Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-07-06
A VOLUNTEER . ARMY.
The President Decides to Recruit
Men for Philippine Service.
ENLISTMENT TOBE FOR THREE YEARS
The Recent Indications Are That About
10000 Men VIII BE Wanted
and Local Lines to BE Dis.
regarded.

| ger, Ad]J.uen. COrDln ana COl. BIRD
assistant quartermaster general, il
charge of transportation, had an hour
consultation with the president yester
day relative to the question OF reinforce
ments for Gen. Otis. A definite deci
sion has been reached to continue re
cruiting men at all the recruiting sta
tons for service in the Philippines
and Secretary Alger said when he lef
the white house, after the conference
that Gen. Otis would have 10000 mer
when the rainy season closed for re
sumption of active'operations.
There are 70 recruiting stations ir
the United States and enlistments arr
to be taken at all of these stations
The enlistments are to be for service in
the regular army and recruits are to BIT
organized in the regiments or assigned
to regiments already formed under en-.
listment. No organizations as such
are to be accepted if sufficient recruits
can be obtained by regular enlist
ment. Gen. Corbn said the enlist
ments would be for three years, al
though the law for the creation OF the
provisional army of 30 900 in excess of
the regular army of g. 600 provides
only for such force until 1901. Ar
rangements are to be made at once for
increasing the transportation neces-
sary to get these additional troops to
the Philippines.
The decision to reinforce Gen. Otis
by the end Of the rainy season is in
terpreted to mean that aggressive cam
paigning will cease until the bad
weather ends. Until that time opera
tons will probably be contend to occa-
sional excursions to places in close vi
entity TO the American lines where the
insurgents may have congregated in
force. BY remaining quiescent under
good shelter during the rainy season it
is hoped the health of the troops will
be conserved and the danger from eli
matte fevers reduced to minimum.
Gen. Otis has cabled the war depart
ment that he has the skeleton organi-
cations of two or three regiments which
it is proposed to raise in the Philip
pines. AT the war department this was
said to mean that Gen. Otis has the Off
GERS for these regiments selected and
that they are ready to be filed with
enlisted men. How many of these
can be secured from the volunteer regi-
ments now in the Philippines is not
known. 1t is stated at the war depart
ment that the recruits now enlisting at
the rate of 1000 a week cannot be used
for the volunteer army provided for in
the act of March 2, authorizing $4,000
men, although it would be an easy
matter to transfer these men with their
own consent to the volunteer service if
it should be determined to raise addi-
tional troops.
Later in the day it was definitely de-
eided to begin the enlistments for the
volunteer service under the act of the
last congress. The reports to the adj
,utant general, based upon the reports
of the recruiting officers and on close
estimates as to the number of soldiers
in the Philippines and in each com
mand in Cuba and Porto Rico, show
that the regular army is up
to its full authorized strength.
The additional soldiers needed must
be obtained under that section of con-
gress authorizing the enlistment of
volunteers. The only exception will
be in the case of the 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 instructed Immediately to prepare
to enlist volunteers. The present indi- |
cations are that about 10000 men will |
be wanted.
Volunteers will not be accepted in
Secretary Alger is de-
Iermined to adhere to that rule. Look
ing over the act of congress, he has
that the authorization to
raise these volunteer troops 'at large
indicates a purpose on the part of con,
press to follow out the plan success
Iully ADOPTED IN the case OF the immune
regiments. 1t is the present purpose
TO disregard state and local lines in Sc
curing the recruits and welding them
INTO organizations Regiments will be
designated the First, Second, Third,
,tc., volunteer United States infantry
II cavalry, No difficulty is anticipated
u eN'ui iuS tliN llltIl uCtuCu. IL 10 Dt-
ieved that the 1000 men who are
weekly offering themselves at the re-
,ruiting Offices will be even more will.
ng to enter the army as two-year vol
mteers than as long-term regulars.
Officers for these volunteer regiments
will be obtained by promoting officers
low in the regular army and by COM
many Of the best officers of
he volunteer organizations which saw
ervice. The war department has care
ully preserved the records of these Off
ers and has at hand a long list of such
# them as they exhibited in organic
ng quality.
Drove Negroes from the Town.
Coffeyville, Kan. June ga Coffey-
lille contractor who has the contract
OF several buildings in Caney, 20 miles