Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-27

other than the officers schools at posts.
Third-OfHcers who at any time spe-
c'ally distinguish themselves by excep-
tlonally meritorious service
1T Will be the aim of the department
to make this register the basis of selec-
ticn for details as staff officers, military
attaches and for special service requir
ing high degree of professional ca
lacity."
On the subject Of volunteers the report
gays:
THE reliance of the country for the
large forces necessary in modern war;
fare must necessarily be chiefly upon
volunteers The method and procedure
Of raising volunteer forces should be
prescribed In advance SO that instead OF
waiting to devise plans for volunteer
army until the excitement and haste of
impending war makes perfection of de-
sign difficult and satisfactory execution
impossible, congress will have but to di-
rect the execution Of we'll understood
plan by officers, each one of whom has
long been familiar with the part he is TO
play. 1t is desirable that any plars
adopted should provide for utilizing, in
the earlier volunteer organizations called
out, the training of those citizens who
shall have served already In the regular
and volunteer forces. If the earlier vol
8unteer organizations can be constituted
of the trained men, much valuable time
end expense can be saved, and many
dangers may be averted during the pc
Rod while the ordinary volunteers are
receiving the necessary training. Pro-
;c;o rha o1c he
lection in advance Of the officers of any
volunteer force which may he raised.
Careful selection is impossible at the
outbreak OF war. 1t is entirely prac-
ticable in time OF peace"
The essence OF the report as to Cuba
follows:
Our present duty to Cuba can be per-
formed by the making of such a recip-
rocal tariff arrangement with her as
President Mckinley urged in his last
words to his countrymen at Buffalo on
Sept. 5. A reasonable reduction in our
duties upon Cuban sugar and tobacco,
In exchange for fairly compensatory re-
auctions of Cuban duties upon Ameri-
can products, will answer the purpose
and | strongly urge that such an ar
rangement be promptly made. It would
involve no sacrifice, but would be as adj
vantageous to US as 1t would be to Cuba.
The market for American products in a
country with such g. population, such
wealth and purchasing power. as Cuba
with prosperity would speedily acquire.
made certain by the advantage Of pref
erential duties, would contribute far
more to our prosperity than the portion
of our present duties which we would be
required to concede.
The government of the island of Cuba
during the past year has been peaceful
and orderly. There has been no occa-
sion for interference by the United
States forces with the ordinary admins
tration of law. Following the plan OF
steadily training the people in perform
ing the duties OF government, the or
ganization OF the rural guard has been
perfected, and that body has been placed
under one head. and now includes a to-
tai of 1900 men and officers armed with
modern carbines and we'll mounted. The
municipal police, which, during the for
NATIVE stage were supported from the
general fund, have been placed finally
upon the proper and intended footing of
support by the municipalities them
selves. In order that upon the with
drawal OF our troops the island may not
be without q force competent to take
charge of her coast fortifications. sever
al companies OF Cuban troops have been
organized, which, while maintained at
insular expense, are assigned to our
coast artillery companies in the island
as second platoons for the purpose of in
struction and discipline. and to fit them
for the duties of coast defense
Secretary Root discusses the military
length. He says:
1.-THE army in the Philippines has been
reduced since my last report from 1857
officers and 71,727 enlisted men to ILL
officers and APPS enlisted men. When
the organization now remaining in the
Philippines shall. by the force Of ordi-
nary casualties and expiration of enlist
ments, be reduced to the numbers es-
tablished by the order of May 8, 1901,
mentioned on page Of this report, the
total enlisted strength of those organi-
cations, exclusive OF hospital corps, will
be 32,079 men. The reduction already
made was effected partly by bringing
home the regular organizations which |
had been longest in the Philippines. So
far as the regular troops are concerned.
the movement is still in progress, four
regiments Of the present Philippine force
being now under orders to return to the
United States. They will be replaced in |
part by two regiments and part of a |
third now under orders to sail from the |
United States. 1t is the design Of the
department not to subject any Of our
forces to the effect Of a tropical climate
for longer period than three years
without an intervening tour of service |
in q colder climate. With the reorgan-
lied army we are getting into position
where this can be accomplished system
atically as matter of routine.
AT the date Of my last report Nov.
10. 1900, formal and open resistance to
American authority in the Philippines
had practically terminated, and the Fill
pino insurgent forces had adopted sys-