Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-12-14
OTHER POINTS OF MESSAGE.
Hawaii, Civil Service and the washing
ton Centennial.
OUR MILITARY CONDITION.

The present strength of the army is 100 900
men-65.0oo regulars and 5000 volunteers. Tn
der the act of Mach >. 1899. June 80 next
the present volunteer force will he discharg-
ed and the regular army will be reduced to p
Al. officers and %. 025 enlisted men.
In 1SSS hoard of officers convened by Presi-
dent Cleveland adopted comprehensive scheme
or coast defense fort inca IONS which involved
the outlay OF something hundred mil
Lon dollars. This plant received the approval
OF the congress, and since then regular appro-
pIiations have been made and the OF for
tihcation has steadily progressed.
More than $50 600 900 have been invested In
great number of forts and guns. all
the complicated and scientific machinery and
electrical appliances necessary for their use
The proper OF this defensive machinery
requires trained in fits The number
OF men necessary to perform this duty alone
Is ascertained by the War Department at
minimum allowance TO be IS. 400 There are
hfty-eight or more military posts in the Unit
cd States other than the coast defense fOrtih-
cations. The number OF these posts is being
t.cAn go. 900, 600 have been expended in build
tsg and equipment. and they can only be cared
for by the regular army The posts now in
existence and others TO be built provide for
accommodations for and III fully gaUisoned
require 5000 troops. Many of these posts
along frontier at important strategic
points. the occupation of which is necessary.
We have in Cuba between 5000 and 5000
troops. For the present troops in that
island cannot be withdrawn materially di-
n,inished. and certainly not until the conclu-
sion of the labOrs of the constitutional conven-
ton now in session and "A government provided
by the new constitution shall have been estab
lshed and Its stability assured
In Porto Rico we have reduced the garrisons
to 1s3s. which includes $40 native troops There
IL no for further reduction here. We
will be required 10 Keep considerable force
10 the Philippine Islands for some time to come.
From the best information obtainable we shall
need there for the immediate future from
r. In fha
may he reduced the insurgents shall come
to acknowledge the authority of the United
States. Of which there are assuring indica-
lions.
1t must be apparent that we will require an
army Of about 81 900, and that during present
conditions I'm Cuba and the Philippines the
President should have authority to increase
the force to the present number or 100000. In
Guided In this number authority should I've
given to raise native troops in the Philip
pines up TO 1900. which the Taft commission
believes will he more effective in detecting
and suppressins guerrilas. assassins and la
drones than soldiers. The fun discus
sion OF this subject by the Secretary of War
IN his annual report is called TO your earnest
attention.
renew the recommendations made in my
last annual message that the congress provide
special medal of honor for the volunteers,
regulars sailors and marines duty in the
Philippines who voluntarily remained in the
service after their terms OF enlistment had
expired.
| favor the recommendation or the Secretary
OF War for the detail of officers from the
line of the army when vacancies occur in the
adiutant generals department. inspector gen
erals department. quartermaster generals de-
nartment, subsistence department. pay depart
ment. ordnance department. and signal corps.
The army cannot be too highly commended
for its faithful and effective service In active
military operations in the field and the difficult
work of civil administration.
POSTAL SERVICE GROWS
The continued and rapid growth of the POS
tai service is sure index of the great and
increasing business activity of the country. Its
most striking new development is the extern
sion OF rural free delivery. This has come
almost wholly within the last year. At tho
Der OF routes In operation only 39l. and
most OF these had been running less than twelve
months. ON tho 18th OF November, 1900 the
number had increased to 2.61i, reaching into
forty-four states and territories and serving
a population of 1.SO1 .524 The number of ap-
plications now pending and awaiting action
nearly equals all those granted up to the pres.
ent time. and by the close of tho current fiscal
year about 1000 routes will have been estab.
lishcd, providing for the daily delivery of mais
at the scattered homes of about $500 of rural
population.
This service ameIiorates the isolation Of farm
life, conduces to good roads and quickens and
extends the dissemination Of general informa.
ton. Experience thus far has tended to allay
the apprehension that It would b - expsn-