The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-06-29
He viii Have 40, 600 Men When the
Rainy Season Closes.
Enlistments to be Taken at All the
Recruiting Stations in the
Country-Will be Under the Act
Authorizing Enlistment of Vol
unteers and It Is Estimated
About 10000 Men Will be
Needed.

Alger, Adjutant General Corbin and
Colonel Bird, Assistant Quartermaster
General, in charge of transportation.
had an hours consultation with the
President to-day relative to the ques-
9 ton of reinforcements for General Otis.
A definite decision had been reached
to continue recruiting men at all the
recruiting stations for service in the
Philippines, and Secretary Alger said
When he left the White House after
the conference that General Otis would
have 10000 men when the rainy sea-
son closed for a resumption of active
operations.
There are seventy recruiting stations
IN the United States, and enlistments
are to be taken at all of these sta
tons. The enlistments are to be for
service in the regular army, and re-
cruits are to be organized into regi-
ments or assigned to regiments already
formed after enlistment No organiza-
lions as such are to be accepted if suf-
ficient recruits can be obtained by reg
ular enlistment. General Corbin said
the enlistments would be for three
years. although the law for the crea-
ton of the provisional army of $1,000
in excess of the regular army of $1,000
provides only for such force until
1901. Arrangements are to be made
at once for increasing the transported
ton necessary to- get these additional
troops to the Philippines. The decision
to reinforce General Otis by the end Of
the rainy season is interpreted to mean
that active campaigning will cease I'M
til the bad weather ends. Until that
time our operations will probably J,be
confined to occasional excursions to
places in close proximity to our lines
where the insurgents may have congre-
gated in force. By remaining quiescent
under good shelter during the rainy
season, it is hoped the health of our
troops will be conserved and the dan
ger from climatic fevers reduced to a
minimum.
General Otis has cabled to the War
Department that he has the skeleton
organizations of two or three regi-
ments which he proposes to raise in
the Philippines. AT the War Depart
ment this was said to mean that Gen
eral Otis has the officers for these reg
iments selected, and that they are
ready to be filled with enlisted men
How many of these can be secured
from the volunteer regiments now in
the Philippines is not stated 1t is
stated at the War Department that
the recruits now being enlisted at the
rate of LOCO week cannot be used
for the volunteer army provided for in
the Act of March ID, authorizing 35.-
eco men, although it would be an easy
matter to transfer these men with theic
If it should be determined to raise
additional troops.
Later in the day it was definitely de-
cided to begin the enlistment for the
volunteer service under the Act of the
last Congress. The reports to the Ad-
jutant 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
regular army is up to it's full author
lied strength. The additional soldiers
needed must be obtained under that
Act of Congress authorizing the enlist
ment Of volunteers The only exception
will be in the case of the few enlist
ments that will be made from time to
time to fill gaps in the regular army
caused by casualties and by the ex-
piration of enlistments The officers
scattered among the principal cities of
the country who have been enlisting
regulars only will be instructed inn
mediately to prepare to enlist volun-
teers- The present indications are that
about 10000 men will be wanted
Volunteers will not be accepted in
organizations.
Secretary Alger is determined to adj
here to that rule. Looking over the
Act of Congress- he has concluded that
the authorization to raise these volun-
teer troops sat large" indicates a pur-
pose on the part of Congress to follow
out the plan successfully adopted of
immune regiments. 1t is the present
purpose to disregard State and local
lines in securing the recruits and weld
ing them into organizations. Regiments
will be designated as the Second, Third,
etc. volunteer United States infantry,
artillery or cavalry. No difficulty is
anticipated in securing the men need
ed. 1t is believed that LOCO men who
are weekly offering themselves at the
recruiting offices will be even more
willing to enter the army as two-year
volunteers than as long-term regulars.
officers for these volunteer regiments
will be obtained by promoting officers
now in the regular army and by COM
missioning many of the best officers of
the volunteer organizations which saw
service. The War Department has
carefully preserved the records of these
officers, and has at hand a long list of
such Of them as exhibit the qualities
requisite for the successful organiza-
ton of troops.
Ass0cTATTON OF wRrTERS.