Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-06-20
COST OF WAR IN
THE PHILIPPINES
Secretary Root Gives an Itemized
Statement,
AMOUNTS TO Sl7O,326,596,
Attention invited 60 Fact Tbat Large
Quantities of Valuable Property
Remain on Hand.

Washington, June l9.--sccy Root to.
day made answer to the senate resolu-
ton Of April H. calling for information
as TO the cost OF the war In the Philip
pines, II is shown that $4,000 was
advanced Tor the expenses OF the
philippine commission originally from
The United States this year, but this
amount afterward was reimbursed out
of the Philippine treasury. For the
transportation OF troops and supplies TO
and from the Philippines since the
peace treaty was ratified the cost has
been NSO3.4iS.
Reports from the various bureau Of
fcers are submitted TO show the cost
Of the Philippine war including out
standing obligations, showing that the
total cost to date is Sl1O326.5S6 The
expenditures by years were as follows;
Fiscal year 1898 (two months. May
and june. expended, S26S6,Sj0 llabili-
ties, nil.
Fiscal year 1899, expended s2623O,6'3
liabilities. nil
Fiscal year 1900, expended s5oS6S,5i3;
liabilities nil.
Fiscal year 1901, expenses, s55S6i, 422
liabilities $l2,
Fiscal year 1902 (ten months July
10 April .nclusiye), S34499,022; liabili-
ties, AI3, 1850.
Total expended. g6e,S5S,5lo liabili-
ties S413OI2.
secy Root concluded with the eX-
PLANTATION
Attention IL invited 10 the fact that
large quantities OF valuable property.
such as ships, lighters etc, horses and
mules, wagons and harness, clothing,
equipage and ordnance medlcal signal
and general supplies, the cost of which
Is Included IN the foregoing statement,
sim remain on hand IN the Philippine
islands for use. Parts OF these supplies
are already being reshlpped to- this
country
1T should also be observed that a
large part OF the expense during the
past year should not properly be treat
cd as occasoncd by military operations
in the Philippine islands for the reason
that IL consists Of pay and maintenance
Of troops whom we would have had to
pay and maintain whether they were
I'm the Philippines or not, In order to
keep up the minimum number OF regu-
lar troops required by law, as a safe
guard against future contingencies. The
minimum at which the regular army Is
required to be maintained, by the act
OF Feb. 2 1901 Is 52.961, and the maxi
mum is 100 600. We now have less than
10000 In excess Of the minimum num-
Der. The cost of that excess only is
properly TO be stated as occasioned by
operations In the Philippines.
1.-THE present scale OF expense in the
Philippines u.s. OF course. greatly re-
duced from that shown In the forego-
ing statement because Of the continued
reduction OF the army made possible
by the restoration Of peaceful condi-
tons. Thus. in the middle Of the fiscal
year ending June 30. 1901 there were
about 10000 American soldiers In the
islands. That number Is now reduced
To about $4,000 orders have now been
issued for the return OF the Eighth,
Tenth, Twenty fourth and Twenty
fifth infantry, and a squadron OF the
Tenth cavalry and when these orders
have been executed the number Of
American troops in the Philippines will
have been reduced TO $4,000. For the
past six months we have been bringing
troops home as rapidly as We could
do so economically by the use Of our
own Transports