The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-25
SIZE OF AMERICAN ARMY.
Another Call for Volunteers May
Be Necessary.
FIRST PLANS CHANGED
b Capture OF the Philippines and the
Necessity OF Holding Them Upset
Many Calculations-Gossip a. to
the Invasion OF Cubs.

New York, May PA dispatch to the
Tribune from Washington says: Anoth-
er call for volunteers is under serious
consideration by the military authori-
ties, although 1t may not be issued for
at least a week or two. or at any rate
until the invasion Of Cuba has been be-
gun and the necessity for additional
troops Is clearly demonstrated. The
difficulty of arming and eQuipping the
army Of soldiers already mustered into
service is rapidly disappearing. and
from the experience gained in the recent
call, army officers are satisfied that not
more than a month will be consumed In
mastering in an additional $4,000 men.
and that in this time equipments could
be prepared for that number.
The unexpected and extraordinary
drain on the regular and volunteer force
by the Philippine expedition. necessi-
tating at the outset 10. 900 men, togeth-
er with the prospect that Spain will not
be influenced by European powers to
abandon her futile struggle. but will
wage war until her are ex-
hausted, Is causing the military author
tiles considerable anxiety regarding the
sufficiency of the armed force of the
government for carrying out the re-
sponsibility which has been undertaken.
The simple task Of freeing Cuba has
been increased. through the. necessities
arising In the Philippines and through
the probability of being compelled to
majntain an army of occupation
in Cuba several years until he
war is ended, is beginning to
assume tremendous dimensions. If
Porto Rico is added to the
scales eventually, as the Philippines
were, the magnitude of American re-
sponsibility will be materially increased
and further increase of the army made
compulsory. Public men are beginning
to express the convictions that the
forces will be as difficult to ithdraw
from Cuba as those of England were
from Egypt. With regard to the Phil
ippines and Porto Rico, however. a dis
position Is already manifested to regard
them as fruits of the victory, and in
view of the notorious incapacity of their
inhabitants for self government to take
permanent possession of them and pro-
vide them with complete colonial estab-
lishments. Eventually they may be-
come in part self governing. but the
strong arm of the United States may
have to be exercised indefinitely to pre-
serve their peace n prosperity.
The authorized strength of the army
a month ago was $4,000 men. 1t has
now been increased to 1873, 500, and of the
latter number 1914, 900 will be actually
under arms and in the field before June
l.. OF this increase by expansion of the
regular service by its reorganization
under the three battalion formations,
sc, 900 men have been added, the other
portion having been acquired through
the call for volunteers m by means of
enlistment of two brigades of
and one of engineers. 1t Is already the
prevailing belief that although the ex-
panion of the regular service was intend
ed for the duration of the war, the num-
Der will never fall below Sc, 900. tn
latter number, in the opinion OF General
Miles, Is essential for operations in Gu
ba next summer, although most of the
invading force will necessarily be COM
posed of volunteers.
The rapid development of the Cuban
invasion project is given as another in
dication for the necessity for additional
volunteers. In its inception a month
ago, the programme contemplated a
force of only 5000 men to establish a
base of supplies from which the Cuban
insurgents were to be armed, clothed
and fed and their campaign against the
Spanish supported as occasion required.
This plan was based on the presump-
ton that reports regarding the insur-
gent strength. which had been received
from american COI1SulS duu otHctS "
the last two years. were accurate. n
thai the ability Of General Gomez to
crush the Spaniards and shut them up
in the coast cities had not been exag-
gerated. For nearly two years posi-
tive assertions had been numerous that
the Cubans wanted merely the moral
encouragement of the United States
through a recognition Of belligerency;
that with this they would quickly ac-
complish their own independence. With
in the last month the falsity of these
assertions has been demonstrated to the
complete satisfaction of the authorities
here and through the reports Of regular
army officers who have recently made
reconnoiters. and II II definitely known
that little or no assistance from the
much Wanted army of liberty" should
be expected. On the contrary, the lat
est information. which is of undoubted
trustworthiness, indicates conclusively
that had so small a force as at first con-
templated been landed in Cuba, h rap
would have caused Its speedy retreat or
resulted in its humiliation.
This radical establishment of the
Cubans. who predicted the Spanish
abandonment. in part. at least, accounts
for the precautions and delays which
are now apparent In the preparations
for invasion. The numerical strength
of the advance guard is now placed at
nearly 10000, with the assertion that no
movement will occur until twice that
number are equipped and ready to re-
spond instantly to any call for REIN
forcements. which may be i~mperatively
demanded.