The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-13
HIS BILL.
Gen. Miles En-
plains 1t.
A MILITARY SYST re M,
Must Have One Adequate
toMeet Our Responsibilities

Washington. Dec, 12.-Maj Gen.
Miles appeared today before the house
committee on military affairs for a
hearing relative to the proposed reor-
ganization and increase of the army.
Two bills for this purpose are pending,
one drawn by Gen. Miles and intro
duced in the Senate as the Hawley bill,
and another introduced in the House
by Chairman Hull of the military COM
mittee
At the outset, Gen. Miles addressed
himself to the general need of increas-
ing the army without reference to
either bill, He said he had always
favored the establishment of a fixed
standard for the army. The expert
ence of the last year, he said, had de-
monstrated that our present military
estimate was inadequate to maintain
our position as first-class power. 1t
was necessary to consider both our
military requirements at home and
those in our colonial dependencies
abroad and also the rapidly increasing
demands made by our sea coast forth
fications. The latter, as far as COM
pleted, required some 1S5 batteries of
artillery and when the entire increase
in coast defenses was completed, 1865
batteries would be required.
The war with Spain had shown pretty
clearly how many men would be re-
tuired, Gen. Miles said. The war had
required $1,000 men for actual field OPP
81 q 1rin
l2.000 men went to Manila 10000 to Gu
ba and 10000 to Porto Rico. These
were men actually in the presence of
the hostile enemy. Since then there
had been reinforcements for garrison
and other purposes. At the same time,
the general pointed out, the necessities
at home must not be overlooked; the
entire frontier had been stripped of
troops during the late war and COM
plants were coming in that the lives,
families and property of those along
the frontier were jeopardized by this
condition In particular, there were
fears Of an outbreak in the Sioux coun-
try, because of the absence of troops.
1t was not desirable, therefore, SO to
withdraw our forces from the frontier
as to leave them defenseless or to in
Nite disorder.
This condition, said Gen. Miles, had
l soldier for 1000 of population at home,
with native troops in the newly ac-
quired colonies on a basis of native
soldiers for every 1000 population "If
we are to be a first-class power in the
world, proceeded Gen. Miles, I'VE must
have military system adequate to
meet our responsibilities the world
over. ] believe in making that system
so small that it will not be a menace
10 the American people and at the same
time large enough to make it adequate
for any emergency"
The science of war had undergone a
complete change since the days of our
forefathers, Gen. Miles said and now
smokeless powder long-range rifles and
machine guns were the decisive ele-
ments. With this changed condition,
he believed 1 soldier to 1000 population
would give an army entirely adequate
for every need. 1t would give an army
of $1,000 according to the last census
and about $4,000 on the estimated popu-
lation of today. In addition to this
force, the use of native troops would
make an effective body in the several
colonies.
Gen, Miles said we now have a great
er number of our men abroad than any
other country. except perhaps Great
Britain. The British force in Egypt was
hardly more than $500 men. On the
basis of native soldiers for every 1000
population, the native troops in Porto
Rico would be recruited up to about
1000 and in Cuba to about 5000.
And if we are to keep the Philip
pines-and I have no more idea that
we will give up Manila than that we
viii give up Bunker Hill or any other
place immortaliZed in our history-then
this native force will largely augment
our own troops there, and ! understand
l,a Ia
service"
Cen Miles then turned his attention
to the bill drawn by him. He had pre-
pared this, he said, simply in order to
express his views in definite form. He
explained IN detail the provisions as to
cavalry, artillery, infantry and staff.
AS to cavalry organizations. he said
the tendency was to reduce the number
or men in a regiment, as experience had
shown that 1000 men was about as
many as a colonel could maneuvre with
effect. AS to artillery, he urged that
the four-gun formation was more de-
Firable than the six-gun, in giving to
the enemy the first effective blows,
which were the decisive ones.
The hearing took quite spirited turn
when several Of the democratic mem
bers of the committee began cross
questioning Gen. Miles. When Repre-
sentative Cox of Tennessee asked that
the minority have an opportunity to
ask some questions, Chairman Hull ex-
pressed the hope that the committee
would not divide on political lines, as
it had never before separated into ma
jority and minority.
In response to questions, Gen. Miles
said at least 1000 native troops and 2000
of our troops We're required to main
tain order in Porto Rico. At least
$4,000 were required for west
ern ports exposed to Indian uprisings
When asked how many troops were re-
qulred in Cuba, Gen. Miles said that
as troops were moving there now, he
would not go into details on that
point, as it might be enormously con-
strued as comment on his superiors in
office. He expected that most Of the
troops would be off for Cuba within so
days.
when viii the Cuban government be
organized'?9 asked Mr. sulzer dem,
N ".
Il do not know; that is political
question: replied the general
He went on to say that probably 10
600 men would be sufficient for Cuba in