The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-13
GENERAL MILES HEARD.
Advocated an Increase In The Army and
Gave Reasons Therefor.
THE PRESENT SITUATION UNSATISFACTORY
Commanding General HAS Little Nu-
thorisy--Gcns. schoneld Nnd Miles
smoke OF Injustice Done.

Wash!ngton, December t2Major Cen
eral Miles appeared today before the house
committee on military affairs for a hear
ing relative to the proposed reorganization
and increase Of the army Two bills for
this purpose are pending. one drawn BY
General Miles, and introduced In the sem
ate as Che Hawley bill and another Intro
dueed In the house by Chairman Hull, OF
the military committee.
At tho outset General Miles addressed
! himself to the general need OF increasing
| the army without reference To either pili
| lie said he had always favored the estao-
| lishment OF a fixed STANDARD for the army
Inc experience of last yeir. he SAID. had
! demonstrated that our present military es-
tabiishzpeIt was inadequate 10 our posi-
tsOii as a trvt-class power. 1t was nec-
| essary now to consider both our military
reuuiremsnts at home and those III our
new colonial dependencies abroad, and also
the rapidly increasing demands made by
our sea coast fortificatiops. The latter, as
far AZ completed. required some 1856 har-
| teries of artillery and when tile entire
increase In coast dcfenses was competed
3bo would be relu rod. The war With
Spain had shown pretty clearly how many
| The war had required 81, 900 men Tor actual
field operations at various points. or
| these %, 900 men to Manila, 10000 to Cuba
and 10000 to Porto Rico. These We're NC i
| tIially In the presence OF the hostile enemy.
| Since then there had been reinforcemonts
| for garrison and other purposes. AT the
| same time the general pointed out that
| the necessittte at home must not be over
looked the entire frontier had been
stripped OF troops during the late war,
and complaints We're Coming in THAT the
| lives. families and property of those along
| the frontier were ieopardized BY this con-
dition.
| In particular there were fears or an
outbreak in the Sioux country because OF
\ the absence OF troops. 1t was not deslr-
able. therefore, 80 10 withdraw our forces
| from the frontier as to leave them de-
| fenseless or to Invite disorder.
| These considerations said General Milos.
| had led him to recommend a standard OF
! one soldier for 1000 population at home
| with native troops on basis OF two native
! soldiers for every 1000 population
| IF we are to be power In the world,
| proceeded General Miles, I'VE must have
| q military system adequate to meet our
| RESPONSIBILITIES the world over. l believe
| ia making that system so small that it
Will not be menace to the American
people and at the same time large enough
to make 1t adequate for any emergency
And II we are TO keep the Philippians
and have mo more idea that we Will give
| UP Manila them that We viii give up Bunk
err Hill. or any other place inimortalized IN
| cur hastory-uhen the native force VIII
| largely augment our own troops there,
| and | understand the natives are ready
| to enter upon this service"
| General Miles then explained in detail The
| bill drawn by him.
| At the afternoon meeting General Scho-
| field who preceded General Miles in COM
mand of the army, deyosed his chief atten-
ton to the friction inevitably arising be-
tween the secretary of war and the COM
| manding general of the present system:
| This had occurred during the commani OK
General Scott. who removed his headquar-
! tiers to New York to avoid differences arts
| ing with the wiar department. Ill occurred
| also during the command of General Sher-
| man. who went 10 St. Louis TO avoid fric-
| ton. The trouble erose out Of this system
which gave the head of the army the name
| of commanding general, when in fact ne
| had little or no authority, or even inflii-
ence as commanding general. Whether he
| does anything depends largely on his per-
sonal relations with The secretary OF WIT.
| III these relations are not close, then tha
secretary of war gets to ignoring the So
called commanding general. In that event,
the adjutart general becomes more i'm
portant official than the commanding gem
Grad. General Schofield urged that one OF
| the most essential features OF army rsor-
ganization was to give the president obso-
| lutte power to select his own commaldins
officer. General Schofield urged also that
| the heads of all staff bureaus should he
subordinate to the general in chief.
| After General Schofield had concluded
| General Niles said he did not approve the
| suggestion that the head OF the army be
an executive staff officer to the president.
| During the most of the time. for the last
| mn ,.arc di,o ARMY had fnnn under a Usll-
| eral or a lieutenant general and that WAS
! the practice the world over.
| General Miles said he di5 not speak from
a personal standpoint. as he was ready 4,
be retired at any time. But he believed
| in the principle Of rank and authority
| commensurate with the responsibility.
| General Miles said that he thought -
| would be better for The president TO nave
| a war minister 10 more particularly erect
| the vast administrative work OF tie w'sr
| department. as 1t wa5 manifcstly imnos-
| sible for one man to come from civil LIE
and at once become familiar with al tho
| latest appliances of war. II the one occu-
pying the chief military position was mol
| liked then let someone else be plcced IN
| military authority But the selection
should not be from 20 far down on the list
| as to amount to favoritism. for that would
| not be approved by the people.
Genfnal Miles pointei out that three ma
Tor generals. Merritt. Brooke and himself,
| have come through the recent War Witnocs
| hone of recognition. He cared nothing as
TO himself. but urged that the servi:,s u
! Generais Merritt and Brooke have b'e',
such that the rank Of lieutenant gene al
| for them. as would be given Under this
bill, would be fitting. dn this cohhecii,n
1 be referred to the cruel WORDING OF thc
! system By which Meade. Hanc,.S ar'.
Thomas mad never received the rank AMI
recognition due them for emih1t sea
viees. two OF them going broken hearted -
their graves.
General Schofifld strongly tndor;e,i what
General Niles had sad on giving the am
plest recognition ami rank 10 genera 'of
their Services.
corbn and other bureau CHIEFS WIZ hs
heard.