Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-11-17
GEN. NILES REPORT.
Larger Army and Better Pay for Men
is Imperatively Needed.

Washington, Nov. 16.-The feature of
the annual report of Lieut.. Gen. Miles
is chapter dealing with the need for
Il general reorganization of military
service. In regard to this question he
says: The events of the past two
years and a half have resulted in a
condition that the nation Irust prepare
to meet. The need for an efficient and
we'll organized land force for an indefi-
mite period in the future is most OBJ
vious. and the organization of such a
force cannot be wisely avoided. There
are weighty reasons why such Il SER
vice as is now demanded of the army
cannot be performed by q temporary
organization.
Gen. Miles renews his recommends
ton that the permanent force of the
army should be one man for each 1000
Of population of the United States. lie
submits Il draft embodying his views
and recommendations an an army re-
organization.
Gen. Miles says the force has been
so much reduced that at the present
time there are not one-fourth enough
troops properly to care for and man
the Notifications which have been
erected on the seacoast at an cXpen-
diture of nearly s55.000,000. In addition
to artillery deficiency, the present
home force 99S officers and 1888 men.
is not sufficient to occupy the interior
garrisonS properly. or to protect lie
and property on the Western frontier
and what is still more serious. the
government is left without troops to
relieves those who have had too much
| tropical service.
Touching upon the Chinese cam
pairn, Gen. Miles compares the Amer
| lean contingent in the Pekin expodi-
| ton with those of other nationalities
and says: 1T would be difficult To
name an occasion on which troops en-
gagged in action were better command
| ed. were more steady under fire. or
where they made the soldiers sacrifice
with more unselfish patriotism or rem
| dered a higher tribute to the honor of
| theri country.
| Great reverence is due. he says. to
| the memory of Col. f. s. Liscum. Ma
| Tor Jesse NJ. Lee of the 9th Inf. who
took up the command of the American
forces at Tien Tsin after Col. Liscum's
| DEATH Capt. Reilly is also named as
an ideal soldier, who by his death at
| Pekin again demonstrated the zeal ana
| courage of the American soldier.
| Gen. Miles calls attention to the fast
| that under the law the volunteers in
| the Philippines must be Withdrawn
and discharged before July l next.
| wherefore. he says, it will be neces-
sary to begin their return home al
most Immediately.
1 CHI moi or nj
shows what has been accomplished
| in the officers training schools and to-
| wards the extension of the past de-
Tense system, on which at least $40
OO0. 5000 additional will be required to
| carry out the present projects. For the
| next fiscal year alone the sum of sl1,-
527,0O is estimated as necessary to
| defray the cost of Notifications, bar
racks and sites on the coast. The
largest figure is s2,124,4S5 for New
York: next comes California with
81, All 100: Maine. $1,2S5,925: Oregon and
| Washington 81 ,106,602; and Virginia.
$685. Puerto Rico is assigned S53s'-
400, while the national capital is set
down for $4,000.
| Gen. Miles claims that the fortif-
! cations board has developed a high
| explosive, superior in effectiveness 10
| all known safe military explosives. lie
predicts that within the next IL months
greater advance will be made in sea
| coast and field artillery than has been
| accomplished during the last two de-
| cades. The pay of enlisted men. he
saws. should be increased. Gen. Miles
| does not think it wise to longer delay
the practical application of seif-morlng
vehicles in the military service.
| A closing recommendation is that
| the tract known as the Potomac hats.
now q menace to health, be put III
suitable condition for the encamp-
ment of regular troops whenever as
sembled at the national capital ana
for state troops when occasionally re-
| quired.