Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-07
Return OF THE VOLUNTEERS.
Final Arrangement Held Up Pending
Congregational Action.


In the course of a conversation with sew
eral newspaper men Saturday afternoon
Secretary Root said there was no founda
ton for the statement published in some
newspapers that he had predicted that the
troubles in the Philippines would end with
the reelection of President Mckinley. He
explained that he had always avoided the
making of predictions In any matter, and
he certainly had never made the prediction
in question about the speedy termination of
the Philippine troubles. The nearest he had
ever come to doing 50. was In his last an
nual report to The President, when he sum-
med up the military requirements in the
Philippines as demanding $1,000 men for
the immediate future, though this number
might be progressively decreased by the
toration of order, the creation of a native
police and the use of native troops in place
of the Americans We should acquire per-
nnanently an army of about 6Oe0O American
troops. he said. and during present condi-
lions in Cuba and the Philippines about the
present number. 100 0yo would be required.
In answer to a direct question. Secretary
Root said that final arrangements for the
return of the volunteers in the Philippines
would not be made until Congress had indi-
Gated its intention with regard to their
placement with fresh. troops. One thing
settled, however, was, he said. that the vol
unteers brought back to the United States
would be mustered out at points as near
their places of enlistment possible, and
not at San Francisco, as was originally in
tended. The explanation of this plan of ac
ton. he said, was based on experience
gained in the muster-out of the volunteers
at the close of the Spanish war, when it
was found that the volunteers brought
money in places Of amusement" in San
Francisco, and were financially unable to
continue the journey to their homes.
If the Secretary stands by this announced
m ptalV
upset the tentative arrangements already
made by the adjutant generals and quar-
termaster's departments, which contem-
plate the muSter-out of all the volunteers
at San Francisco and their transportation
to their homes as individuals at reduced
railroad rates. The plans had reached a
point where the transportation companies
had prepared schedule of rates between
San Francisco and all points in the United
States. An officer of the adjutant generals
department said that the Secretary's plan
Of sending the men to their homes as or
CARNATIONS was impracticable, for the rea-
son that the companies were made up of
men recruited in different localities, as
widely separated as Maine and Texas in
some cases. Another difficulty in the ex-
ecution of the Secretary's plan is that the
men must be given all their pay and allow
ances, including mileage to their homes,
when they are mustered out, which opera
ton requires central depot in the case of
each regiment.
There appears to be some delay In the
movement of The volunteer troops already
ordered home from the Philippines. There
are now $4,000 troops in the islands, and
orders have been issued TO General MacAr-
thur to send home 1900 volunteers of that
number at his earliest convenience The
plan of the War Department Is to maintain
the strength of the army in the Philippines
at 10000 until provision has been made by
Congress for !he replacement of all the
volunteers whose terms Of enlistment will
expire June 80 next;
General MacArthtfr Uniformed the depart-
ment about the middle of December that he
had arranged to seRd home about LOCO con-
valescents between that time and the 1st
of January on the TRANSPORTS Sherman and
Warren, and that The transport Sheridan
would sail on the 1St of January with the
37th Volunteer Infantry Ind such volunteer
cOnValescentS we're ready to sail at that
time. This program has been carried out
so far as the TRANSPORT Sherman and War
rem are concerned. aahdl those vessels are
now on their way 70, San Francisco.
They each carry about 500 volunteer con
valescents. Nothing having been heard of
the departure of the Sheridan up to that
time a telegram of inquiry was sent to Col
Miller, chief 'quartefma ster at Manila Sat-
urday. cable messagee was received from
him by the quareerm$ster general this
morning saying that the Sheridan would
leave on the 16tho instant, with all the
troops of the 3Tth Volunteer Infantry ard
about 300 convaiesceht soldiers.
The next organization to start home from
the Philippines will be the 11th Cavalry,
the only volunteer cavalry regiment in the
service. 1t was mainly organized In the
Philippines from volunteers of the state
regiments which served during the Spanish
war. -
The remaining volunteer organizations to
be ordered home regardless OF COMPRESSION
al action on the army bin have not vet i
been positively selected, but It Is stated af
the War Department that the horhe-coming
movement OF volunteers will continue as
rapidly as possible until all OF the 1900 men
affected by the reduction OF the army to
60,0oo have been transported across the Pa
cifc.