Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-06-29
ENLISTMENT THEPLAN
Recruiting to, Be Relied on for
Philippine Reinforcements'
VOLUNTEERS ARE WANTED.
About Ten Thousand the Number Of
Them Required.
NO STATE NAMES TO BE PERMITTED
The Regiments VIII he known as
First, Second, Third. &C., Volunteer
United states Infantry, or Cavalry
How the Officers VIII BE Chosen.
NO STATE NAMES TO BE PERMITTED
How the Officers VIII he Chosen.

WASHINGTON, June 2S-Secretary AL
ger, Acknowledgement Corbin, and Colo
mel Bird, assistant OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
raj in charge of transportation, had an
hours consultation with the President
to-day, relative to the question of rein
fOrcements for General Otis.
A definite decision has been reached &c
continue recruiting men at all the re-
cruiting stations for service in the philip
pines, and Secretary Alger said when M
left the White House, after the confer
ence, that General Otis would have 4O,VOl
men when the rainy season closed, for
resumption of active operations.
There are seventy recruiting. stations In
the United States, and enlistments are
to be made at all of these stations. The
enistments are to be for service In the
regular army, and recruits are to be or
ganized into regiments, or assigned to
regiments already formed, after enlist
ment No organizations as such are to
be accepted. if sufficient recruits can be
obtained by regular enlistment.
THE ENLISTA1ENTS FOR THREE,
YEARS.
General Corbin said the enlistments
would be for three years, although the
law for the creation of a provisional
army of 5000 in excess of the regular
army of 5000 provides only for such
force until 1901. Arrangements are to DC
made at once for increasing the trans
portation necessary TO get these addition
al troops to the Philippines.
The decision to reinforce General OTIS
by the end of the rainy season Is inter
preted to mean that aggressive campaign
ing will cease until the bad weather ENDS
Until that time our operations will prop
ably be confined to occasional excursions
to places in close vicinity TO our nhes
where the insurgents may have congre-
qated in force. By remaining Quiesceni
under good shelter during the rainy sea-
son. II is hoped the health of our troops
will be conserved. and the danger from
climatic fevers reduced 10 a minimum.
THE MANILA sKELETONIZING.
General Otis has cabled the war De-
partment that he has the skeleton organl-
cations of two or three regiments, whicn
it Is nroposed to raise i'm the Philippines
/ AT the War Department this is said to
mean that General Otis has the officers
for these regiments selected and that the
organizations are ready to be filled with
enlisted men. How many OF these can De
secured from the volunteer regiments
now in the Philippines is not known. III
is stated at the War Department that the
recruits now being enlisted at the rate
OF 600 a week cannot be used for the
volunteer army provided for in the act
of March ID authorizing 5000 men, al
though it would be an easy matter to
transfer these men, with their own con-
sent. to the volunteer service. If it should
be determined to raise additional troops.
Later in the day it was definitely de-
cded to begin the enlistment for the
first volunteer service under the act of
the last Congress. The reports TO the ~Ad-
iutant General based on the reports of
the recruiting officers, and on close esti-
mates as To the number OF soldiers in the
Philippines and in each command in
Cuba and Porto Rico, show that the reg
ular army is up TO its full authorized
strength.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED.
The additional soldiers needed must be
obtained under that section of the act OF
Congress authorizing the enlistment OF
volunteers. The only exception will be
in the case OF few enlistments that
will be made from time to time TO fill
gaps in the regular army, caused by
casualties and by the expiration OF en-
listments. The officers scattered among
the principal cities of the country, who
have been enlisting regulars only, will be
-.
list volunteers. NE present indications
are that about 1000 men will be wanted.
Volunteers will not be accepted in. or
ganizations. Secretary Alger is deter
mined to adhere to that rule Looking
over the act OF Congress, he has con-
cluded that the authorization to raise
these volunteer troops Eat large" indi-
Gates a purpose on the part OF Congress
to follow out the plan successfully ope-
rated in the case of the immune regi-
ments.
NO STATE NAMES.
1t is the present purpose to disregard
State and local lines in securing the re-
cruits and welding them into organiza-
tions. Thus the regiments cannot be
known by State names, but simply under
the designation of First. Second, Third
&C, OluDlttI VI
Cavalry. No difficulty is anticipated in
securing the men needed. for IL is be-
lieved that the 1900 men who are weekly
offering themselves at the recruiting Of
fees will be even more willing to enter
the army as two-year volunteers than as
lOng-term regulars.
As TO OFFICERS.
As 10 the officers for these volunteer
regiments, the War Department intehos
to I'M the commands, In the hrst place.
by promoting officers. now in the regular
army, who give promise OF showing
ability as organizers and managers of the
raw recruits, and in the second place. by
commissioning many OF the officers OF the
volunteer organizations which covered
themselves with glory during the war
and have been, or are about TO be. mus
tered out of the service. The War De-
partment has carefully preserved the re-
cords OF these officers. and already has
nj hand a long list OF such OF them as
have exhibited soldierly qualities. calcn-
lated to make them OF service In or
ganizing the volunteer forces.