iZation fer the infantry must nee
essarily be the subject of discussion un
til remedied by LEGISLATION. The single
battalion organization of infantry j.
radically defective and unfit for actual
service under present conditions. 1t i.
SO vicious that the first step in case Of
war must be to abolish it and to star
anew. 1t cannot be amended or modi
fed; it is unwieldy, incapable of subdi
vision TO either make Of meet attack
under methods now prevailing, and the
situation grows worse with every i'm
provement of arms. The adoption Of
the system has been repeated,
urged by all our distinguished gen
erals, and Gen. Sherman considered i