Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-16
Considering the Question Of Recruit
ing More Volunteers.
FIVE MORE REGIMENTS POSSIBLE
DesirabiIity of increasing the Trans
portation Facilities.
PLANS FOR THE AUTUMN

Having pract1cally cOmpleteQ the OfSanl-
cation Of the ten volunteer regiments in
this country. the officials of the War De-
partment are now directing their energies
toward still further increase in the army.
Beyond a general admission that the sub
ject Of increasing the army is under serious
consideration, the officials of the depart
ment are not inclined to discuss the mat
ter for publication. The explanation for
this reticence given by Adjutant General
Corbin is that nothing whatever has been
settled yet. He says that the reports
that five additional regiments of volunteers
are to be organized are pure speculation
The matter is under consideration he says,
and nothing has yet been decided in regard
to the number of regiments or men it may
be desirable to add to the army. He added
that it had not yet been finally decided
even to increase the military strength.
Indications Point to an Increase.
Nevertheless, all the Indications point in
that direction. and there will be general
surprise if orders are not forthcoming in
the near future of the recruitment of at
least five more regiments of volunteers.
Some persons who claim to have knoWl-
edge of what is going on in the War De-
partment say that at least ten or fifteen
thousand more volunteers will be called for
the present calendar year. These same
people go even further and assert that it
is not improbable that the entire author
lied volunteer strength of 35,0oO men will
be brought into service in case the early
operations of the fall in the Philippines in
dictate that the army of 10000 men allotted
to Gen. Otis Is not sufficient for the prompt
suppression of the instruction This Is
regarded as an excessive estimate, how
ever, and the proposition is ridiculed by
such of the officials as would discuss the
natter even in brief.
Just after his recent visit to the Pres
ident at Lake Champlain. Secretary Root
announced that vigorous policy would be
adopted for the immediate subjugation of
the insurgents, and that all the troops nee
essary for that purpose would be placed at
the disposal of Gen. Otis with the least
possible delay. Plans for the organization
OF thir teen regiments of volunteers, includ-
ing three regiments to be raised IN the
Philippines, were formulated during the
administration of Secretary Alger, with
the view of giving Gen. Otis an effective
fighting force of at least $1,000 men. With
the exception of the regiments IN the Phil
ippines, these regiments are now pracd-
cany organized and ready for the move
ment the Philippines. The plan under
considerati ton by Secretary Root and his
advisers is to add still further to this force
by the recruitment Of at least five more
regiments.
The Fifty Thousand on Hand.
Ills ~ Irrespective Ol y dis diicauS IA
operation, which contemplate an active
force of combatants in the Philippines of
30, $50 men. This force is made up fol-
lows:
Regulars. including 5000 on the way and
$500 about to sail from San Francisco.
80 423: organizing in the Philippines, three
regiments of volunteers, including one cav
airy regiment, 2. S65; ten infantry regiments
of volunteers organizing in the United
States 1900; medical officers and hospital
corps, 1879. and officers, 1873; total, 5O.3O
About q, 900 of this force are already on
duty in the Philippines, and the remainder
will be forwarded there as rapidly as the
transportation facilities will permit.
REMUNERATION Facilities.
The ordinary facilities of the government
will permit Of the transportation of the en-
tire force Of volunteers now in this coun-
try to the Philippines by the 1st of Decem-
ber This can be accomplished. however.
only by the use Of the entire transport fleet
at the disposal of the government. Accord
ing to the figures of the War Department
there are in the ncigEbOrhood OF about
%. 900 troops awaiting transportation to the
Philippines. OF this number about 20JUo
will be sent by way of San francisco. The
others may have to be transported to
Manila by way of the SueZ canal. The
transports Logan and Thomas are now
being fitted up on the Atlantic coast for
this service. but it will hardly be possible
for them to reach Manila before the LIST Of
January.
Secretary Root has been In consultation
with the officers Of the quartermaster S
department with view to expedtting the
movement of these reinforcements.
Inasmuch as this cannot well be one
under the existing conditions of the trans
portation service, it Is not at all unlikely
that the department will charter addition
al transports for this service. Under the
present schedule of the Pacific transport
fleet the last available vessel of the fleet
will sail from San Francisco with the last
of the volunteer army. as now organized,
October % In that event it will be about
December 1 before the last Of the reinforce
ments reach Gen. Otis.
To Obtain Additional Facilities.
The present plan of the department is to
secure additional ships at once, in order
that the entire body of achievements may
be forwarded long before the end Of Octo-
Der, so that the entire force may be avail
able for service in the Philippines during
the month of October at the latest.
A short and successful campaign by this
new army would. of course. obv1ate the ne
cessity for sending more troops to the
Philippines, and the plans now under con-
sderation at the War Department are said
to be predicated on that idea, 1t being in
tended that all additional troops that may
be recruited in the meantime shall be SIM
ply held in reserve for possible contingent
cies, and with the hope and expectation
that they will not be called upon to go TO
the Philippines.
Progress of Recruiting.
Returns received today by Colonel Ward.
the officer in charge of recruiting service.
show that $40 men were secured for the vol
unteer army yesterday, making total of
Il, 1913. which is 743 men in excess Of the
number required for the ten volunteer regi-
ments being organized in this country. The
excess will be used in completing the Goth,
33d and 35th Regiments, which are still
short of their complement, and also in I'LL
ing up the three regiments being organized
in the Philippines About 800 men are need
ed for this purpose, and at the present rate
of recruiting 1t will only take a few days
to secure that number.
Looking Over Omcers' Records.
Secretary Root has been giving careful
attention to the efficiency records Of officers
who may be selected for the volunteers.
While he has not said how many regiments
will be organized, the skeleton formations
being considered in the department indicate
that five are in contemplation. 1t Will re-
quire the selection of $50 officers for these
regiments. 1t is probable that the colonies
will be selected from the regular army, and
perhaps some of the lieutenant colonies and
majors but most Of the other officers, both
field and company officers. will be taken
from the volunteer ORGANIZATIONS that warp