The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-12
GEN. MILES DEvofEs MUCH OF HIS
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE
sUBJECT.
MONEY URGENTLY NEEDED.
ESTIMATES CALLING FOR ABOUT
FOUR MILLION DOLLARS URGED
ON CONGRESS.
ARMY IN ITS RELATION TO LABOR
Commanding General Points Out
That Federal Troops Are Not u
Menace to Amy Class.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. lin
his annual report to the secretary of
war, Major General Miles, command
ing the army, says that fortunately
during the year the army has been
called upon only to a limited extent to
act either against hostile Indians or
against bodies of men engaged in
violating the laws of the United States
or International treaty obligations
Gen. Miles recommends a liberal ap-
preparation for replacing the present
decaying and antiquated post buildings
occupied by the army, and especially
those on what was formerly the In
dian frontier, with sanitary structures.
Gen. Miles believes that the freedom
Of the country Of late from Indian out
breaks is to be ascribed to the fact
that the Indians now receive better
treatment from the government; that
they are more impressed with the
power of the army to punish them and
that their affairs are in many cases
managed by competent army officers
Therefore, he recommends that this
same policy as to the Indians be con-
tinued. Gen. Miles again devotes a
large portion of his report to the con-
sideration of questions of coast defense
and he renews forcibly all of the rec
ommendation on that subject made in
his former reports.
The report states that the change in
warlike appliances makes it necessary
to place high power guns at much
| greater distances than formerly from
| the centers of wealth and it is recon-
mended that liberal appropriations be
made by the coming session Of con-
gress for the manufacture Of guns.
The estimates that eGn. Miles says are
| imperatively required to be allotted for
the next year for the work Of the ordi-
| nance, engineers and quartermasters
| departments at different coast points,
include the following; Mobile, Ala,
$3.50, 400; New Orleans, $4S9, 400; Calves
ton, Tex, $157,925; Sandiago, Cal, $780,
925; San Francisco, $780,, $50; Mouth of
| Columbia river, $566,325; Puget sound,
! $764050.
Gen. Miles says: can unwise argu-
ment has been made against the con-
| struction Of modern appliances Of war
on the theory that the course is a
| danger and a menace to the laboring
classes. In some instances marked
protests have been made against such
a national policy. The arguments seem
scarcely worthy of consideration, yet it
| is deemed proper to call attention to
the fact that these national safeguards
are in no sense a menace to any class
of our citizens, not even ito the hum
bleSt individual; but on the other
hand they are protection to the life,
prosperity and welfare of all classes.
They protect not only the commercial
centers with their accumulations of
| public buildings and private dwell
ings, commerce and shipyards, but the
| factory, the foundry, the workshop
and also the savings banks and the
| cottages in fact the destruction of our
| great commercial and manufacturing
cities would be national disaster far
| more serious and appalling to the great
masses of the laboring people than 1t
would be to any other class of the
| people"
| Gen. Miles renews@l his former recon-
mendations for an increase of the army
on the ground that it has not kept pace
with the increased wealth of public and
private interests and he suggests that
the enlisted strength of the army be
| fixed at one soldier to every 1900 of
population as a minimum, the maxi
mum strength not to exceed one soldier
for every 1000 of population, the
strength to be determined within these
limits by the president according to the
necessities and requirements of the ma
ton. He points out the Importance of
having at least two stations east Of the
Rocky mountains and one west, suit
able for the accommodation of one reg
iment of cavalry, and rehews the rec
concentrations made last year concern
ing the use of bicycles and motor
wagons and the promotion of compe-
tent enlisted men to the grade of sec
HafIfnnq nf9 after five of
service. rfs