The San Francisco call., 1899-08-18

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1.-THE pol
icy of the War Department" said Sec
retary Root to-day, is to furnish Gen
eral Otis with all the troops and sup
plies that he can use and which are
necessary to wind up the insurrection
in the Philippines in the shortest pos
sible time
The Secretary was speaking Of the
ten regiments which were called out to-
day by order of the President. He said
that no delay would be allowed in en-
listing, equipping and supplying the
new regiments already organized to
the Philippines as soon as they were
needed for active operations. If the
present number Of transports are insult
ficient more Will be procured. The men
already enlisted for the Philippine serv-
ice will be sent at once and the new
regiments Will be forwarded as fast as
they are organized and needed. While
there has been some suggestion that
the new regiments will be used as a re-
serve force, 1t may be stated positively
that these regiments, as we'll as more
if they can be used. will be sent to
reinforce General Otis.
order of to-day to the various depart
ments of the army and they at once
began preparations for supplying the
new organizations.
Within half an hour the Ordnance
Bureau had sent orders to the different
arsenals directing that complete out
fits of arms and ordnance supplies for
each regiment be sent to the rendez-
vous where they are to be. organized.
The Quartermaster's Department gave
orders for supplying tents, clothing and
other equipments furnished by that de-
partment, while the Commissary De
partment ordered a sufficient supply of
ratiOns to be on hand TO feed the troops
as fast as they arrive. The Medical
Department was also directed to see
that supplies were sent. The regi-
ments will be recruited with the same
care exercised in enlisting the first ten
regiments.
The districts not very thoroughly
covered in recruiting for the first ten
regiments Will be visited by the Off
GERS recruiting for these regiments. 1t
is the intention of the department to
have the regiments give more attention
to firing than to any other feature or
the drill. The men will be armed, as
are the regular infantry regiments,
with the magazine army rife.
The selection of the majors and COM
pany officers for the regiments is now
occupying the attention of the Secre-
tary, and the men are being chosen
from among the volunteers who We're
called out in the Spanish war. The
officers will be distributed as equitably
as possible among the different States,
but the efficiency record of the men will
govern to great extent III lHer Sc
lection.
The regiments will be numbered from
thirty-eight to forty-seven, and will be
organized at the following places in the
order named: Fort Smelling and Fort
Crook. Nebr: Fort Riley, Kans.; two
at Camp Meade, Pa; Fort Niagara. n.
Y: Fort Ethan Allen. VT; Fort Leav-
enworth, Kans.: Jefferson Barracks,
Mo. and South Framingham, Mass.
AS will be seen by to-days order, the
regiments are to be recruited in the
New England and the Western States.
Kansas and Pennsylvania have been
selected as the best field for recruits.
II is said that no special effort is to be
made to secure recruits in the Southern
States This is due, 1t is SAID 10 the
experience of the officers who operated
in that quarter for recruits for the ten
volunteer regiments just organized. The
only places where difficulty was expe-
rienced in securing men was in Geor-
gia. Alabama and the Carolinas and
the Gulf States and the two Northwest
ern Pacific States.
To-day's action will add 1900 men
to the enlisted strength of the army
and increase the total strength of the
army to 95,O35 men. The total number
of volunteers called into service is 3O.lf0
men. being only 1880 men short of the
total authorized volunteer establish
ment of $4,000. It is stated at the de-
partment that the number Of volun-
teers already called into service is re-
garded as amply sufficient to meet all
possible needs of the army. and that
there is no possibility that the remain
ing 1899 volunteers will be called for.
Yesterday recruiting for the volunteer
army amounted to 2S9 men. making the
total recruitment to date 14,122. or 1892
In excess Of the her renuired TO