The San Francisco call., 1899-07-05
CALIFORNIA
BOYS WILL
SOON SAIL
Brigadier General James F.
Smith to Bring the Reg
iment Home.
PRESIDENT AT WORK
Acting as Commander Chief and
as His Own Secretary
of War.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

Special Dispatch to The Call.
CALL HEADQUARTERS, VEL
LINGTON HOTEL, WASHINGTON,
July 4.-The War Department has re-
ceived the following message from
General Otis:
MANILA, July 4-Adjutant General,
Washington: The California Infantry
and Artillery, to the number of fourteen
hundred, and discharged men will take
the Sherman now loading at Negros for
home. The Warren takes the Colorado,
1100 men: l am now preparing papers. 1t
is difficult to lighter transports In the ty
phoon now prevailing. The Grant is I'M
loaded and in four days will take on the
Idaho, North Dakota and Wyoming, six
discharged men.
The President shall be the COM
mander in chief of the army and navy
of the United States and of the mill
tia of the several States when called
into the actual service of the United
States"
When the President was asked by
friend the other day why he did not
leave the details of the pending war to
his subordinates and take vacation
he replied by quoting this sentence
from the constitution of the United
States.
In further explanation he said:
How can 1 take to the woods while
there is so much to be done toward
raising and looking after the army in
the Philippines and in carrying out the
obligations imposed upon me by the
constitution? 1t is my desire that the
army in the Philippines shall be the
best in the world. that General Otis
shall have everything he requires for
the comfort of his troops, and that
there shall be nothing lacking to bring
the campaign to speedy and success
full termination. I am not giving any
thought to the question of vacation
now and will not until General Otis re-
Inducements are we'll under way and
all arrangements have been made for
the return of the volunteers.
Few persons are aware of the close
personal attention which the Prest-
dent gives to every detail of the Phil
ippine campaign. With the anomalous
condition of affairs existing in the War
Department because of the friction be-
tween the Secretary of War and Gen
eral Miles, resulting in the army hav-
ing a commanding general who does
not command and a Secretary of War
who, whatever he may have been when
the blunders were committed at the be-
ginning of the war, is now a mere fig
urehead, the responsible work Of or
ganizing and maintaining the army In
the Philippines falls upon the Presf-
dent and Adjutant General Corbin, and
much that might be done by Subordt-
mates of the War Department the Pres
ident has to do himself.
There is not an order issued that he
does not have cOgniZance OF, ana he
frequently writes orders himself. He is
in the war telegraph room Of the White
House many times during the day and
night, reading kilograms to and from
General Otis and studying the war map,
which is corrected every time there is
a battle or a change of troops in the
Philippines.
The wire which conveys messages
from the War Department to General
Otis is, so to speak, tapped in the White
House. where every message to or from
Otis is taken off for the personal infor-
nation of the President. Messages
which come from General Otis at night
are frequently received and translated
in the White House and read to the
President before the officials In the War
Department know anything about
them.
So familiar has the President been
with the details of the Philippine cam
paign that he knows the location of
every regiment in the islands, and can
tell by name every volunteer regiment
that is coming home, the transport on
which it will SAIL the transports which
will be available for carrying additional
troops to Manila and every detail In
connection with the organization of the
volunteers now being enlisted.
AS an Illustration of the care he gives
to the minutest details l was told to-
day that the President had given orders
for the purchase of one additional
transport in order to make sure there
may be no delay in sending reinforce
ments to General Otis and in bringing
hack the volunteers. He had been
G. nf
furnished by the Quartermaster's De-
nartment 1t gave the names of avail
a BILE transports and of the troops to go
from San Francisco and to be brought
back from. Manila, with the dates on
which the regiments Will sail. The ar
rangement appeared to be perfect for
every regiment had been provided for,
but the President observed that no pro-
vision had been made for possible acc1-
dents. and to be on the safe side at once
gave orders for one extra transport for
emergency.
the President in dealing with all the
plans of the Department of War for
caring for the Philippine army. That
the army there has been so we'll pro-
vided and that such large number of
troops have been sent so many miles
and many of them brought home with
ont any other trouble is [ am told by
officials of the War Department, large
ly due to the foresight the President
has shown in providing for emergen-
cieS
II is said at the War Department that
the return Of the volunteer organiza-
tions from the Philippines will have no
effect on the rank of the volunteer gem
| eraI officers now on duty there. The
number of general officers depends, not
| on the particular organizations in
| the service but on the total number Of
men. The law provides for one major
general to every $1,000 men. There will
be in the joint establishment, when the
| present recruiting arrangements are
! completed. about $4,000 men, There are
now three major generals in the regu-
| lar establishment-Mile Merritt and
| Rrooke-and in the volunteers Shafter,
| Otis. Lawton and Macarthur. This ar
rangement will probably stand. as there
is a fraction over the quota of men for
! six major generals. There are now on
duty in the Philippines the following
! hrigadiers in the order of seniority
named: Bates, Young, Schwan, Hall,
| wheaton. Grant, Hughes and Oven
! shine. 1t is understood that these will
| ALI retain their commands 1t is not
| haliaved the increase in the Joint eStab-