Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-12-24
REPORT THE ARMY BILL
Military Committee Submits lis Findings on
on The Proposed Bill.
NO MAXIMUM STRENGTH TO THE ARMY.
Government would Have About 100000
Men to operate with-chsngs- In the
ARTILLERY. aud Reasons Therefor

Washington Dec. G.-I,cprcsepa,iye
Hun. chairman Of che military commlt-
dee Of the House. today ifici wish the
clerk his report On The bill FOR she In
orsase Of she regular army. After de-
sailing she amendments adopted ~
committee. uil Of which nave bccn set
out IN she Associated Pres uipaich ..
the rep0r; says the bill fiXes ~ maSl-
mum strength for she ,nslrc army. As
sumlpx shat the governmerc will re-
qulrc about one hundred tbousaLd Tor
defense 81 the frofgitr. Tor coast de-
icuzc atd 60 maintain our authority In
iho isMnds. for whose good order and
government this ration Is now rcspon-
slhic. Together with reasonable re-
serve force, the bill provides for she
regiments II cavalry nul irddrtfy TO
provide the Number required lot each
arm " the service and corps Of hriii-
lCry Tor our eCacoass batteries Wiih
swo rcgimcnss 81 artillery for iicid bat
tcries
Tao commlttce believe che Orgngza-
tion a. provided for IN thla bill VIII
make the mort ciiloicp, military organ
iEatlau " the lJwris COS. O. the tax
payer. ~ ary organization proposed by
any bill before tOugrNHs.
1he ,rEau.zdtica % the cayulry pro-
vided 10 The blll Il substantially the
same uiEaulztt.on Euw provided for by
Jaw. The change IN the prsscp, organ
izaslon 10 making hitccu cgp1lns 10
place 81 twelve ara providing for a
oominittary or shc regimes. tiy this
Increase - rsnk the adjtslant aud COM
mlgHiry agc given The rank OF captain
ail cummlszIry sergeant IL also
added The fifteen firfi iieutenaps
pisFlitd have shrco eN.ri ntEt ilcu-
ten1its for zach rlgimCgi. 10 b. aviil-
alie ~ squadron adJutaWs. IL als
provides flF the crtasspn VI a bauti for
cas1 gcglmera by cnisdrg chem as
mua,c.dfi, VALE under the pr.s,at law
rhey arc crihttd ip the regular forcs
anl cnIoatd W. mus.claaa.
Inc ofElI.sution u amlllrry pf1y,dod
for ~ the bill changes ffon thc rsgl.
mental f3rnat6on 10 THAI u a eyrps OF
ar"ilefy. ana Ne phe artillery arm has
- grow Ia .mpoftagtcc lhs commfi.ev
Tees 1unliild In Hubust.lrx the full
rclg1fis fuT thc change.
Thc fe.ae.Qn - otgillcry Vc,rarizltL IN
9 the work shat the army wl1 10 par
Iosm may be best understood by bg.sf
fetefcfacc 10 ~ history. our prfsefg
ssyi.cm dates back 50 1891, whcn ehe
nftt four fcggmcuss wcfc prElnlzs,l.
Tue htah fegEnrfc was adlil IN isgl
aI.i the viAgh ara seventh IL 1855.
Now, when iirat organized. that il.
w 1871, the question OF coaHs defeusr
was not nearly ~ important An Il Ii to-
Jay anu. consequently. the question of
organization was not 80 lmpprtant.
moreover, this relative unlmp0rtance
OF both functions aud OF organization
continued FOR many Year,. In fact. down
10 1851. on the other hand, there were
auS Tons before the country that made
the services OF Infantry Of very great
Importance AMI. hence we ind the ar
fillery almost continuously used ns In
iantry' Thus In the Mexican war the
Fourth artillery was used as artillery.
IL was armed ana equipped as Infantry
ana served as such not only In Mexico
but also In Florida during the Seminole
troubles on the plains and elsewhere,
even In the forts. when tho civil war
broke out In 1861 all thc foot batteries
heretofore armed ana equipped and
serving rs Infantry. were converted into
light batteries. only 60 resume their
Infantry equipment ana duties after
AppomattoN. In the hill under discuss
sion the number Of artillery units dat
tcrlca) which were obtained from con-
sldcratlon ~ the number of gun POSI-
tons 20 be manned, You mus, have. at
the limit nH many batteries as you have
gun positions.
Further. these batteries must he
grouped In sufficient numbers Mt each
harbor 10 man all tho guns In that hnr-
Dor. Evidently, the idea ~ the regiment
does not come forward here at all and
| for good reason. there IL no rclntlon
between the regiment az a unit and be-
tween the work 10 be done by tho artll-
lefy. In other words, the essential Of ar
tillcry organization IL the battery, these
batteries helng grouped according to
the necessities Of each case necessities
differing from harbor 10 harbor.
The conditions are entirely different
for Infantry aud for cavalry. In these
each individual carries weapon which
II not che ease with the artillery when
used as such. The lighting strength Of
Infantry or cavalry N measured by the
number Of the weapons II can bring
into line. but no such measure can be
uniformly applied 10 tho artillery.