Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-12-13
MILES ON ARMY BILL,
Inc Major General Explains His Meas.
ure to House Committee,
FAV0RS A FIXED STANDARD
Gays That This Years Exuer,.rc.
SHOWS Our Present Military E..
innate a. Inadequate-Need
For Troops at Home.

washington, Dec. 13.-Major Genera,
Nlles appeared before the house com.
mlttee on military affairs for a hearing
felatlve to the proposed reorganization
and increase of the army, Two hill.
ior this purpose are pending, one drawn
ny General Miles and introduced in the
senate as the Hawley bill and another
introduced in the house by Chairman
Hull OF the military committee.
Al the outset General Miles address,
ed himself to the general need of in
creasing the army without reference to
either bill. He said he had ALWAYS IA.
vored the establishment of fixed
standard for the army. The experience
OF the last year, he said, had demon
strated that our present military esti-
mate 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 new colonial dependencies
abroad and also the rapidly increasing
demands made by our seacoast fortifl-
cations. The latter, as far as CONFLICT
ed, required some 1856 batteries OF artil-
lery, and when the entire increase in
coast defenses was completed 365 bat
teries would be required.
The war with Spain had shown pretty
clearly how many men would be re-
quired, General Miles said. The war
had required $4,000 men for actual field
operations at various points. OF these,
$4,000 men went to Manila, q, 900 to Gu
ba and 10000 to Porto Rico. These were
men actually in the presence Of the hos
tile enemy. Since then there had been
e-enforcements for garrison and other
purposes.
The Needs mt Home.
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 complaints were coming in
that the lives. families and property OF
those along the frontier were leopard
ICED by this condition. In particular
there were fears Of an outbreak in the
Sioux country 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 invite disorder
These considerations, said General
Miles, had led him to recommend
standard of one soldier for 1000 of pop
ulation at home, with native troops on
basis of two native soldiers for every
1000 population.
IF we are to be a first class power
In the world" proceeded General Miles,
I'VE must have military system ade-
quate to meet our responsibilities the
world over. believe in making that
system so small that 1t will not be
menace to the American people and at
the same time large enough to make 1t
adequate for any emergency"
The science of war had undergone a
complete change since the days of our
forefathers, General Miles said. and
now smokeless powder, long range RI
fles and machine guns were the deci-
sive elements. With this changed con-
dition he believed one soldier to 1000
population would give an army entirely
adequate for every need. 1t would give
an army of $4,000, according to the last
census. and about $4,000 on the estimat-
ed population Of today. In addition to
this force, the use Of native troops
would make an effective body in the
several colonies.
Our troops ADEOuus
General Miles said we now have a
greater 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 two native soldiers for
every 1000 population the native troops
in Porto Rico would be recruited up to
about 1000 and in Cuba up to about
5000.
"And IL we are to keep the Philip
pines-and I have no more idea that we
will give up Manila than that we Will
give I'D Bunker Hill or any other place
immortalized in our history-then this
native force will largely augment our
own troops there, and understand the
natives are ready to enter upon this
service"
General Miles then turned his atten-
tion to the bill drawn by him. He hao
nrepared 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 starr:
AS to the cavalry organization, ne salo
the tendency was to reduce the NUMBER
of men in a regiment, as experience nao
shown that 1000 men were about as
n,anv men as a colonel could maneuver
with effect. AS to the artillery, he urged
that the four gun formation was more
desirable than the six gun IN giving u