Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-05-20
PROSPECTIVE VOLUNTEERS
Will Take Notice That New 0rgani-
cations Of Soldiers
Are Not Wanted by the National
Government, But in the Event OF
Another Call, Men Will Be Large
ly or Entirely Used to Fill up
Present Regiments to the Maxi
mum Strength.

The following telegram from Wash
ington City, received last night, Will
be of decided interest to members OF
volunteer organizations already formed
or in process of formation under the
idea that they will be accepted as new
companies or regiments. If additional
men are asked for, they will be used
to fill out existing regiments to the
maximum strength, and there appears
to be little chance that any new regl-
ments will be organized, unless a pos
sible second call for men should be for a
very large number. The telegram IN
question is as follows:
"a number of applications have been
received at the Adiutant Generals of
flee for copies of muster rolls with
which to form the necleus of national
guard organizations in the various
States, to take the places of commands
absorbed by the recruiting in the vol
unteer army. These applications come
from persons whose intentions, the de-
partment officials say, may be all right,
but who apparently fail to comprehend
the provision in the volunteer act bear
ing on the subject of the admission OF
new organizations-tha the volunteers
shall be so recruited as to maintain
them as near to their maximum
strength as the President may deem
necessary, and no new organizations
is to be accepted into service from any
State unless the organizations already
in service from such State are as near
to their maximum strength Of officers
and enlisted men as the President de-
vision, it is explained, is intended to
prevent condition of affairs similar
to that which existed in the war Of the
rebellion, when the veteran regiments,
depleted by active service on the field,
were not recruited again to their full
strength, but new regiments were con-
stantly adding to the army This lat
ter practice was reprehensible in that
it thrust raw and undisciplined men
forward into new organizations in
stead Of recruiting them to the older
and stablished veteran regiments. 1t
is pointed cut that few, If any, Of the
regiments Of the volunteer army are
recruited to their maximum strength,
and that If additional volunteers are
called for they will be used first Of all
to bring these regiments up to the legal
number provided by law. Many Of
the regiments contain less than 1000
men, whereas their maximum strength
is, in the case. of the infantry, over
1900 men. For these reasons the Off
Gals of the War Department desire to
discourage the idea of the formation
OF new organizations, if it is contem-
plated that they are to enter the SER
vice as such, although there is no rea-
son why they should not be organized
with view to disciplining the men
for any service that might be required
of them hereafter in the event that
additional volunteers are called for.
Another bad feature of the admission
into the volunteer army of the new or
CARNATIONS is that it results in a
proportion of officers to soldiers much
larger than is contemplated by law
which viii not occur If the men are
recruited into the older regiments"