The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-15

At no time have the American people
denied as strong an army to Mr.. Mckin-
ley as the exigencies of the situation de-
manded At no time have they been I'M
willing to give him one hundred thousand,
or a larger body of men. if that could be
held necessary TO establish our sovereign
ty and restore order in the Philippines
The American people do, however, OPP
pose a bill which puts it into the Presi-
dents power TO say what the strength of
the military establishment shall be be-
tween minimum OF ffty-eight and
maximum of enc hundred thousand. The
exclusive privilege OF defining what the
number of officers and enlisted men in the
army shall be is a prerogatiye of Con-
gress and necessarily incident to the prop
er exercise of the war-making power
which it holds to the exclusion OF the ex-
ecutive branch of the Government.
Nevertheless. in some way, an indiffer
ent Senate and complacent House of
Representatives probably will pass the
measure of surrender on the part of the
Legislature, the great and outspoken OBJ
jections of the people to it to the con-
trary Notwithstanding. The serious ques-
tion will then arise: How is the maximum
army. which is acknowledged on all hands
to be presently necessary, to be supplied?
The President need not look for any
epidemic of war fever, such as filled the
ranks of the volunteers at the outbreak
of our troubles with Spain. We are I'M
aware of any conditions in the Philippines
calculated to attract the young men of
the country to outpost and picket duty in
a sickly region swarming with hostile ma
tiyes at approximately fifty cents a day.
If the features of the situation were to be
in the future exactly what they are now
it would still be difficult eno1gh to fill The
places Of the forty thousand or more reg
ulars and volunteers now in the archi-
pelago, whose terms of service will ex-
pire within the next six months. When
we reflect, however, that to the ordinary
hardships of the service hazing of the
common soldier by the Woman's Chris
tian Temperance Union has been added,
SO that hereafter he will have neither
the comfort of his native beer at
the post exchange, but be deprived of the
canned goods, vegetables, and reIishes
which the Government does not supply.
but which the profit on beer sold at the
canteen does, it is not difficult to predict
that there may be more recruiting Offices
and officers throughout the States than
recruits during the next few weeks.
Men in the army predict few if any en-
listments under the Woman's Chris
and many assertions. II their expecta-
lions are correct what will Mr.. McKin-
ley do? VIII he offer enormous bounties
for men to risk their health, life, and
limbs and accept service in body of men
who are treated like convicts and are de-
MED the ordinary civil rights of the mean
est civilian in the land? People who look
upon the Philippine war, suppressed,
crushed, wiped out, and made ancient his
tory by that cherry-tree axe of truth, Otis,
with dislike and think that, for a mere
memory. it is taking too many men and
too much money, will not become enthus-
iastic over the bounty proposition. But
perhaps that may not be the wors; of ii.
There is remarkably shrewd under
standing on the part of the Administra-
ton that il any considerable number OF
the troops now in the Philippines were
permitted to get home and spread the
story of their experiences it would prob
ably be found impossible to raise another
army for employment in that part of the
globe at any price whatever.
Suppose the truth should be dissent
mated before enlistments have progressed
far, and that even bountles are discovered
to he without attractions for the able
bodied young farmers and mechanics of
the country! What would be the last re-
sort in the premises? Would it be a con-
scription. and possibly repetition Of the
draft riots of 1863 in New York? Between
the executive desire to make the army an
elastic. plastic imperial machine and The
Legislative decision to turn it into re-
form school, We do not look for much
progress.