Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-11-29
[RVOTS ARMY BILL
The House Military Committee Con.
siders the Measure.
PROVISIONS CONTAINED In The Bill
A Maximum Of $4,000 Men for the Army
end . Minimum Of Ss.ooo-Gsn. Miiss
Proposed Army Reorganiss.
ton Bill.

washington, NOV. So.-lHc IHtHluSiu
OF the house military committee yes
terday afternoon went over the bill
which has been known as the war de-
partment bill, drawn on lines suggest
ed and approved by Secretary Root.
The secretary expects to give further
consideration to the bill and then will
send it to members Of the committee.
The war department bill provides for
q maximum of $4,000 men and min
imum of $4,000, with 80 regiments Of
infantry, Is regiments Of cavalry and
a gradual increase Of the artillery I'M
til at the end Of five years there will
be $4,000 men. The artillery is not to
be organized into regiments, but as
batteries and organizations Of heavy
and field artillery. With the maxi
mum army there is to be $50 men to
each infantry company. making 1880
men to regiment. The maximum
of cavalry troops is to be 100 men.
There is no provision for a lieutenant
general in the war department bill,
but under the present law the senior
major general commanding would
have the rank OF lieutenant general.
The war department bill does not
give the same increase Of major gen.
erals and brigadier generals as the
Hull bill. The detailed staff provi-
sions are an important feature Of
the measure. Itprovides that hereafter
vacancies in the staff, excepting the
medical corps, pay corps and engi-
neers, shall be filed by details from
the line, such detailed officers being
subject to line duty at any time.
This is the same as the Hull bill of
the last congress, and is earnestly
favored by Secretary Root. The war
department bill provides that the pro-
motions shall be made from the regu.
lar army according to the present
rank, down to and including the rank
Of captain. The officers of the present
volunteer army can become officers in
the regular army, but in the grades
of first and second lieutenants only
the vacancies in the captains rank be-
Ing filled from the first lieutenants of
the present regular establishments.
The relative rank of the volunteer Off
GERS entering the regular establish
ment to be determined by seniority.
Gen. M''es Proposed Army Rli.
Washington, Nov. 2s.-Copies of the
letter of Lieut.. Gen. Miles to the Sec
rotary of war submitting the draft
d proposed bill for the reorganiza-
ton of the army have been furnished
to the military committees of both
houses. Gen. Miles favors an army
proper based on one man for every
1000 OF the population of the country.
This will provide for 76,730 men, the
army to be made up of "A regiments
OF cavalry, IA regiments of heavy ar
tillery, four regiments of field artil-
lery and 30 regiments Of infantry. In
addition TO these the bill provides for
b,Os6 non-combatants, divided as fol-
lows; Quartermaster's department,
1000 men; subsistence department, 500
men; engineer corps, 2,276 men; ord
nance department, 500, and signal
corps, 720 men.
Provision is made for an auxiliary
force of 10000 men to serve for three
years, unless they are discharged,
whenever in the opinion of the presi-
dent such is necessary-an auxiliary
force to be divided into infantry, cav
airy and artillery. as may be required.
The bill contains elastic provisions by
which the enlisted force may be in.
creased or decreased, provided the to.
tai strength of the army is not in
creased beyond the members provided
by law. Gen. Miles favors rotation in
service of the officers in the different
arms and also between the line and
staff Of the army up to the higher
grades.