The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-12-06
NATIONAL DEFENsEs.
Strength of the Army Millions for Forts
and Guns. -


and Gums.
The present strength of the army is
100, 900 men-65,000 regulars and $4,000
volunteers. Under the act of March
2. 1899, on the 30th Of June next the
present volunteer force will be dis
charged and the regular army will be
reduced to 2,447 officers and 29,025 en-
listed men.
In 1888 a board of officers convened by
President Cleveland adopted compre-
hensive scheme of coast defense forti-
factions, which involved the outlay Of
something over $10a.000.0 600. This plan
received the approval of the congress,
and since then regular appropriate
have been made and the work of forti-
fication has steadily progressed. More
than $50, 100000 have been invested in
a great number of forts and guns, with
all the complicated and scientific ma
chinery and electrical appliances neces-
sary for their use. The proper care
Of this defensive machinery requires
men trained in it's use The number Of
men necessary to perform this duty
ment at a minimum allowance to be
1920 There are fifty-eight or more
military posts in the United States 9TH
err than the coast defense Notifications
The number OF these posts Is being
constantly increased by the congress
ludu $dL,VUU,0uU nave, D6eN GApGQQ-
ed in building and equipment. and
they can only be cared for by the regu-
lar. army. The posts now In existence
and others to be built provide for ac-
Communications for. and IL fully gar
risoned, require 5000 troops Many
Of these posts are along our frontier
or at important strategic points the
We have in Cuba between. 5000 and g.
600 troops. u For the present our troops
In that island cannot be withdrawn or
materially diminished. and certainly
not until the conclusion OF the labors
OF the constitutional convention now
by the new constitution shall have been
established and its stability assured.
In Porto Rico we have reduced the
garrisons to 1.696 which include 896 ma
tive troops. There is no reason for
further reduction here. We will be re-
quired to keep considerable force in
the Philippine islands for some time
to come. From the best information
obtainable we shall need there for the
Immediate future from $4,000 to 10000
men. ] am sure the number may be re-
duced as the insurgents shall come to
acknowledge the authority of the Unit
ed States. OF which there are assuring
fndica tons.
It must be apparent that we will re-
Quire an army OF about go, 900 and that
during present conditions in Cuba and
the Philippines the president should
have authority to increase the force to
the present number of 100000 In
cluded in this number authority should
be given to raise native troops in the
Philippines UP to $4,000. which the Taft
commission believe will be more eff
fective in detecting and suppressing
guerrillas, assasinations and ladrones
than our own soldiers. The full dis
cilssion of this subject by the secretary
OF war I'm his annual report is called
to your earnest attention.
GROWTH OF POSTAL SERVICE.
Extension OF Rural Free Deiivsry-In-
crsase of tho Navy.
The continued and RAPID growth of
postal service Is a sure index Of the
great and increasing business activity
of the country. It's most striking new
free delivery. This has come almost
wholly within the last year. At the
beginning of the fiscal year 1S9a-1s00 the
number of routes in operation was only
391, and most OF these had been run
ming less thar twelve months. On the
18th Of November, 1900. the number had
increased to 2.614 reaching into forty
four states and territories. and serving
a population Of 1.S01.524. The number
of applications now pending and await
ing action nearly equals all those
granted up to the present time. and
by the close OF the current fiscal year
about 1000 routes will have been estab-
lished. providing for the daily delivery
of mails at the scattered homes of
about 100000 Of rural population.
This service ameliorates the isolation
OF farm life, conduces to good roads
and quickens and extends the dissemina-
ton of general information. Experience
thus far has tended to allay the APP
prehension that 1t would be so ex-
pensive as to forbid its general adop-
ton or make 1t serious burden. It's
actual application has shown that II
increases postal receipts. and can be
by reductions in other
branches Of the service, so that the
revenues and the accom-
plished saw 60 together materially re-
duce the net cost. Inc evidences which
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