The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-12-06
OTHER POINTS OF MESSAGE.
Hawaii, Civil Service and the washing.
ton Centennial.
OUR MILITARY CONDITION.


Tie present strength of the army is 100 900
men-s5,0 900 regulars and 5000 volunteers I'm
der the act of Mach g. 1899, on June 30 next
the present volunteer force will be dscharg-
ed and the regular army will be reduced to o.
Al officers and 29,o25 enlisted men,
In 1883 board of officers convened by Prcsi-
dent Cleveland adopted comprehensive scheme
of coast defense Qualifications, which involved
the outlay of something over hundred mil
Lon dollars This plant received the approval
of the congress, and since then regular appro-
piintions have been made and the work of for
tifcation has steadily progressed
More than s60,0O0.00o have been invested In
a great number of forts and guns, with all
the complicated and scientific machinery and
electrical appliances necessary for their use.
The proper care of this defensive machinery
requires men trained in Its use. The number
OF men necessary to perform this duty alone
is ascertalned by the War Department at a
minimum allowance to be 1920. There are
ffty-eight or more military posts in the Unit
ed States other than the coast defense fortiii-
cations. The number of these posts Is being
constantly increased by the congress More
than s22,00O0O0 have been expended in build
ing and equipment. and they can only be cared
for by the regular army. The posts now In
existence ana others to be built provide for
| require $4,000 troops. Many of these posts
are along our frontier at important strategic
points, the occupation of which is necessary.
We have In Cuba between 5000 and 5000
| troops. For the present troops in that
island cannot be withdrawn or materially di-
unfinished, and certainly not until the conclu-
sion of the labors of the constitutional conven-
| ton now in session and government provided
| by the new constitution shall have been estab-
| lished and its stability assured.
| In Porto Rico have reduced the gar-tsons
to 1.636, which includes S96 native troops There
1 is no room for further reduction here. We
| will be required 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. I sure the number
may be reduced as the insurgents shall come
| to acknowledge the authority of the United
| States, of which there are assuring indica.
| lions.
| 1t must be apparent that we will require an
| army of about $4,000, 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 Philip
pines up to $1,000, which the Taft commission
believes will be more effective in detecting
! and suppressing. guerrillas. assassns and la.
| drones than our own soldiers. The full discus
| sion OF this subject by the Secretary of Wal
in his annual report is called to your earnest
| attention.
renew the recommendations made in ms
last annual message that the congress provide
1 special medal of honor for the volunteers
| regulars, sailors and marines on duty in the
Philippines who voluntarily remained in the
! service after their terms of enlistment hai
expired
| favor the Recommendation of the Secretary
1 of War Tor the detail OF officers from the
| limo of the army when vacancies occur In the
adjntant generals department. inspector gen
erals department, quartermaster generals de
nartment, subsistence department, pay depart
ment, ordnance department, and signal corps.
4 The army cannot be too highly commended
for Its faithful and effective service In activ,
military operations in the field and the Difficult
l work OF civil administration
1 POSTAL SERVICE CROWS
/ The continued and rapid growth OF the pos
tai service is a sure index of the great ant
increasing business activity Of the country. 1T
most striking new development is the exten
sion OF rural free delivery. This has COM
almost wholly within the last year. At til,
beginning Of the fiscal year ls99-l9o0 the nun
her OF routes In operation. was only 3sl, ant
most of these had been running less than lively,
months. On the 18th OF November, 1900, tn,
1 number had increased to 26i4, reaching int,
forty-fou states and territories and seryin.
Il population OF 1901 ,524. The number Of an
plications now pending md awaiting actor
nearly equals all those granted up to the pres
4 ent time, and by the close Of the current fisca
year about 1000 routes will have been estab
/ lishcd providing for the daily delivery Of mail
Mt the scattered homes OF about $500 OF rura
! population.
This SERVED ameliorntes tie isolation OF farm
| 1sfe conduce3 to good roads and quickens AM
extends the dissemination d general informa
do1op Expe &enee thus far Inns tended to ALA,
nRprehe sion that It would b % expen
, A