Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-12-01
ROOTS Army Review
Facts and Figures Concerning Sol.
diers During Last Official Year.
REGULAR FORCE, 6e,589 MEN
Also Describes In Annual Report
How Troops Are Cared For In
Peace-Praises WOOd-Fa.
vOrs the Canteen.

Washington. Dec. 1.-The annual re
port Of Elihu Root, secretary of war
has been made public. and in it he pre-
sents many interesting facts concern
ing the operations of our soldiers at
home and abroad.
He says in part
On Nov. q. 1901. the date Of the last
annual report Of the secretary Of war. the
army Of the United States, according to
the lat test reports which had been received
from the field consisted Of 1888 officers
and 76,0S4 enlisted men. In addition there
were 4,336 men in the hospital corps. liz
volunteer surgeons appointed for duty in
the Philippines under the provisions of
section IS of the act of Feb. 2, 1901, 4.973
native scouts under the command Of %
officers In the Philippines and Is officers
and SIS men Of the Porto Rico provisional
regiment Of infantry.
| The continued improvement of condi-
lions in the Philippines made possible a
further reduction in the enlisted strength
Of the army. which, by order dated May
| 81, 1902. was fixed as follows:
| Cavalry, 1000; coast artillery, 1874;
| field artillery. $3.50; noncommissoned
| staff and bands, 32S, making a total Of
17,742.
Infantry. q. $50: engineer battalions and
band. l.2S2: additional strength for troops
| stationed at the general service and staff
college, school Of application and lega-
ton guard, Picking, China TO: enlisted
men, staff departments. etc, 2.7S2. making
a total enlisted strength In the army OF
6. 497 men.
slight Notifications.
To meet the requirements of the act Of
June g. 1902 for the support of the Mill
tary academy and Of the act Of June 3d.
1902. making appropriations for the sup
port of the army slight notifications Of
the enlisted strength were made under
date of July /. 1902 making the total en-
listed strength Of the army 6671l.
On Oct. Il, 1902. the regular establish
mont consisted. according to the latest
reports which had been received of 1856
odlcers and 50. O03 enlisted men, a total of
69.b89. In addition there we're 1898 men
of the hospital corps, but under the pro-
visions Of the act Of March 1. 1857. not
included az part Of the enlisted force of
the army. There were also in. the service
162 volunteer medical officers, appointed
under section Is Of the act Of Feb. 2, 1901.
all Of whom are under orders for honora-
BILE discharge on account Of their services
being no longer required; 1878 Philippine
scouts. enlisted from the natives, under
command OF 100 officers. and 70 officers
and $40 enlisted men of tho Porto Rico
provisional regiment.
Since the ending Of the insurrectfon and
the complete establishment Of civil gov
eminent In the Philippines 1t has been,
possible to make still further reduction.
Of the army. and on Oct. "a. 1902, an order
was made reducing the enlisted strength to,
5Ss66, the minimum provided by the act of
Feb. 2, 1901. excepting as to the organiza-.
lions stationed at Fort Leawenworth, Fort
Riley and Picking.
The neces 'ary instructions have BEEN
given presc, bling the method of Erecting
the reduction required by the order of
Oct "a, 1902 so that it will have been conn.,
pletely accomplished in the most econom--
ioal way before the, end of the current fis--
cal year and in the maAn accomplished
during the next thirty days.
The effect OF carrying out this order wilF
be to bring the American troops stationed
in the Philippines down, to an, enlisted
strength OF a48O.
The exception of the organizations. sta
toned at Fort Leavenworth and Fort. Ri
ley from the reduction to the minimum
strength is made for purposes of instruc-
ton. so that at the general. service. and
staff college and the school of application
for cavalry and light artillery student Of
fcers may become familiar with the han
ding OF troops at full war strength.
Philippine Scouts.
The Philippine scouts should be- oontin-
ued. They enable US to reduce the force
Of American troops In the Philippines
more rapidly than we could without them
and their knowledge of the country, lam
guage and the ways, of the people make
them especially valuable in. hunting down.
ladrones. which for a good while to come.
will be an urgent business, The relations
between this body of scouts. maintained
at the expense Of the United States, AMI
the insular constabulary maintained at
the expense of the Philippine, govern
ment, will have. to be- worked out hece-
after when we have had, longer experience
Of the working, of the two fouces under
peaceful conditions and KNOW better what
revenues can be relied upon hE the ihsu-
lar government under like conditions
maintaining order. Whether that shall be
ultimately accomplished through ne.force
or tho other or both, can hardly as yet he
probably discussed.
During the fiscal year ended Jpne 30.
1909; thera were 124.A2 applications for
enlistment In the army, not including the
hospital corps and Philippine scouts. or
oepted. and SL0S1, or about 70 per cent,
were rejected. OF the numberr accepted
q, 249 were natives of the United States.
A,726 were Of foreign birth, and 1856 were
born I'm Porto Rico: s4,6T were white,
2.284 colored. IA Indians and aSS Porto Ri
CaQ6. COlOr' A0l opcCftIdu LING Tc-ctlilSl-
ments numbered 11.4a5 and the new enlist
ments 28.026 Excluding establishments,
the percentage Of native born among the
newly enlisted men was 1915. OF the ap-
plfcants rejected 1872 we're rejected as
aMens aud 3S8 as illiterates.
The health Of the army has shown a,
continued improvement. The deaths from.
all causes during the, calendar year 1902
amounted to 1894 per thousand Of mean
strength as against s2.H per thousand OF
mean strength during the calendar year
1900 This large reduction Of death rate
was In q great measure due to improved
conditions in the Philippines, where the
rate was reduced to 1885 per thousand In
the year 1901 as against 29.42 per thousand
in the year 1900. The death rate from all
causes during the year 1901 in the. United
States was $50 per thousand; in Porto
Rico. 7.S1; In Cuba. 5.2S. and in the Pa
cifc islands and China, 1896. The rates
Of admission to sick report for disease
and injury and the rate of discharge for
disability during the calendar year 1901
agree with the reduced mortality rate In
being considerably less than the corre-
spending rates for the year. 1900.
The principal military events Of the
mast wear have been tho end Of the mill