Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-31
GEN.CORBIN'S REPORT
A Complete Statistical Record of the
Army.
POST EXCHANGES DEPENDED
Longer Probation Before Promo
ton for Enlisted Men.
NJ L I T A RY STR EN- TT

H. c. Corbin to the Secretary of War for
the year ending June 80, 1900, is a COM
plete statistical record of the army of the
United States 1t shows that the regular
army consists of 2535 officers and 63, SCI
enlisted men. and the volunteer army of
1,54S officers and BLOB enlisted men, a
grand total of 9s 100, not including the hos
pital corps, which is not counted as a part
of the effective strength of the army. The
regular and volunteer army at present is
distributed as follows: United States 99S
officers, of whom rs are volunteer officers
and 1888 enlisted men, all regulars; Alas
ka, Al officers, LOSS enlisted men; Porto
Rico. 9s officers, 2, 406 enlisted men; Cuba
$50 officers, 5,46S enlisted men; Philippine
Islands, 1857 officers, 50, 161 enlisted men;
Hawaiian Islands, officers, 2l9 enlisted
men; China, so officers, 1000 men. There
are S19 volunteers in Porto Rico and &c. 200
In the Philippines. These are the only
places where volunteer enlisted men are
serving. Some volunteer staff officers are
serving In nearly all of the places named.
The deaths reported in the army, both reg
ular and volunteer. during the past year
by the same divisions are: United States. IA
officers, 264 men; Alaska, 3 men; Cuba
officers, 146 men; Porto Rico, SO men; Ha-
wall. officer and men: Philippine Is
lands. 40 officers, 1893 men; al sea- Off
GERS, "a men; a total of "A officers and $50
men.
In seven instances, owing to error, Of
ficers dying have been counted twice, once
as regulars and then again volunteers,
the actual total being 81 officers dead.
During the year there were discharged
from service 22,592 men; deserted, 1888
The casualties in the Chinese campaign
between July 1 and October l were Off
GERS and 200 enlisted men.
Post Exchanges Commended.
General Corbin commends highly the OPP
Grafton Of post exchanges and the can
teen, saying that the reports from the
Philippines, Cuba and Porto Rico "indi-
cate that the post exchange has become an
absolute necessity He says that the
total amount received from the exchanges
so far as reports show amounted to ST.,
915,S62, with a net profit of s464,504.
Discussing the recruiting service, General
Corbin says:
"Of the $40 accepted applicants, 10 JAS
were native born and 1901 of foreign
birth; 1853 were white, so colored and 30
Indians. The enlistments numbered 15,5SS
and the re-enlistments 1851. Excluding re-
enlistments the percentage of native born
among the original enlistments was IS LIB
The reports show that the recruiting off,
GERS making the 1907 enlistments en-
braced in the first two items of foregoing
list rejected 69,64 applicants-about IS per
cent of the number seeking enltstment-as
lacking in either legal, mental, moral, or
physical qualifications; 9S7 Of these were
rejected as aliens, and 2,03S for illiteracy."
In the report is a table giving the chrono-
logical list of actions in the Philippine Is
lands from February 4, 1889, to June 80;
1900, together with the losses in killed and
wounded. The totals show 33 officers and
476 men killed. and 147 officers anu 2,0I6
men wounded.
Promotion of Enlisted Men.
Gen. Corbin says that the law authoriz-
ing the promotion to the grade of COM
missioned officers Of meritorious non-com-
missioned officers has operated well in at
tracing to the ranks a superior class OF
intelligent and educated young men. There
have been 219 promotions Of this charac-
ter, but according to the adjutant gen.
eral the prescribed term Of service of two
years is too brief a period in which en-
listed men can fit themselves for the i'm
portant duties Of commissioned officers. 1t
is only little less than travesty, he says,
to say that man can qualify as an Off
Ger by serving as enlisted man in one
half the time required for cadet to com
plete his course at West Point. He illus
trates his point by saying that two young
men of about twenty-one years of age en-
ter the service at the same time, one go
ing to the Military Academy and the other
enlisting in the army. The man in the
ranks NAV get his commission in two
years, but the cadet cannot do SO for four
years. The result Is that the enlisted man
becomes the senior officer by two years,
and will so remain throughout their serv-
Ice In order to correct this seeming in
Justice the adjutant general recommends
that the law be amended so as to require
four years service in the ranks. In that
way the two classes will be put on the
same footing.
Defense of the Exchange.
Gen. Corbin makes strong defense of
the post exchange, or canteen system, and
shows that the total revenues from that
source during the past year was S1915,s62,
with net profit of $464, 504.
1.-THE operation of the post exchanges
during the past year." he said, despite the
attacks of the opposition outside of the
army, which have been persistent and un-
renting, has been especially gratifying.
Every complaint of specific violations OF
the regulations, or of excuses and abuses,
have been promptly and impartially In
vestigated and In every instance 1ound 10
have been unWarranted.
Reports from the Philippine Islands In
dictate that the post exchange has become
an absolute necessity, our troops being
scattered at something over 400 stations
at small towns and villages, where 1t Is
quite impossible to purchase anything pc
yond the ordinary necessities OF life; that
the sale of beer in these exchanges mas
prevented the soldiers from drinking the
vile native connections, known as 'anisa-
do and bino,' or vino which In the early
DAYS of our occupation presented very
serious problem to the military authorities,
is proven by abundant testimony.
Cuba and Porto Rico.
Similar reports have been received from
Cuba, where the conditions are very much
like those in the Philippine Islands; several
officers, including General Lee, having re-
ported that drunkenness has almost entire
ly disappeared since the sale of beer mas
been permitted in their commands. me
chief surgeon at Santiago de Cuba reports
that after the troops were scattered. owing
to the outbreak of yellow fever in 1899, can
teens were discontinued at many posts IN
eastern Cuba but that alcoholism and ma
larial and intestinal troubles increased TO
an alarming extent, the latter almost four
fold at some posts and as the increase
coi1jd not be traced to the food or water
the surgeons attributed it to rum, which is
ca silly procured at very slight cost In that
section; that canteens were then opened
and the subsistence Of these troubles was as
remarkable as their rise On one post, In
one month, intestinal troubles decreased ~
per cent? He therefore believes that to
close the canteen in that country, without
first closing all possible avenues for the
procuring Of rum within radius Of ten
miles would be sanitary suicide, and from
practical observations is led to the con-
clusion that the closing of the post canteen
in Cuba would be an unJustifable as well
@-4w- Nr,ty