Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-12-17
MILES TALKS INCREASE.
The General Advocates His Army Biil
Before the House Committee
on Military Affairs.

on Military Affairs.
Washington, Dec. 13. Maj. Gen.
Miles appeared Monday before the |
house committee on military affairs sor |
O hearing relative to the proposed re- |
organization 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 ad- |
| dressed himself to the general need of
| increasing the army without reference
| 20 either bill. He said he had always
| favored the establishment of n fixed
| standard for the army. The expert
ence of the last year, he said, had dem
onstrated that our present military es-
/ tablshment was inadequate to MAN.
| tain our position as first-class power.
1t was necessary now to consider both
our military requirements at home and
those in our new colonial dependencies
abroad, and also the rapidly-increas-
ing demands made by our seacoast for
tifcations.
The latter, as far as completed, re-
quired some 1875 batteries of artillery,
and when the entire increase in coast
defense was completed 365 batteries
would be required. The war with Spain
had shown pretty clearly how many
men would be required, Gen. Miles said.
The war had required $4,000 men for
actual field operations at various
points. OF these, $4,000 men went to
Manila, 10000 to Cuba and 10000 to
, Porto Rico. These men were actually
in the presence of the hostile enemy.
Since then there have been reinforce
ments for garrison and other purposes
At the same time the general point
ed out that 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
ieopardized by this condition. In par
ticular there were fears of an outbreak
in the Sioux country because of the abb
sence of troops. 1t was not desirable
It therefore so to withdraw our forces
e from the frontier as to leave them de-
- fenseless or to invite disorder.
l. "If we are to be first-class power in
'e the world" proceeded Gen. Miles, 1--WE
u must have a military system adequate
10 meet our responsibilities the world
over. / believe in making that system
so small that it will not be menace to
II the American people, and at the same
time large enough to make it adequate
for any emergency"
He believed one soldier to 1000 popu
V lation would give an army entirely ade
Nv quate for every need. 1t would give al
d. army of 62 900, according to the last cen
r. sus, and about $4,000 on the estimate,
" population of to-day. In addition Il
to this force the use of native troops woul
p2 make an effective body in the severa
s: colonies. "And if we are to keep tn
Philippines-and l have no more ide
IN that we will give up Manila than tina
lie we will give up Bunker Hill or any othe
,p places immortalized in our history
by then this native force will largely aug
Sc ment our own troops there, and | III
be derstand the natives are ready to ente
ID upon this service" Gen. Miles then el
od planned in detail the bill drawn by hin
h. In response to questions Gen. Mile
said at least 1000 native troops an
Ter 1000 of our troops were required
I'm maintain order in Porto Rico AT lea.
I,s $4,000 were required for western pos
M. exposed to Indian uprisings. Whe
,r- asked how many troops were require
ho in Cuba, Gen. Miles said that as trooI
vo were moving there now he would not G
,oo into details on that point as it migl
as be enormously construed as CONNER
nd on his superiors in office. He eXpecte
ms that most of the troops would be off fl
Cuba within 30 days. He went on to sa
that probably 10000 men would be su
ficient for Cuba in the near future. TT
officers in the Philippines estimate
,r. they would require $4,000 men, possib
more. Altogether about 10000 m,
were needed abroad and 5000 at hon
When Mr.. Hay, of Virginia, suggest
;pg that Jamaica, no larger than Por
ion Rico, was governed by British for
nos Of 1,Os9 Gen. Miles said the conditio
1aT were quite different. Porto Rico w
IoG adequately garrsoned for double pr
on pose, as base for our ships and fore
!, T. and also to prevent Spain or any fc
,a- eign power from attempting to take
ioy TDnODC ENTED HAVANA