Evening star., 1898-12-03
Synopsis Of the Report Of Secretary
Alger.
ACHIEVEMENTS DUE TO NO INDIVIDUAL
Increase Of the Regulars to 100000
Recommended.
OF RECORDS NEEDED

kind ever issued from the War Department.
| 1t contains not only all of the official dis
| patches that passed directly between his own
| office and commanding officers in the field
and camp, but also the reports of General
Miles, of all the generals who participat ed
| in the campaign in Cuba, Porto Rico or
| the Philippines and finally the reports of
all of the bureau officers of the War De-
| partment.
In his general comments on the war the
Secretary says:
IAN army of about 2JO,O volunteers and
recruits for the regulars was called into ex-
istence from civil life, which, with the reg
| ular army, made a total force of 274, III men,
| 1t was organized. armed and equipped mo
| supplies being hand other than those
| for the regulars, save Springfield muskets)
and 10000 men of this force We're trans
ported by land and sea to battleields in the
| tropics 1900 miles apart, where they won
| their victories without single defeat and
| all within the period of 113 days from the
| declaration of war to the signing of the
| protocol.
This great achievement can be credited
| to no individual: it belongs to the nation
| 1t was accomplished through the intellf-
gence and patriotism of all who served
| from the commander-in-chief to the private
in the ranks 1t also speaks volumes for
the prompt. patriotic and Intelligent assist
ance or the people who furnished in so
| short period the supplies necessary to
prepare this great army for the field To
| the heroic men who served in distant LANDS
the country will ever offer true need of
praise but the mighty army in camp
| ready and eager to take the field. should
also be given equal credit. II was their
| presence, ready at an hours notice for any
emergency. that overawed the enemy and
proved to him that further resistance would
I've in vain.
The deaths in the army from Nav to
october l, including killed. died of wounds
ana OF disease, were 2,919, the smallest
death rate recorded of any army in history
most gratifying fact when it is considered
that over 10000 of troops, born and
reared in the temperate zone were cam
palgnins in tropical climates, subject to
| rain and heat almost unprecedented"
The Secretary says that to furlough the
volunteers in winter would he a hardstip
and he recommends, in lieu of the furlough
that the officers and men be given two
months pay al the time of their discharge,
thus admitting of their prompt discharge
IN their present camps in the south.
Increase In the Regular Army.
Under the head of increase in the perma-
| ment establishment. the Secretary says:
In view of the needs of a military force
| in the Islands occupied by the United States
it is earnestly recommended that the regu-
Idi dI my Dt permanently Increased 10 ID,-
odD men and the requisite officers: that a
portion of this army be recruited from the
Inhabitants of those islands. to be mus
| tered into the service of the United States,
and commanded by officers of army,
| discretion, however. to be given to the
| President to make appointments of officers
! from the force recruited
These men are acclmated, understand
the language and habits OF their country
men and their enlistment will not only
give them pmplDVment but also have
| tendency to enable the government to get
| into closer touch with their people than 1t
| would otherwise be able to do. This would
also relieve our own people from serving
! in those climates to a large extent. and
| would, moreover, enable the volunteers to
| be mustered out of the service and return
| to the avocations of civil life"
| Another suggestion is that there should
| be employed in the United States service a
| constabuary force for the cities of Cuba
| Porto Rico and the Philippines, police who
| have had experience and can speak the
| language of the island.
! Work for the Cubans.
| Secretary Alger thinks that the govern
ment will be greatly taxed to supply food
to the destitute especially in Cuba The
effort should be made, he thinks, to give
| the people work. instead of allowing them
| to dwell in idleness, living upon char.
| ity. He says;
|
| government of the United States to con-
| struct substantial railroad, practically
| the whole length Of the Island of Cuba
| with branch roads to the leading cities on
| the coast? Such a road would. of course
| cost large sum. perhaps $2n,"O0,000; but
| ii would give employment to the people of
| Cuba, teach them habits of industry, be an
| inducement for them to cultivate their
| farms, and thus furnish supplies for the
| laborcrs and for market when the road is
| constructed, This, in my Judgment, is ab-
| solutely essential to the pacification and
| development of that great island
| The Secretary says that, even if this road
| is to be built, there is necessity for
| large appropriation to relieve the destitute
| The question of sanitation of the cities
| should also have immediate attention and
| a portion of the taxes collected in the is
land should be expended for that work.
| Recommendations and Estimates.
| 1t is recommended that provision be made
| for a statue Of General Grant; that Chief
| Clerk Tweedale be made lieutenant col
| onel; that provision be made for q second
| assistant secretary of war, and that an ap-
! preparation be made for the construction Of
the Lake Union Washington ship canal.
| The statement OF expenditure and esti-
| mates presents some formidable figures The
| expenditures for the fiscal year ended June
| 80 last were $62. .5}i, 1S4. The setimates
| for the next fiscal year beginning lst of
| July 1899 are s19J 250377. OF this great
| estimate the sum of 800, 4'0, 800 is charged
| to pay off the army. The estimate of ex-
| traordiuary appropriations required for the
! six months ending June 80. 1899, are 500, :
| 11I,J39, and the estimates for that period
| combined with those for the next fiscal
year reach total of s255.427917.
| The cost OF transporting the Spanish
| prisoners to Spain was 81 ,Jl3 $50 The
| graves of the soldiers at aSntiago in Porto
| Rico and the Philippines have been marked
| and these remains will be brought home as
| soon as the plans are completed.
| The manufacture of the krag-Jorgenscn
| or IA similar magazine gun should continue
| until We have at an early date at least
| 100000 of these arms in our arsenals with
| a full supply of ammunition.
Work of Women Nurses.
| According to the Secretary, one of the
| great mercies OF the campaign were the
| women nurses. Until one has had exper-
| ience or made careful observation ne can
| not realize the work that these noble We
| men did for our sick soldiers in the hos-
| pitfalls, but they cannot be well employed
| at regimental hospitals in campaign. 10th
| the division and general hospitals are alb
| solutely necessary in the opinion of the
| Secretary, but the general hospital snould
/ ha Cd NxyitI,