Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-11-30
Secretary ROOT GIVES
ADVICE ON ARMY BILL.
WANTS BOTH THE MAXIMUM AND
MINIMUM STRENGTH
INCREASED.
POWER FOR THE PRESIDENT
TO ENLIST RECRUITS AND IN
CREASE ARMY WITHOUT CON-
SENT OF CONGRESS,


WASHINGTON, November 29-The
House Committee on military affairs
tonight made public a letter received
from Secretary Root under date of the
2Sth inst, transmitting the draft of
bill prepared by the War Department
for the reorganization of the army.
The letter says that the army as at
present organized. under the present
law, will cease to exist on July /, 1901,
and thereafter will consist of total
enlisted strength of 29,O25 men. With
out further legislation, he says, the
volunteers now in service must be dis
charged July l, 1901, and the regular
army reduced from $4,000 to 29,025
men.
Continuing, the letter says:
Without leaving much, if any mar
gin for sickness, such as the cam
paigns of the past two years warn us
must be counted as an important fac
tor in any occupation by the army.
peaceful or war-like, of many of the
islands which constitute the Philip
pine group, the strength thus fixed
must prove utterly inadequate, leaving
out of consideration the service in the
United States, in Porto Rico, and, for
the time being, in the island OF Cuba.
"The army is confronted with many
serious problems, the solution of which
demands not only intelligence and wis
dom, but a showing of well-organized
forces in the new possessions. The his
tory of our Indian wars is replete with
incidents showing the futility of send
ing an adequate force to bring into
subsection hostile natives. such as
those occupying the Philippine islands,
that Congress will provide sufficient
number of men to care for the coast
defense Notifications, to provide gar
risons for the more or less permanent
posts On the Canadian and Mexican
borders and those scattered through
the Indian country, small garrisons in
Porto Rico and Cuba and a sufficient
force in the Philippine islands to re-
store order and establish peaceful and
stable conditions of government.
In the preparation of the present
bill the minimum number of men is
fixed for each organization, with
proviso that the President may, in his
discretion, increase the number of en-
listed 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 organi-
cation of the native troops In the Phil
ippines, will, under the peculiar con-
ditions existing there. be proceeded
with slowly and with great care"
The bill provides for a minimum or
ganization of 5S,924 and miximum
organization of s6,766 Estimates have
been prepared as 10 the excess cost of
volunteers. rendering from one and one
half or two years service over the cost
of force Of similar strength enlisted
for three wears Servfca and tho total
estimate of the various supply depart
ments show the excess to be $16,374,-
009. 1t will therefore be seen that it
will be more economical TO obtain the
increased strength of the army requir-
ed at the present time as provided I'M
der the bill submitted herewith than
will be the case If more volunteer reg
iments are raised.