The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-23
War Department May Now Find No
Difficulty I'm Reducing the Army
$4,000 or 100000.
RULES FOR MASTERING OUT
DUTIES OF OFFICERS MADE PLAIN
By ADJUTANT GENERAL CORBIN.
No Discharge Certificates to he Issued
Until All Government Prop
erty Is Accounted For.
WASHINGTON, Aug

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22.-The War De-
partment has not yet made out its list of
regiments to be mustered out of the serv-
ice, but has been in constant correspondence
with various sections of the country on the
subject. At first it was thought the demand
to remain in the service, would prove en-
barrassng to the department. as so many
troops desired to continue in service 1t is
now believed that there has been a change
of sentiment and that the officers and men
of regiments that see no possibility of fur
Their fighting are willing to go back to their
vocations. Some want to go to the new pos
sessions, but others, it is said, see no glory
in policing Santiago and other captured
points where there is nothing to do. Some
of the troops are also becoming weary of
camp life. The First Alabama, it is under
Stood has been selected for mastering out
at it's own request.
General Flagler of the Ordnance Bureau,
is preparing orders to officers regarding the
returning of ordnance and ordnance stores
to the government when the troops are
mustered out. An ordnance officer and
clerks will be sent to each mustering-out
camp and will receive the ordnance of each
regiment and box it and ship it to che near
est arsenal. All the arms that the men do
not purchase will be returned to the govern
ment. Many of the state troops were armed
when they entered the volunteer service of
the United States These arms, however, be-
longed to the United States and were fur
nished the National Guard in the various
States. 1t is probable that they will be re-
turned to the States after they have been
inventoried and accounted for on the books
of the Ordnance Department The first regi-
ment to be mustered out probably will be
the First Vermont and onicers who will
have the mastering out details to attend to
are getting ready to proceed with the YER
monters.
Ordnance officers are relieved that they
will not have the care of the small arms
captured at Manila which, by the terms of
surrender, are to be returned to the Spanish
soldiers when they evacuate the clty. 1t is
stated by officers of experience that it would
not be profitable for the United States to
secure ammunition supplies for different
kind of gun, where there were only a small
number such as those captured at Santiago,
or which might have been captured at Ma
Mia. If fifty or one hundred thousand stands
of arms were taken then the United States
might work profitably in supplying them
with ammunition different from the regular
and which is now in use. The Ordnance Blu
reau had an opportunity to select the
Mauser when the Krag-Jorgensen arm was
chosen. The officers who made the examina-
ton found defects in the Mauser which
gave the other gun the preference. They be-
lieve the introduction of a small number of
small arms into the army of different make
and caliber would do more harm than good
and that in the end the expense would more
than make up for the temporary saving that
might follow the use of the captured arms.