The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-22
Where He VIII Take Command of the
Expedition That Is to Start Soon
for the Philippines.
MORE AID FOR HERO DEWEY
MONITOR MONTERREY TO BE ADDED
TO HIS FLEET AT MANILA.
Cruiser Cha rIestOn Of Again for the
far SOutheast-General Shafter
in Command at Tampa, Fla.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.


WASHINGTON, May 21.-The War Office
is greatly disappointed over the failure of
several Southern States to come forward
with their quotas of volunteers. They will
be given only very few days more to rep
resent and if the men are not forthcoming
the gates will be shut against them and
the shortage made up from Northern and
Western States which have a surplus of
bright. alive and patriotic young men anx-
ious to enlist When the fty-million-dollar
emergency war appropriation was before the
House the Southern representatives made
eXtravagant promises on behalf of their
wildly enthusiastic constituents. If given
the chance the South, according to these
pledges, would furnish a million soldiers.
A month has elapsed since the call for vol
unteers was issued, yet several States seem
to be utterly unable to furnish the few beg
carly thousands the President asked of
them. From the dismal reports forwarded
the War Department by officers sent South
to examine and muster in volunteers it
would appear almost as though a precon-
certed move was being made in many locali-
ties to work off the most dsreputable ele-
ments of the male population upon Uncle
Sam for soldiers. An amazingly small per-
centage of those who really offer themselves
meet the requirements. From present ap-
pearances the North and West will have to
furnish 10000 to q, 900 volunteers in addition
to their quotas to make up for the deficien-
cies south of Mason and Dixons line.
In the attempts which are being made to
locate the responsibility for our state of
unpreparedness when the war broke out
Congress appears as primarily responsible
The main fault seems to lie at the doors of
Congress and to be due in large degree to
kthe starvation policy pursued by that body
for the last twenty-five years and more
Congress has starved the army it has
starved the navy and it has persistentIy re-
fused to appropriate money for the ade-
Quate building of coast defenses. 1t has car
ried the cheese-paring policy to an extrem-
ity and has furnished the least possible
amounts instead of ascertainng what was
needed and appropriating up to these re-
quirements. Year after year the War and
Navy Departments have made recommends
lions to Congress, and year after year they
nave been ignored. What is the very least
money you can get along with?" has been
the final question asked the several depart
ments connected with our military and naval
establishments, and appropriations have
been made in accordance with the replies.
40 consequence VI NLlS OHS-COHllnueQ dQner-
ence to the starvation policy the army and
navy were and are still lamentably weak in
the matter of all kinds of supplies of war
when overtaken by a. real emergency
The gentlemen on the outside who are in
vading Cuba with lead pencils have again
postponed the actual departure of the troops
from Tampa. They have gone back to the
original plan Of sending great armies stimuli
taneously from Tampa, Key West Mobile
and New Orleans, and have concluded that
it might be just WELL after ALL to wait
until our fleet had destroyed Cervera's
squadron before moving. They have not
abandoned the projected Immediate in
vasion," but the invasion will not be quite
as immediate as the pencil fighters had at
first intended.