The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-08
THE ARMY.
Bill tor Its In
crease
BY ALGER


Washington, Dec Representative
Hull, chairman of the House commit
tee on military affairs, today intro
duced a bill increasing the regular
army to approximately 100000 men.
The bill was framed at the war de-
partment and has the approval of the
secretary of war. 1t is not the bill
framed by Gen. Miles, as this measure
has not the high rank proposed by the
Miles bill, and some of the appoint
ments are open to officers of the volun-
teers or from civil life.
It provides for lieutenant general
and what is considered a sufficient in
crease of major and brigadier generals
to command an army of 100000 men
scattered from Porto Rico to Manila
The artillery arm is reorganized,
separating it into coast and field ar
tillery, but promotion is to be by SEMI
ority of the whole army. A decrease Of
the enlisted men is made, 50 that the
army can be increased by recruits in
case of war to full strength. The
cavalry is increased two regiments, the
infantry five The enlisted strength of
an infantry company is not to exceed
145, so that in case of war new regi-
ments would have to be formed prob
ably, all of which would be volunteer,
but the regular army would make a
substantial first lien.
The bill provides for three battalion
formation. The staff corps are increased
about 40 per cent, and with the excep-
ton of the adjutant general inspector
general and ordnance, are open to ap-
pointments from the volunteers or civil
life. The most noticeable change is
! that in the medical department, in
which provision is made for hospital
! corps of 5000 privates, with the neces-
sary non-commissioned officers, with a
| largely increased number of surgeons
and assistant surgeons.
All officers and men serving in the
sub-tropical countries are to have an
| increase of % Der cent in pay. Under
| the immediate control of the president,
| inhabitants of the new countries may
be enlisted in the organizations there
]
regiments of artillery, y of cavalry and
80 of infantry
Chairman Hulls bill is cast on en-
tirely different lines from Gen. Miles
bill. The Miles bill is based on the
! theory of one soldier for every 1000 Of
population, while the Hull bill is
based on the idea Of a total force
of 100000, the organization being
| based so as to reach that total. Gen
a general
two lieutenant generals, while the Hull
bill makes no provisions for a general
and has but one lieutenant general.
Other important differences are:
Hull bill, 80 regiments of infanty;
Miles bill, so regiments of infantry;
Hull BILL II regiments of cavalry; Miles
bill, Is regiments of cavalry; Hull bill,
a corps of artillery; Miles bill, IA Iegi-
ments of seacoast artill ~ ana two
regiments of field artillery.
| The Hull bill in its first sRction sums
up the recognized army as follows:
! "One Lieutenant general, six major
generals, twelve brigadier generals, two
regiments of cavalry, corps of artil-
| lery thirty regiments of infantry, an
a01utant generals department an in
| spector generals department, a judge
advocate generals department, quar-
| termaster's department, a subsistence
| department a medical department a
| pay department Il corps of engineers,
an ordnance departmental signal corps,
| thirty post cnaplains. the chief of rec
ord and pension office, the officers of
the army on the retired list, the pro-
| fessors' corps of cadets, an army ser
vice detachment and band at the I'm
tied States Military Academy, and such
other officers ana enlisted men as may
hereinafter be provided for.
| The regIneLtal organization of the
artillery arm of the army is discon-
| tinued ana that arm is designated as
! the corps of artillery. The distinction
between coast and field artillery is
simila" to that in the Miles bill, but
more elaborate in detail. The Atlantic
division Of the coast is defined to in
clude the Atlantic and Gulf seaboards
! and the coast of the great lakes, land
shall ultimately include the coast line
of the West indian possessions of the
United States
| The Pacific division is defined to in
clude the Pacific seaboard land shall
ultimately include the coast line of the
various possessions of the United
| States IN tie Pacific ocean
| The corps of artillery embraces IA
! batteries OF coast artillery and "a field
! batteries Each regiment of infantry
consists j. companies, organized in
! to three battGlions Of four companies
each. Fne Companys strength in addi-
ton to commissioned and non-commis-
! stoned officers is 112 men.
! In various staff corps express pro-
vision is made that persons who have
served az officers in the volunteer ar
my in the wal with Spain and persons
| in civil life may be appointed to va
rious specified grades.
Section 16 is as follows:
| Organizations serving in Cuba, Por
to Rico and the islands of the Pacific
may in the discretion of the president
be recruited in whole or in part from
the inhabitants thereof to whom the
| legal restrictions upon enlistments in
the army as regards tGjm of service,
age citizenship and educational quail
| ficatiops shall lot apply and who shall
be entitled to such pay and allowances
not exceeding those now authorized as