The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1901-10-18
MERRIAM SAYS Drill
Former Commander of Department Of
Missouri Urges Constant Practice.
MAKES OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Report He Filed in Washington Tells
What He Would Advise-Needs of De-
partments of Lakes-Greater Quarters
for Prisoners Recommended.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14.-In his ca
pacity of commander of the depart
ment of the Missouri, General Henry
G. Merriam has made an annual re-
port to the war department. He de-
votes particular attention to the neces-
sity of better drill work by the SOL
diers caused by the income of many
troops. General Merriam says there
is notion too often prevalent in the
army, especially among the older Off
GERS, that soldier who has once
learned the drill regulations, the
mechanism of tactical and calestehnic
exercises, may be excused from drill
without detriment, forgetting that
bodies of men can maintain the power
of collective action only by frequent
collective practice even in the simplest
exercises. General Merriam strongly
indorses the recommendation of Cap
tain Niche of the Twelfth cavalry for
change in the military drill. He
says that even with the recent i'm
provement which has rendered the bit
less severe upon the mounts of young
horses there is still considerable
percentage of horses made victims by
undue severity in the use of the bit.
He believes return to the double
rein is fully justified for at least half
of each troop.
Other recommendations are that the
calibre of the cavalry revolver be en-
larged and that a knapsack or pack be
supplied to the infantry soldier in
place of the blanket bag.
A significant statement by Chief
Surgeon Callibo is that, with compar-
atively few exceptions, youths under
20 years of age are not able to bear
up under the hardships and privations
of an active campaign.
Surprising progress toward the goal
OF self-support by the Apache prison
ers OF war is recorded in an appendix
by Captain Sayre, in charge of those
prisoners. He shows that they now
have on hand 27S4 head of cattle
OF their own raising; that they have
built many miles of new fences and re-
paired as much more of the old and
that no clothing was issued to them
during the year. On the other hand
these Indians are suffering severely
from tuberculosis and there were thir-
teen more deaths than births among
them. They are declared to be gen.
orally moral, industrious, truthful,
honest and docile people.
Major General Otis, in his annual
report for the department of the lakes.
says that all buildings in the depart
ment have been maintained in a fair
condition, although many have been
without occupancy and show disin-
tegration from the climate.
General Otis says that a decided
want in his department is greater ac-
commodations for general and gar
rison prisoners. The post guardhouses
have become overcrowded. With the
recent rapid recruiting deserters ap-
pear to be increasing, and at the date
OF the generals report-August 7
there were considerably over 100 such
prisoners confined in the guardhouses
of the department. The central states.
from which large portion of the
United States army is drawn, General
Otis says, seem to give great advan-
tages in the way of concealment and
occupation to the absconding soldier.
and hence the post guardhouses of
the department of the lakes contains
representatives of many military or
CARNATIONS stated above the limits of
that department. The enlarged re-
ward, however, which is now paid for
the arrest and delivery of deserters
has greatly decreased their former
comparative immunity from punish
ment.