The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-11-30
Would Have Maximum Strength of
96,766 and a Minimum Strength
of 5S,924.
PRESIDENT TO CONTROL SIZE.
Chief Executive Is Given the Power
to Raise and Lower the
Force as Occasion May
Require.

Washington, Nov. 29.-The House Commit
a letter received from Secretary Root, TN
der date of the 18th inst, transmitting a
draft of a bill prepared by the War De-
partment for the reorganization of the
army.
The letter says that the army, as organ
tied Under the present law, will cease 10
exist on July /. 1901, and thereafter will
consist OF a total enlisted strength CT BOZ
men. Without further explanation, ne says
tile volunteers now in service must be dis
charged July l. 1901, and the regular army
reduced from 5000 to 2A,025 men.
Continuing. the letter says:
Outline of the Bill.
Without leaving much. if any. margin
fer Sickness, such as the campaigns of the
last two years warn US must be counted as
an important factor in any occupation by
the army, peaceful or wariike, of many of
the Islands which constitute the Philippine
group. the strength thus fixed must prove
utterly inadequate, leaving out of consider
alton the service in the CniteC States. in
Porto Rico. and for the time being in the
island of Cuba.
In the preparation of the present bill
the minimum number of men Is fixed for
each organization. with a proviso that the
President may. in his discretion, increase
the number of enlisted men in any troop.
battery or company. provided that the total
number of enlisted men authorized for the
army by Congress shall not at any time be
exceeded.
Authority is asked in this bill to- raise
a provisional force Of natives in the Island
of Porto Rico and also in the Philippine
Islands. The organization of the native
troops in the Philippines will. under the
present conditions existing there, be pro-
ceeued with Slowly aLd with great care.
Proposed Organization.
THE bill provides TOR a minimum and
maximum organization, as follows:
,,,,..o Minimum. Maximum.
Artillery corps. 80 he'd, is coast. .is,ss5 is.s.j
inirty regiments InIantiy. 5...-4,is9 ,1,osJ
ih.ee tattaiions engineers and
Miscellaneous organizations, in
ciud.nS guards for arseuais.
West Point detacnnIcnt, non
commissioned stan officers, etc.. 2.2ij 224,
Grand total 1874 .6 ,as
Inc Porto Rico regiment, when recruited
10 the three battaiions, VIII have a mini.
mum strength of sn6 and a maximum of
LOOP enlisted men.
Under the act of March 2. 1899. authoriz-
ing a force of 5000 volunteers, one r.si-
fnent OF cavalry. twenty-iour regiments of
infantry and two b%attaiions o. Porto Rican
.toops were eni'Sted. TN experience of
Tue department in placing regular officers
az the head OF these regiments and causing
them to be enlisted and drilled under a
number OF experienced officers mas been
most satisfactory in putting into the field
thoroughly good and seryiceabie organiza-
lions III II remarkably short time. but the
experiment has been a most expensive one
Tor the country, compared to what would
nave been the case had the same number OF
troops been raised for three years service
as egulars This excess OF cost arises
from the necessity of sending these regi-
home for a short term of service. drr,ng
Whlch Inc allowances are much greater
than would be the case ii the service en-
tended over three years.
Inc experience of the last two wears
mas shown that it will be next to impos-
Slbie to continue the American troops in
dehnlteiy in the Philippines without relief,