The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-10-19
CORBIN ON THE ARMY
Adjutant Generals Annual
Report Made Public. -
PHILIPPINE FORCE BEING REDUCED.
MOnthly Expiration of Enlistments
About 2.OOO-Henr's Fatalities In
the Islands Total 1850 Men.
Several Recon- lamentations.

" Oct. ID.-l Hp HuI1u
nj report of Major General Henry G
! Corbin. adiutant general of the army
comprchensrely reviews the work
| condition and needs of the military ed
| tablishment. 90 4
! General Corbin submits Il table tn
show That the nrIly in the Philippine,
ID to be reduced by expired enlistments
at the rate Of about 1000 month from
now on until June. 1902. The question
whether the regiments thus depleted
III strength are TO remain so or be IT.
crrl'rd IL their full roster. he says, il
one requiring tic very earliest consid-
Grafton for II the latter is contemplar.
ed it is already time to begin special
recruiting.
The losses from all causes in the reg
uar army and the volunteers from .Iu-
~ |, 1000. TO June 80 last tntNlcd 1G0gI
Oil 'crS and nren in the former and
S,lsl in the latter The casualties to
the troops in the Philippines since the
date Of the first arrival, June 30. 1SDs,
to June 80 last, were 1l5 officers and
3,HlS men killed and lS2 officers and
2H+h men wounded. General Corbin
dwells at some length On the ubiaci of
the volunteer army in the Philippines
and calls attention to the promptnpss
and dispatch with which these rcgi-
mens We're brought home and muster
cd out.
He devotes special attention to the
question OF the instruction Of the ar
my. He believes that the system of
training for the officers should begin
with elementary technical instruction
at each post and terminate in the
higher training which would he provid-
Ell at war college. the speedy and
complete organization Of which he con-
siders most desirable.
General Corbin's recent tour of the
Philippine Islands and his brief visit
to Japan and eastern China bears fruit
III some interesting suggestions. Gen
eral Corbn believes that the army
transport service Oh the Pacific is cost.
Ing the government considerably more
than the use ~ commercial steam
ships would for the latter would have
the advantage. denied to the govern-
ment, of transporting passengers,
freight and mails to the orient both
Oh outward and homeward voyages
and would meet the needs for increas-
ing American trade in the orient. lie
therefore suggests that congress with
s'sety could offer Inducements to Unit
ed States shippers to install line of
steamers under charters that would
permit them in time of necessity to
serve as reserve army and navy trans.
p9rts.
An equally important need of the
service, General Corbin says. is a do
mcstic cable from the Pacific coast to
the Philippines. The present cable com
munlration through Europe, Asia, Chi
M and Japan, he says for obvious rca-
sons should be discontinued at the
earliest possible date. The rates charg-
ed by the existing cable service are eX-
orbitant. $2.3S per word being the reg
ular tariff on messages between Wash
ington and Manila.
Lag III S'S NidA liipI Y luUlt
ters for the troops in the Philippines be
provided as soon as possible and that
nn appropriation be made for the cree
ton of storehouses in and about Ma
Mia, where the government now pays
$500, 900 annually for the use of rented
buildings. If these suggestions are
adopted. General Corbin says, the cost
Of maintaining the army in the Philip
pines will be scarcely more than If the
troops We're on home stations.
He strongly recommends that con-
gress shall authorize the retirement of
not to exceed two major generals on
the active and one on the retired list,
with the rank of lieutenant general. He
points out that the rHlistinguished serv-
ices of Major Generals Merritt, Brooke
and Otis fully entitle them to this
honor.
Justice has been already too long de- |
layed, General COrbln says, in the mat
ter Of the medals for exceptional war
service recommended by the late Pres
ident Mckinley in his message to con-
gress in 1880 for the volunteers, regu.
lars, sailors and marines on duty in
the Philippine Islands who volunta.
rily remained in the service after their
terms Of enlistments had expired in or
der to serve their country In an extrem-
ity, and he urges that this matter be
brought to the attention of congress
with renewed emphasis.
General Corbin also cordially ap-
proves Il movement to give service
medals to all officers ana men of the
regular and volt t'ecr troops who hon
orably served In the war with Spain, in
the Philippines and in China.