The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-05-14
THE AMERICAN.
SPANISH WAR.
Continued from first page.)

SPANISH WAX.
Continued from first page,
"On the 1st,o April our standing army
consisted of 2,143 officers and 26,040 en-
listed men. distributfd over the entire
country. This force MAY be classified as
follows:
General Officers anduStaff
Corps ..!.........;,... 532 2.O26
Cavalry communicative. 43l GOT
tarlillery ZSS 4,4o6
infantry .............. $50 ISIS
Miscellaneous ............ -. 653
Total ...............g,l 40 2O,O4O
Here was the nucleus about which we
had to gather the great army of 1898: and
this was the organization with which we
were to muster in, equip, organize, and
mobilize not only the $4,000 volunteers
called for on April %, but the subsequent
levies, aggregating, with the Regular
Army, approximately 215,000 men. The
governmental machinery was altogether
inadequate to Immediately meet the emer-
gency. 1t had, during 80 years, been call
ed upon only to plan for and meet the
requirements of the Regular Army in
time of peace, and naturally enough had
of peace. However, the officers at the
head of the various bureaus met as fully
as was possible in the existing environ
ment, the crisis. and their zeal, devotion,
and professional ability enttle them to
the grateful admiration of the people. I'm
der the circumstances they worked Won
ders, and deem it a high privilege that
l am here permitted to pay this just
tribute to them and their ASSISTANTS And
desire to especially mention my very
able and conscientious Assistant Secretary
of War, Honorable George d. Meiklejohn,
to whom too much praise can not be
given.
"In order to understand the problem
thoroughly, it will be necessary for the
reader to acquaint himself with the de-
tails of the military situation on and up
to April %.
"On March 0 Congress appropriated
for National defense the sum of $4,000
600. No part of this sum was available
for offensive purposes-even for offensive
preparation. The fund. though placed at
the Presidents disposal. remained only an
appropriation for National Defense and
he confined the employment of it literally
within that limitation. Under this inter
probation Of the act, it was, of course, per-
missible to hasten the work upon our
coast Notifications, the plans for which
had been formulated by the Endicott
Board of 1885 and duly sanctioned by
Congress at that time. AllOtments We're
made, therefore, out Of the S50,000,000
fund to the Ordnance. Engineer, Quarter
master, Medical and Signal Corps, as fol-
lows: Ordnance (abouD $10,000,O0O: En-
gineer, $5,5O0,000; Quartermaster, $780,
600; Medical, $4,000; Signal, $226,4OO.
''All of this was for purposes of coast
defense-guns, mountings, emplacements.
transportation, etc.-not a cent was used
outside Of the limits fixed by Congress.
There was no disturbance. of the status of
peace before the declaration Of war
Meanwhile the War Department had
been able to do nothing in the way of ac-
cumulating material for offensive war
for the emergency which, after the de-
struction of the Maine, was regarded by
the country at large as inevitable. Ev-
cry arsenal in the country, and every pri-
vate establishment capable of turning out
guns, carriages, powder, ammunition, etc,
was working up to its full capacity, day
and night, for coast defense; but the War
Department could notipurchase or even
contract for any Of the material so soon
to be needed for the new army. None of
the bureaus had On hand reserve supplies.
Being unable to increase its stock, each
had produced only enough for the imme-
date, everyday needs of the regular es-
Enlistment on peace basis.
when the declaration Of war finally
came, the Ordnance and Engineer Corps,
thanks to the allowance made from the
SOC, 100000 fund, We're in full working Or
der, and had already accomplished much
toward the National defense. Regular
troops had been moved to the coast and
put in camps at various points, including
Chickamauga. Within very few days
after the formal opening of hostilities,
] $50 torpedocs and mines, together with
the electrical appliances necessary for
their immediate operation. which had been
provided from the National Defense Fund,
were placed in various harbors; and the
Signal Corps had been increased to the
proportions needed for an effective and
complete system of fire control in the
forts.
1T is unnecessary to say that the colt
dition of the coast defenses was far from
what it should have been, notwithstand-
ing the extraordinary efforts of the Ord
nance and Engineer Corps between March
9 and April %. The truth is that, where
as the Endicott Board Of 1885 provided
for thorough system or ornament and
fertilization, Congress, which had sane
toned the plan, supported it so feebly
with appropriations that the work had
5'4iS va a. g" ''ii''i psiaN, anu. III 1910,
nearly 13 years after its adoption, rela-
lively little progress had been made.
$40 illustrate: The plan required an
expenditure Of $1OO,OO0,0OO for the con-
struction and emplacement of the follow
ing guns: S-inch, 9S; 1O-inch, 1914; ~
inch, 204; Pinch motars, 1.037; rapid-fire,
500; making total of 1852 guns and
mortars On the LIST of April, 1898. only
these had been emplaced: S-inch, o; 10
inch, "A; Pinch, 10; Pinch mortars, So;
rapd-iire, none.
THUS. ont of the 1852 pieces of ord
nance contemplated in the project of
1885, only 151 We're in position April 1,
1882 In ID years Congress had appro-
priated for this great National work less
than One-fourth of the sum required for
its completion. The War Department
had expended the amounts which through
successive administrations had been placed
at its disposal. but could do no more. 1t
was also Strengthened in the matter of am
mnnition. For the S-inch guns there We're
only II rounds each; for the 10-inch, 90
rounds; for the Pinch. Is rounds, and for
the mortars, 10. With the belated aid
derived from the $5O00O,0OO fund, the
Ordnance and Engineer Corps accom-
pliShed remarkable results, but, at the
best, those results were sadly inadequate
Dilatory and grudging legislation had
borne its fruit. mr..
I'm comparison with the other bureaus
of the War Department. however. the