The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-02
THE HULL ARMY BILL.

In the Forum of June Representative Hull,
chairman of the House committee on mill
tary affairs, has an article relating to the
Hull army bill, which was so much dis
cussed before its passage. At the outset
Mr. Hull says that "ours is the only gov
eminent on earth willing to go to war with
out making the slightest preparation. This
is true and it is true because the sentiment
prevails that any American citizen is SOL
der from the hour that he Is put in posses
sion of firearm. This sentiment ridicules
organization and discipline, consequently the
people were not dismayed when war was de-
clared with Spain. although. to use the Ian
guage of Mr.. Hull, 1--WE had no land force
worthy of the name and were handicapped
with laws which compelled the organization
of the army on obsolete and utterly ineffi-
cient models
When General Grant was President and
General Sherman was general of the army,
they urged the reorganization of the army,
particularly of the infantry, upon the plan
of three battalions of four companies each
for regiments. Such reorganization has
been urged by every secretary Of
war since the days of Grant and Sherman
but without avail. This has been due large
ly to the influence of the demagogue in and
out of Congress- In 1895 Mr.. Hull introduced
the Lamont bill, which added two regiments
of artillery, made necessary by the coast
defenses, and reorganized the infantry into
three battalions. The bill, however, in
creased the total of the army 5000 men,
raising 1t to 10000. 1t was assailed by the
demagogues, who saw in an army of 10000
men a menace to the liberties of 100000
of their fellow-citizens. The army had been
used to hold the Debs instruction in check,
and that credible procedure frightened rep
rese1ratives. Law-abiding people seemed to
forget the great service the regular army
had been TO the settlers on the border. 1t is
needless to add that the last Congress did
not pass the bill.
When the present Congress met, Mr.. Hull
presented the bill recommended by secreta-
ries and officers, which finally became a
law If the bill had been passed when re-
ported the Nation would have had an army
on May which would have driven the Span
iards out of Cuba. BY some means the Ma
tiOnal Guard was niSlHIOrmeQ regarding the
features of the bill, and it's officers sent
protests against its passage. Mr.. Hull then
telegraphed Governors of States TO send off,
GERS Of the guard for a conference regarding
| the features of the bill. In that conference
Indiana was represented by General Mckee
and Captain Curtis. The intelligent officers
at once saw that the measure had been mis-
understood, and withdrew objection. There
upon it was unanimously passed by Con-
gress but war had been declared and valua-
BILE time had been lost.
Mr. Hull says that the construction of the
section of the act, by which sixty-five men
would constitute a company is very unfor-
tunate. 1t was made TO oblige Governors
who desired to call the entire National
Guard into the service. The result is a much
larger number of regiments than should
have been organized. As all writer's agree
| that two-thirds of the strength of com
pany Is all that can be counted on as avail
| able. companies of sixty-five privates mean
only forty men on the lighting line. This
| makes an enormously expensive organiza-