The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-26
NILES ON ARMY'S NEEDS.
THE GENERAL TELLS THE WEAK
SPOTS IN THE SERVICE.

Washington Sept. 25.-Since ms
return to washington. Gen. Miles has
been busily engaged on his annual re
port. which he has now nearly complet-
ed ready for the public printer. 1t prom
ises TO be the most interesting public
document printed by the war department
since the close of the civil war. It is GUS
tomary for the commanding general TO
make a yearly report to the Secretary of
War. This report ordinarily includes only
a few pages in the report of the war de-
partment. This year, however, will rove
an exception, for Gen. Miles will review
the operations of the army of the United
States in the past year, and his report
will therefore be practically history OF
the war from a military point of view.
1t is pretty generally believed by those
who know Gen Miles that ne will take
this opportunity of giving vigorous ex-
pression of his views on the manage
nent of the war and the shortcomings
of our present military establishment, The
report is therefore awaited with more
than ordinary interest by the departments
and by members of Congress. 1t may
forestan a congressional investigation, or
it may precipitate one.
The forthcoming report will be received
also with widespread popular interest, for
that public looks to the commanding gen
eral TO draw from the late war lessons
of an expert soldier and administrator
There Is a popular hope that he will on
swer refute or justify the charges of In
competence or misjudgment that have
been made. While some government Off
Gals are of the opinion that it would be
unwise for Gen. Miles to touch further
on these controversial points, and say that
At would be much better for him TO let
the matter rest where it is, others are
of the opinion that it is his duty, not only
10 himself but to the country at large,
to go into the matter thoroughly, to the
end that the matter may be thoroughly
probed These officers say that Gen.
Miles agrees with them, and that his re-
port will make mighty interesting reading
for a good many folks. They point out
the fact, too, that this is a perfectly prop
er course for him to follow in formal
authorized public paper, and that in speak
ing his mind firmly he is entirely Wltaln
the bounds of official etiquette.
His report on the operations of the army
necessarily comprehends a history ana
criticism of the conduct of the war In
Cuba Porto Rico and the Philippines as
well Structures, however severe in such
a guise are privileged, as a matter of
course. No court martial could be based
upon them.
While Gen Miles has been consistently
silent as to the subject matter OF his re
port he recently consented to give some
OF the ideas which he will probably en-
body In his report, relating TO the needs
OF the military establishment of the United
States, as shown by our experience in the
present war.
1.-THE report upon which I have been at
work for the past thirty years. said Gen.
Miles, deals with some of the lessons of
the war as they appeal TO me, and the
needs of the army as they have been
brought out by experience in operations
against the enemy. To forestaI that re-
port would be contrary to official etiquette, |
yet / can say that 1 have seen no reason |
TO change the views which l held and
frequently expressed before there was ever
any war in prospect in relation to several
points.
zone of these is the size of the standing |
army, which the United States should
maintain. Had we had at the outbreak of |
hostilities regular force of 10000 trained
disciplined and thoroughly equipped sol
diers, they would have sufticed for every |
need of the present conflict.
Let us see. Twenty thousand regulars
could have been sent TO the Philippines
1900 to Cuba and 1000 to Porto Rico
That would have left 10000 regulars for
home posts and to go wherever most need |
ed when the time came The operations
we have conducted in the Philippines,
Cuba and Porto Rico could have been
managed with entire success, it seems TO
me, by such force.
Successful management implies, OF
course, the preservation of the lives, the
health, of the soldiers engaged so far as
human skill and forethought can preserve
them. But with an ill-prepared undis-
ciplined and ill-equipped army, the condi-
tions become altogether changed. The
proper preservation of life and health be-
comes ten-fold more difficult.
Thus the necessity for charging the
regular army has been demonstrated in the
Campaign just closed And before that
campaign began it was as apparent to
my mind. The discussion of an Anglo
American alliance, which could not but
make for the peace of the world, at once
emphasized our need of a larger regular
army. With such a powerful ally we
would need more soldiers to hold up our
end Without such an ally we need them
all the more, since we are at any time
likely to be embroiled with some of the
great nations of Europe, and such a con-
flict must not, and l hope will not, find
us unpreDared as did this.
f"lf the nations of Europe have gone TO
one extreme in preparing for war, the
United States and China went to the other
extreme, and 1 should not say that the
emergency found Us much better off than
China. With one trained for every thous-
and of our population, we would to-day
be able to take care of ourselves. And
seventy C0,00O thousand would seem suf-
1icient regular troops for some time to
come, although it is true that there are
now living boys who win see 100000 900 of
population in the United States
IF with our new responsibilities such
regular army seems small, compared
with the costly and gigantic military es-
adjustments of Europe. il must be re-
membered that Russia and Germany. for
example, are nations of soldiers. Their
armies are commanded by their emperors
who are bred to arms and are soldiers
as soon as they are out of long clothes.
The discipline of an army of soldiers whose
commander-in-chief is himself a dsci-
plined soldier. must be admirable. Vy1v
even the Queen of England talks of my