The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-30
ARMY rs ROOT WANTS /.
SECRETARY OF WAR TO THE
HOUSE MILITARY COM
MITTEE
TO CONSIST OF 10000 MEN
at the Minimum, which May BE In
creased by the President to
Maximum of APPROX
mateIy 100000.

WASHINGTON, Nov 29.-The house
committee on military affairs tonight
made public a letter received from Sec
rotary Root, under date of the 18th inst,
transmitting the draft of bill prepared
by the war department for the reorgan-
ization of the army. The latter says that
the army as at present organized under
present law will cease to exist on July
I, 19ol, and thereafter will consist of a
total enlisted strength Of 29,O25 men.
Without further legislation, he says, the
volunteers now in service must be dis
charged July 1. 1861, and the regular army
reduced from 5000 to 29,025 men.
NEEDS OF. THE ARMY.
Continuing the latter says:
Without leaving much, if any margin
for sickness, such as the campaiens of
the past two years warn US must be
counted as an important factor IN any
occupa ton by the army, peaceful or war
like of many of the islands, which con-
Shtute the Philippine 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
com, but a showing of well organized
lOTc6 IN Inc new POSSESSIONS. The his
tory of our Indian wars is replete with
incidents showing the futility Of sending
an Inadequate force to bring into subjec-
ton natives, such as those occupying the
Philippine islands. 1t is presumed under
these conditions that congress will pro-
vide a sufficient number Of men to care
for the coast defense Notifications, to
provide garriSonS for the more or less
permanent posts on The Canadian or Mex
lean borders, and those scattered through
the Indian country, small garrisons IN
Porto Rico and Cuba, and sufficient
force in the Philippine islands TO re-
store order and establish peaceful and
stable conditions of government.
FORCE TO BE ELASTIC.
'tIn the preparation of the present bill
the minimum number of men is fixed for
eacn organization, with 4 proViso that
the president may, in his discretion, in
crease the number of enlisted men. in
any troop, battery or cOmpany, provided
that the total number of enlisteS men
authorized for the army by congress
shall not at any time be exceeded. By
the adoption Of this plan the absolute
fixed strength of the regular army can
be shown at a glance, and any increase
III numbers above the minimum will be
limited by such authority as may be con-
Veyed from time tO-time by congress.
The peace strength of each troop, bat
terry and company is fixed in this bill, as
now authorized by existing law. The
number of regiments has been increased
by five of cavalry, five of infantry num-
beTs which would correspond it the FIVE
regiments of artillery and two battaI-
ions OF engineers, as the artillery is in
tended for sea coast defense. the Cnlv
increase in the regular army for field
service will be the additional regiments
of cavalry and infantry, and the two
battaHonS of engineers. Authority is
asked IN this bill to raise a provisional
force Of natives in the island Of Porto
k1co, and also in the Philippine islands
The organization of native troops in the
philippines under the peculiar conditions
existing there, viii be proceeded with
slowly and with gFeat care
,Ihe oil contains a provision regarding
chd9lalnS, authorizing veterans of the
spanish war to wear on occasions Their
UNIFORMS, regall6, etc, the same as is
gwen TO veterans of the civil war; for
the addition of a nurse corps. the neces-
Sly Tor which has been developed durins.
the past two years; for preliminary sIr-
Ye'ys for the establishment of calnps 70,
the militia 8 nd regular army; aufborIziDg
the president to appoint chiefs to yaear1
cles occurring in the staff corps and de-
partn1ents from the army at large, and
tie efoduction of the detail |ystem to
several Of the staff corps and depart-
mentS.
MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM.
TO replace the volunteers and REGULARS
Whc VIII be discharged prior to July l,
ana 10 give an army of sufficient size
70 meet the eXigencieS now confronting
1t or Sucn as may hereafter occur p5-o-
VISION mas been made so that the presi-
H.
hsted men without the creation of new
oIganlza ions; The bill provides for a
E1Ihaum and maximum organization as
follows:
Mimi. Maxim.
Fifteen 1T regiments cavalry,
Artillery corps, 80 field bat .l-'0i0 l0''1'
teries, 126 batteries 1880 is s2o
Thirty regiments Infantry
eUo each ....................44 $50 SO $50
Three battalions engineers ''O'
and band ..s............... pa GA
miscellaneous organizations.
including guards for arse
nails, West Point detach-
ment, non-commissioned
staff officers, etc -. 2,245 2,245
Grand totals ................5S,g2 4 96, 766
The Porto Rico regiment, when re-
crulted to three battaions will have a
minimum strength Of SIC. and a maxi
mum of /, 836 enlisted men
Under the act of March g. 1889, author
!zIhg force of $4,000 volunteers, one reg
Of infantry and two batailioDs Of Porte
RIco troops were enlisted. The exoer;
eIiee OF the department in placing regular
oI1cers at the head of these regiments
and causing them to be enlisted and
crIiled under a number of experienced
oIHcerS, mas been most successful in nut
ting into the field thoroughly good serv-
Leap rteap1e organizations in remarkably
snort time, but the experiment has been
most expensive one for the country
compared TO what would have been the
case had the same number of troops been
IdIseo 1or three years service as regu-
lars. rms excess of cost arises from the
necessity of sending these regiments
many thousand miles away from home
Tor a snort term of service during which
me allowances are much greater than
would be the case If the service, extend
ed over three years
me necessity for returning them
nome Tor dlSeharge on July /, 1901, makes
Ile average cost Of their maintenance
very hlSn compared to that of regulars
years. The regiments were placed In
camps, which had to be hired for the
purpose and thy drew their first years
clothing and allowances which are very
hluth larger than for any other years,
whereas they will render only an average
Of one and one-half years active sary. ce.
ESuInaIeS nave been prepared as to the
excess OF cost of such body of Volun-
teers rendering from one and one-half to
Two years service over the cost of a force
Of similar strength enlisted Tor three
years service, and the total estimates of
the various supply departments show the
excess to be Sl6,0H.039 1t viii therefore
De seen that it will be more economical
70 OBTAIN the increased strength of the
army required at the present time as
provided under the bill submitted here
with than will be the case If more vol
unteerS are raised. 3
Or snort terms Of service and during
war when large numbers of men are re-
CURED, the country must always rely, as
IS mas done IN the past upon the volun-
teer soldier, but the conditions now con-
ironing the department, demand that it
Snau nave at hand a. sufficient number
OF regulars to furnish the sarrisonS and
perform the work IloW. required of the
army. Inc number of regiments must be
SUFFICIENT TO enable the government TO
relieve regiments from time to time of
Init 70 +nC he