The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-03-01
They Will Be too Numer-
Gus to Count
when BOYS GET BACK
From the Philippines Next
June--Interesting Features
Of Uncle Sans New
Army.


of Uncle Sans army.
Now that the new army bill is decided
upon and recruiting orders are being
sent out, there is much the people have
to learn about the new militarism.
While officers are trying to get over
the start the president gave them by
jumping Captain Leonard Wood up to
the grade of brigadier general and send
ing Chaffee, Macarthur and Young over
the head of Wade, quartermasters are
growing gray with fright at the work
there is confronting them.
In nutshell there are $4,000 men in
the Philippines whose terms of enlist
ment will end in June. These men are
to come home, and $4,000 others are to
be sent in their stead.
1t Is not enough to argue that per-
haps they will re-enlist, Or that half of
them will. The government takes no
chances, but makes arrangements to get
$4,000 brand new recruits. If it can
pick them up in battalions, well and good.
If it cannot, then it will drum the states
and get them singly and in pairs, just
as it has always done.
The fateful "V" is off the collar orna-
ments. That "V'' is the battle insignia
of Uncle Sam. When he goes to war he
looks for men to do his work and calls
them his volunteers" His standing
army he calls his regulars" His war
men he calls his volunteers and puts
"V' on their collars and cap orna-
ments, stencils it on the blanket bags
and has it on their warm gray blankets.
When the trouble is over the volunteers
are sent to their desks and counters
and forges and fields, and the guidons
with the "V" are laid by for the next
general call.
$4,000 Men Coming.
The $4,000 men now in the Philip
pines who are to come home all will
bring the "V's" with them, and when
they doff their uniforms Uncle Sam
will go on peace footing, but peace
footing different from any he ever held
before.
| Without attracting public attention
about two years ago the war depart
ment saw that it must resort to the
home battalion system or get along
with. recruits! There are three bat
! talions to regiment. Two were sent
abroad to fight and one remained at
home. The boys all had friends in the
states. Those friends would ask about
Paddy Murphy or John Smith, of the
Fiftieth, in the Philippines, and the
boys on the home station would write
| glowingly of the service abroad. That
would make the countryman get the
army fever and he would enlist. In
that way the home battalion kept up
to its full strength, and over, and the
surplus was sent abroad to fill gaps
made by men discharged for divers
reasons-completion of tour of duty
most often.
The first volunteers to come home
will be those who went abroad first.
Thus will come the Thirtysixth, the
Thirtyseventh and then the Twenty
seventh. If it falls out that some of
these are situated at points on the is
land which makes their relief impossi-
BILE, they must remain on duty and get
home when the recruiting officers and
quartermasters can get new troops up
to relieve them.
First to Go Abroad.
The first to go abroad will be the
home battalions already spoken of. The
new regiments will be whipped into
shape in the United States. The first
to be lined up will be the first to go
after the home battalions have all gone
to sea. When the home battalions get
to Manila, that will leave no battalion
at home. Then the war department
will return one of the other two of the
three regimental battalions, in its place
sending out the newly raised troops,
thus maintaining the home battalion
system.
At the outbreak of the Spanish war
there were $4,000 men in the regular
army. This was increased to $50, 900
soldiers, but the great body of men
wore the "V" and were Uncle Sans
own people. To the $4,000 regulars
were added $1,000 men, making the
total strength $4,000 regulars. Those
$4,000 regulars were almost all sent
abroad. Then, not having enough to
do the work in hand, Uncle Sam had to
call for more volunteers, and twenty
five new regiments were raised These
all wore the V.
BY the terms of the act of congress
creating these twenty-five regiments
they are to be mustered out next June,
1t is because Of this termination that
the newest army bill has just been pass
ed. With his $4,000 regulars and his
$4,000 volunteers, Uncle Sam had about
100000 available men. About to lose
the volunteers, the government decid-
ed 1t yet had need for 100000 men, and
a bill was framed and passed increasing
the regular organization, that Of $4,000
strength to $4,000.
Thirty Infantry Regiments.
Instead of twenty-five regiments of
infantry, there are now to be thirty. In
stead of ten regiments of cavalry there
are now to be fifteen. Instead of seven
regiments of artillery there are now TO
be twelve, or the equivalent of twelve,
for the regimental formation is to be
done away with and the guns thrown
into a corps organization. Instead of
LOG men in the company there are to
be 160