The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-11-26
SUGGESTIONS OF WAR
DEPARTMENT.
MANY RECOMMENDATIONS
The Grade OF Lieutenant General Should
BE Revived-Additional Regiments
OF Artillery Needed Military
Attaches-River and Harbor
Appropriations-T Next
Years Estimates.

annual report, Secretary Alger makes
many re recommendations for the better
ment of the administration of the war
department. based upon the conclu
sions Of his subordinate officers He
asks favorable consideration for the
proposition to add two regiments to
the artillery branch, pointing to the
valuable Notifications now being
erected, which, he says, should not b.,
manned by a corporal guard.
He says Of Alaska that as many as
loo,o 900 people will be gathered there
next year, and military force should
be sent to the territory and large
emergency powers should be granted
to the president to repress lawless-
ness. Probably the creation of addi-
tional military reservations, like that
Of st. Michaels, may be the best
means to meet the problem. A boat
for the patrol of the Yukon is also
asked for, as we'll as increased pay for
the enlisted men serving in Alaska
Secretary Alger recommends the
revival of the grade of lieutenant gen
eral, saying that all the great nations
give their officers much higher rank
than does the United States.
He indorses the recommendation of
the uperintendent of the military
academy Mat the number of students
at West Point be increased by allow
| ing each senator to nominate a cadet
AS an alternative, he suggests that
the president be authorized to ap-
point ten cadets at large each year
! Favorable comment is made upon
the work of the military colleges of
the country, but it is suggested that
the law be amended SO as to auth orize
details of army officers only to such
colleges as have at least SO pupils ac-
tually present.
Attention is called to the need Of a
proper system OF criminal jurisdiction
over military reservations and hall
of records for the storage of official
papers. The estimate for army trans
portation is increased by 100000 to
provide means for moving heavy ord
nance. To provide for the new posts
needed on the sea coast an estimate of
$4,000, 600 is su omitted.
Until recently, the hospital at Hot
Springs was open only to soldiers of
the regular army, but Secretary Alger
has just amended the regulations SC
as to authorize the admission of suit
able cases among the veterans of the
late war.
In the opinion of the secretary, an
: increase in the engineer corps in Off
I = 4 I
He points to the immediate value and
extent of the work now in the hands
of this corps and contends that il
could be better supervised and i'm
proved in quantity and quality by the
assignment of more officers, which i.
now impossible.
Secretary Alger transmits without
reduction the estimate of the CHIEF
engineers for the the next fiscal year
amounting to $4s, 72s, 100, more thar
double the appropriations for the cur
rent year. He says these are largely
in excess of what they should be at {
time when the demands upon the
treasury are as great as now; there
fore, he recommends large reduc
ton.
Secretary Alger especially com
mends for patriotism, generosity ant
zeal, Colonel Burlington and Captain
Crozier, the inventors of the disap
pearing gun carriages, who generous
ly donated the invention to the gov
ernment.
The report closes with the renewa
of the recommendation that nrovis
ion be made for the erection in Wash
' ington of statue to General Grant
The estimates for the next fisca
year aggregate S96, 25s, AIS. as agains
S62, 1922. AIT. the amount of the appro
priations for the current year. Th
principal items Of increase are tn
rivers and harbors, where the estima
Is SIS -0S tha