The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-06-24
AAY CALL FOR MORE VOLUNTEERS.
+ Otis Says He Needs More Mon.
MCKINLEY Will Issue . Call.

I Otis Says ne N0001 mOk 1AOAs
Mckinley Will Issue . Call.
Washington, June 21.-''The slight.
.st intimation from General Otis that
ae wants more troops in addition 70
hose he now has with him and those
who are to be sent to him under the
.ecent order will be followed by .
prompt call for volunteers. There will
pc no further parleying with Agulnnl-
10 and his followers and no letrup In
The aggressive campaign which Gen.
sral Otis is conducting"
So spoke one of the most influential
nembers of the cabinet. He said b
country was ready to support the
president with all the troops he might
need.
st is the intention Of the president"
said he, .to use every means in his
power to put down the rebellion in
the Philippines as promptly as possi-
Bile. Just before the president went
away this subject was frequently dis
russed at cabinet meetings, and there
was no conflict Of opinion as to the
best policy to be pursued in the Phil
lppines. The president is determined
to restore peace and order throughout
the islands if it takes ten times as
many troops as we now have there. Up
to the present time there has not been.
a word or q suggestion from General
Otis and the ranking officers of his
command indicating that the force
there is insufficient.
'"The president stands ready to call
for as MANY volunteers as may be nee
essary to subdue the Filipinos, and
there lis every reason to believe that
he can secure without delay all the
volunteers he may call for. This is
the true situation SO far as the admins
istration is concerned, and it is unfair
and unjust to charge the president
with a want of aggressiveness in deal
Ing with this subject"
Continuing, the cabinet officer said:
''The official and unofficial reports OF
the engagements in the Philippines
have agreed In the statement that In
every encounter the American forces
have been victorious. With victory
upon victory reported from headquar-
tiers it was fair to assume that the en-
envy would eventually become weary
of being thrashed and finally recog-
nize the powers and determination of
the American forces. Under the cir
cumstances there has thus far been
nothing to justify the president in
calling for more troops"
The official then made the statement
which begins this dispatch.
Why Mckinley Has Hesitated.
Thus far the president has hesitated
to use the power conferred upon him
by congress to enlist $4,000 volunteers,
for the reason that he fears such a
course would subject him to criticism
from those who see a menace to free
institutions in every additional man
enlisted in the army, and who would
attribute to him imperialistic motives
# he should increase the effective
fighting force of the country to 100,0 600
men. Being predisposed, for political
reasons, to keep the army down to a
minimum, Mr.. Mckinley was con-
frmed in his determination to avoid
calling for volunteers by the estimate
of the force needed sent by Major Gen
eral Otis, especially as certain high Of
fcers of the army, on whose advice the
president is accustomed to rely, were
Of the opinion that General Otis had
put his figures high enough.
Recent events have shown that Gen
eral Otis, who has shown himself to be
n capable officer in the management OF
the Philippine campaign, has made a
serious mistake in estimating the
strength and endurance of Aguinal-
dos forces, and, with few exceptions,
the officers of the army on duty in
Washington are of the opinion that it
would be a serious blunder for the ad.
ministration to delay giving General
Otis substantial reinforcements just
as rapidly as men can be sent out on
the transports. Even from a political
point of view it is believed that il
would be the part of wisdom for this
president to act promptly in calling
for more troops and sending General
Otis enough men to bring matters in
the Philippines to a conclusion in a
few weeks by administering to the
insurgents q succession of crushing de-
fcats.