Evening star., 1896-11-11
Personnel and Discipline Commended
by Major General Miles.
fORTIFlCATIOES AND kRMAMENTS
Great Change in the Character of
War Appliances.
INCREASE RECOMMENDED

war, Major General Miles, commanding
the army, says that, fortunately, during
the year the army has been called only to
a limited extent to act either against hos
tile Indians or against bodies OF men who
were engaged in violating the laws of the
United States or international treaty cbli-
cations. The personnel of the army was
never in better condition, the percentage of
vibrations of discipline has been exceed
ingly small ani the standard Of enlisted
men is constantly improving The care
shown in obtaining suitable material is
shown by the fact that out of 4924o appli-
cants for enlistment during The last year
only I,465 were accepted as qualified. Cen
eral Miles recommends liberal appropria-
uon for replacing the present dccaytng and
antiquated post buildings occupied by the
army and especially these on what was
formerly the Indian frontier with new and
sanitary structures.
General Miles believes that the freedom
OF the country of late from Indian out
breaks is to be asoribed to the fact that
the Indians nov 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 m
many cases managed by competent amy
officers. Therefore, he recommends that
this same policy as TO the Indians be con-
tirued. On the subject of location of army
posts. General Miles says that these should
be placed with reference TO the defense Of
the seacoast ports, to the protection Of
citizens from strong bodies of Indians and
al strategic points on great lines of COM
municat,ons. In 10 case should they be
located for the benefit OF local communities
OF for other than purposes of national de-
Tense.
Cen Miles agair devotcs a large portion of
MS report TO the considC ration of questions
OF coast defense and he renews forcibly
AL OF The recommendations on that subject
ne has made in former reports.
Fortificntfons and Their Armament
He says ths appliances of war have un-
Gergone so great A change in thirty years
as tc make ii imperatiyely necessary to
change the entire character of our old
fcrtihcations, and their armament as we'll
Apparently We have about reached the
limit of the present type Of hign-power
guns throwing large armor-piercing pro-
jectiles fully twelve miles. and il is believed
by the best military authorities that very
great Improvement in this respect is a mat
ter of extreme doubt
The report states that the change in war
like appliances makes it necessary to place
hlgh-power gus at much greater distances
than formerly from the centers of wealth
ara commerce, arc so to build barracks and
quarters for the defensive garrisons There
fcre, he recommends that liberal appropria-
lions be made 10y the coming session of
Congress for the manufacture of guns
their emplacementS, and quarters and bar-
rGcks The estimates that Gen. Miles saws
are imperati lively required TO be allotted for
the next year for the work of the ordnance
engineers and qCartermasters' departments
at different coast points are as follows:
Portland Me, 81, 134, $50; Portsmouth Nh
$3:s', ,!t25; Boston, Mass sl07s $50: Nara,
sansett Bay, s6i2 So; Long Island Sound,
eastern entrance, s9l3,60; defense Of New
YORK, southern entrance, sl.2n.Gpp: Phila-
aeiphia, Pa, s625.o25; Baltimore Md sGIl.-
4.0; Washington, DC, S511a25: Hamptoo
Roads: Va, s6la.325: Wilmington. Nc.
Lah, Ga. S;s93.925 Key West, Fla. 81. 400.
Pensacola, Fla, slJo4oo Mobile, Ala,
$50. 400: New orleans, La, sis9 4o,; Gal
weston, Tex, 57.a25; San Diego. Cal. $780,
s764,oJ0.
General Miles says: An unwisa arru-
nent mas been made against the consTruc-
uon of modern hGhpower guns. mortars
and the modern appliances Of war that IL
is danger and a menace to the laDo.fag
classes, and in some instances marked
protests have been made against sucn
national policy. The arguments seem
scarcely worthy of consideration; Vet Il il
deemed proper to call attention 10 the fact
that these national safeguards are I'm no
sense menace to any class O: our citi-
but on the other hand they are a protection
to the life, property and welfare Cf all
classes from the highest 10 the lowest
They protect not only the commercial
ports, with their Accommodations of public
buildings and private dwellings, tine ccm-
merce and shipyardS, the factory. the
foundry, the workshop. an1 also the saw
inss banks and the cottages. In fact, the
destruction of cur great commercial and
manufacturing cities would %, a national
disaster far more serious and appalling to
the great masses of the laborng population
than il would be TO any other class of our
people"
An Increase Recommended.
General Miles renews his former recon-
mendatons for an increase OF the army
on the ground that it has not kept pace
with the increased wealth OF public and
private interests. He advocates a .iandard
of strength to be fixed according to the
population and wealth of the natioIs,
which standard would. in his Judgment, Ice
judicious, patriotic and emin2ntly wise. not
only for the welfare of the people Of the
present day but for all time of The exist
erce of the republic. Therefore. he sug-|
gests that the enlisted strength of the
army be fixed at one soldier 10 every 2.'Hp
Of population a minimum. and the
maximum strength not to exceed one sol
dier for every 1000 population.
The strength to be determined within
these limits by the President. according to
the necessities and requirements of the ma
ton The three battalion organization for
the infantry has been repeatedly recon-
mended yet according to Gen. Miles, there
is still a question whether the cumber-
some battalions adopted in some of the
large armies of Europe. and the extended
order system, copied from the American
open-order formation for individual fight
ing has not been rendered fatally defect T.
i've in its notifications for service in our
country, pec:ally where our country is |
broken by hill and dale. open fields and
dense forests, requiring quick maneuvers,
rapid marches, night fighting. &c. The light .
ten-company regiments and skirmish FORM
alton were found most effective during our
great war, and should Congress not deem
il advisable to adopt the three-bat attalion
organization for the infantry, I recommend
that the increase herein suggested be made
according TO the present authorized forma-
tions for regiments of infantry"
He also points out the Importance of hav-
ing at least two stations east of the Rocky
mountains and one west, suitable fer the
accommodation of one regiment Of cavalry
year concerning the use of bicycles and
motor wagons. and the promotion of COM
petent enlisted men to the grade of second
lieutenants after five years service.