The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-29
Definite PLANS
TORE|NFORCE 07|S
The $4,000 Additional Men
will be Enlisted.
AS A PROVISIONAL ARMY
AS A PROVISIONAL ARMY
UNDER THE ACT PASSED BY
THE LAST CONGRESS.
OTIS ORGANIZES SKELETON REGIMEN rs
And Enlisted Men viii be Used 10 Fill Them
An Effective Force Of 40, 900 Men 10
be in Philippines at Erd Of
the Rainy Season,


Washington. June 2S.-Secretary Al
ger, Adjutant General Corbin and Col
onel Bird, assistant quartermaster gem
eral In charge of transportation. had an
hours consultation with the President
today relative to the question of re-en-
forcements for General Otis. A def
mite decision has been reached to con-
unue recruiting men at all the recruit
ing 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 season closed for
resumption of active operations.
There are seventy recruiting stations
in the United States, and enlistments
are to be taken at all of these stations.
The enlistments are to be for service in
the regular army and recruits are to be
organized into regiments or assigned to
regiments already formed after enlist
ment. No organizations as such are to
be accepted, if sufficient recruits can be
obtained by regular enlistment
General Corbin said the enlistments
would he for three years, although the
law for the creation of the provisional
army of $4,000 in excess of the regular
army of 5000 provides only for such "A
force until 1901. Arrangements are 10
be made at once for increasing the
transportation necessary to get these ad-
ditional troops to the Philippines.
The decision to re-enforce General.
Otis by the end of the rainy season is
interpreted to mean that aggressive
campaigning will cease until the bad
weather ends. Until that time our op-
erationS will probably be confined to oc-
casional excursions to places in close
vicinity TO our lines where the insur-
gents may have congregated in force.
by remaining quiescent under good shell
ter during the rainy season it is hoped
the health of our troops will be con-
served and the danger from climatic
fevers reduced to minimum.
General Otis has cabled the War De-
partment that he has the skeleton or
ganizations of two of three regiments
which it is proposed to raise in the Phil
ippinc Islands. At the War Depart
ment this is said to mean that General
Otis has the officers for these regi-
ments selected and that they are ready
to be filed with enlisted men. How
volunteer regiments now in the Philip
pines is not known. 1t is stated at the
War Department that the recruits now
being enlisted ut the rate of 1000 a
week cannot be used for the volunteer
army provided for in the act of March
2nd, 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 de-
termined to raise additional troops.
Later in the day it was definitely de-
cided to begin the enlistment for the
first volunteer service under the act Of
the last Congress. The reports to the
Adjntant General based on the reports
of the recruiting officers and on close
estimates 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 authorized
strength.
The additional soldiers needed mus
be obtained under that section Of the a..t
of Congress 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 10
ill gaps in the regular army caused
by casualties and caused by the exp.r-
alton of enlistments. The officers cat-
tered among the principal cities of the
country who have been enlisting ragli-
lars only. will be instructed immediate
ly to prepare to enlist volunteers. The
present indications are that about TO-
900 men will be wanted.
Volunteers will not be accepted in )r-
ganizations. Secretary Alger is deter
mined to adhere to that rule. Looking
over the act of Congress. he has CON
cluded that the authorization to raise
these volunteer troops eat large indi-
Gates purpose on the part OF Congress
to follow out the plan successfully op,r
ated in the case of the immune regi-
ments. 1t is the present purpose to
disregard State and local lines in sec,ir-
ing the recruits and welding them into
Thus the regiments can
not be known by State names but sim
ply uder the designation Of First. Sec
end. Third. etc, volunteer United
States infantry or cavalry. No difficui-
ty is anticipated in securing tn" mon
needed for it is believed tnat the '"a)
men who are weekly Offering themselves
af the recruiting offices, viii be even
more willing to enter the army ~ fwo
year volunteers. than as long ter'n rrs
illar..
AS officers for these volunteer resi-
ments. the War Department IN
tends to fill the commands III