The record-union., 1898-04-24
CALL FOR !
VOLUNTEERS
ISSUED.
Mckinley Promu|gates a
Proclamation
Providing for the Increase Of
Military Forces.
Calls for One Hundred and Twenty
Five Thousand Troops.
The Proclamation to be Certified to the
Governors of the Several States
and Territories To-
morrow.


WASHINGTON, April 23-The Pres
ident to-day called upon the people of
the United States for the first time III
thirty years to manifest their martial
strength, the call this time being upon a
united people to go forward to battle
with a foreign foe. The Secretary of
War created a new army corps. The
two taken together with other news of
the day, showed that the regular army
soon will move on Cuba, and that mean
while the volunteers will be equipped
and drilled
The Presidents proclamation, while
actually issued, was not certified to the
Governors Of the States and Territories,
and will not be until Monday. The
reason is twofold. In the first place,
the War Department desires to avoid
destroying the present organization of
the National Guard, which is to be
called into service first. The guard reg
iments are composed of twelve COM
panies, and, being differed more nu-
merously than the regular army regi-
ments, would have to be changed to cor
respond to the army organization in
order to comply with the order as it
exists. The pending Hull bin, 1however,
provides for meeting just such en-
emergency, and permits the use of the
National Guard as organized. This
iC anr.n INN lnrto mt han
would appear at first, inasmuch as many
of the National Guard have volunteered
only under condition that they may
serve as now organized T.
The second consideration which influ-
enced the department in postponing the
certifcation of the call until Monday
is desire to make sure that adequate
arrangements can be completed by
Department for transporting and feed
ing the large number of men called for.
This is no light task, as the volunteers
must be taken by the. Government at
they are to be collected by the Gov
ernors
kilograms have been coming from al
most every section of the country to
militia officers conveying information as
to the length of time, surprisingly short
in many cases, that would be required
by them to gather their forces ready for
q foc CT
in by regular army officers in the vari-
Gus States, will be brought to one of
three great depots, namely, Washington.
Richmond or Atlanta, where they will
be organized to meet the requirements of
modern army tactics.
The fact that Richmond is named as
one of these points is taken in some
quarters as an evidence that Fitzhugh
Lee is to receive a volunteer commission.
either one of the four Major Generals or
one of the nine Brigadier- Generals pro-
vided for in the volunteer bill. for 1t is
believed to have been largely at his in
stance that Richmond was selected as
one of the points of concentration
In anticipation of the certification of
the Presidents call, a vast number of
letters and kilograms have begun to
flow in upon Secretary Alger, offering
the services of the senders as volune
teers in the army. So numerous are
these communications that the Secre-
tary has asked the press to notify the
peOple that such cOmmunica tionS
should be directed to the Governors of
their respective States and Territories,
as he has no authority under the law
to accept volunteers directly.
The President also concluded to de-
fer at least until Monday the message
to Congress recommending that dec
laration of war be passed.
Senator Davis, Chairman of the Com
mittee on Foreign Relations, some days
ago expressed it to be the view of the
committee that a declaration of war
should be made in specific tones by
Congress, but since then has expressed
the belief that it is not now necessary.
Members of the Cabinet, however, with
one or Two exceptlcES, Stllts DelleVe
war declaration is absolutely necessary,
IN order to fix a proper status of this
Government, as such a declaration un-
questionably would enlarge the scope of
the rights of this Government in case
of general conflict and it is not un-
likely that Congress will be asked to
take this step on Monday, or soon
thereafter.