Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-12
RE0RGAN|z|NC
the ARMY
Gen. Anderson Has Studied the
Matter OF Late.
HE BELIEVES IN ENGLISH
System Of Linking Regiments Of
Regulars and VO!un;eers--W ould
Make a Better Army
HE BELIEVES IN ENGLISH

| Chicago, May 12.-Since assuming the
command of the department OF the lakes,
Major General Thomas Nj. Anderson has
given much thought to the reorganiza-
ton OF the regular army, and Incidentally
to the future of the national guard. The
result Of this study, based as it is upon
his experience as commanding general
OF the first American expedition to the
! / hi.lppines, which comprised regulars
and Volunteers, leads him to the conciu-
son tina the internal military orSaniza-
ton vi ,he United States should be more
thorough than ever b.lorc. Without eX-
pressing ms views on the special Issues
which have arisen since tbs war with
Spain, the general talked decidedly about
the country's military oiSlnizltlon and
the future policy which he thought
should be carried out to meet the re-
quirements of growing emergencies.
The reorganization OF tine standing
army Will all depend upon what action
the next congress takes o. the presluents
suggestions. 1t remains Tor existing con-
oluonS n the policy or the American
people with reference to colonial posses
SONS to give the GROUNDS upon Wniol to
base future military legislation. Vet 1
w DCILcN that tiiC NGl Va SPAIN lNtS
opened this eyes OF the paoplc TO the
TACT thai the strength OF the standing
army as it Was Constituted al the out
break OF the wal is MOI suiilclent 10 the
reqC irelneilts OF The country as II mas de-
veioped and progressed Internationally
since the civil wal. My experience In the
philippines was that the volunteers were
a brave, patriotic body, We'll otiicerod as
to companies, but as a rule carrying in
efficient field Stairs. Company otlcels
were good drill masters, and willing
under all circumstances to perform the
most arduous ana dangerous undertake
ings. But the difficulty lay with the
field officers, who commanded because
governors OF states, through political in
t1uence, gave them the authority to COM
mand. This method gave to many in
fer.or military men authority. and the
result was a certain amount OF demo"ali-
cation among the men.
Il am still a firm believer in the worth
of the system which England established
many years ago to bring the militia INTO
close harmony with the standing army
regiments. In 1872 / advocated this sys-
tenn for our volunteer army. and al
though it was not adopted, the wal with
Spain has demonstrated that it deserves
to be introduced and maintained as a
logical safeguard. This system is simple
GliOuSH. II PAGES the national guard
and the regular army on an equal foot
ing so far as military education goes,
giving the militia the benefits OF the reg
ular army practices and drills and MILL
tary instruction on the field for a GER
tain period each year and giving the rlg-
ular troops the advantage of the excel
lent companionship which we'll organized
national guard companies furnish.
BY this co-mingling of the two
of the. service once a vpor in
the field, volunteer officers would have an
opportunity to learn important duties of
war from the regular army officers, and
the soldiers would be gamers thereby.
Then should actual war require service
in the face Of the enemy, the national
guard would be more efficiently differed
and the volunteers more capable to per-
form its auxiliary duty with the regular
army to the country. The linking sys-
tenn has proved wonders for the mill
tarism of England. In this country it
would give a better standing to the reg
ular army and at the same time develop
the actual fighting strength of the
voters"