The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1898-11-12
Military Reorganization.


lens which must soon engage the
attention of the country is the re-
organization of the army and
militia force. The lessons of the
war with Spain would be entirely
lost did we not set about reorganiz-
ing our military system with energy.
1t is generally agreed that we need
for the future a standing army Of at
to that, it would be well to organize
a colonial army, to DE supported
out of the revenues OF our new
possessions. This idea Of a CO.
lonial army seems to have already
found favor with the War Depart
ment, as it is reported that Score
tary Alger favors the enlistment of
Cubans, and even Spaniards, who
desire to remain in Cuba. A num-
Der of regiments for colonial service
might be organized from such ma
terial, care being taken, however,
to give all the important Offices
say from captains up--to Ameri
cans, in order to insure loyalty and
proper discipline.
The regular army should be
thoroughly reorganized, from the
top down. An efficient general
staff should be created to take the
place Of the existing cumbersome
II
staff should be intrusted all the de-
tails of mobilization, transporta
ton, subsistence and strategy.
Plans should be matured for the
sudden mobilization of at least half
a million men, and supplies should
be kept in store at all times for the
proper equipment and maintenance
of such a force.
In recognizing the army, care
should be taken to retain intac, The
three battalion organization recently
The British system m'gnt be fol
lowed Of keeping one battalion &C
lively engaged at home, another at
some recruiting station, and the
third on colonial service. In this
way the men could alternate be
tween duty at home and duty in the
colonies. 1t would, Of course, be
highly unwise not to maintain at
least a proportion Of regular troops
in the colonies, no matter how sue
cessful the proposed colonial army
might prove.
Another matter IF importance
will be the reorganization of the
militia. While the management of
the MALTA is lett mainly to the
States, the lessons IF the war show
that for the future the Geuerat
Government must tal1e larger in
terest in the militia, or at least that
portion of it which is organized,
uniformed and equipped. The
National Guard must be organized
after exactly the same plan as the
regular army. The same methods
of discipline must be enforced, and
the National Government mist pro
vide more literally for the arming
and equippins Of the force.
A suit was filed in New Orleans
Hobson, commission merchants,
against the Louisiana and Arkansas
and the Western Union Telag
Companies for damages caused by
mistake in a telegram. On Novem-
Der ~. 1897, Robert Worrel Of
ST. Joseph telegraphed to Fairchild
& Hobson, his commission mer
chants "Buv me ten May corn" be
ing an order to purchase 10 900
bushels of May corn. When the
telegram was delivered 20 FairChili
& Hobson it read :Buy me ten
May" and as this message, accord
ing to trade regulations, meant to
buy him 10, 900 bales of cotton de-
liverable in May" they imme-
diately bought 10, 900 bales Of Nav
cotton Worrell, of course, would
not hear to their purchase, and
Fairchild and Hobson had to sci!
the To, 600 bales of May cotton and
they thereby incurred a loss of
S252.4o; they are now suing the
telegraph companies for that