The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-12
Actual strength of the Army ON Oct.
10 Was 3,6S1 Officers and 3d.
500 Enlisted Men.
LOSS OF 29,279 IN A YEAR
NEARLY 900 DIED OF DISEASE OR
WE'RE KILLED IN ACTION.
Remainder Were Discharged from
S~ervice-Much of the Report De-
voted to the State Militia.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-THE annual re-
port Of acting Adjutant General Hall. of
the army. was made public to-day. 1t deals
with every phase of the military establish
ment. The actual strength of the army on
Oct. Is was 1851 officers and $500 enlisted
men. There were lost to the army during
the year ended June 80 9,279 men, as fol-
lows: One hundred and thirty-eight off,
GERS, OF whom % were killed in action or
died of wounds or disease; 2S,141 enlisted
men. of whom S37 were killed in action or
died OF wounds or disease, the remainder
representing men discharged for expira-
ton of term of service, for disability, by
sentence of court-martial, assertions and
retirements. Forty-two officers resigned
and seventy-one retired; 5,0S4 enlisted men
deserted and 203 retired.
Attention is directed to the work of mill
tary attaches abroad, which, the report
states, has been very satisfactory, and
proves the wisdom of selecting officers
peculiarly adapted to this delicate semi
diplomatic work, which secures to the army
the most recent, authentic and valuable
at. a minimum cost.
Over one-half of the report is devoted to
the militia, and it gives a detailed account
OF the workings of the act to promote the
efficiency of the militia passed at the last
session of Congress. Inspections of the
several military organizations, the report
says, were begun on April 20, 1901, and COM
pleted about the first of July. The total
number of the organized militia, Including
ofhcers or every rank and grade, was as
certalied to be LII, 572.
DEPENDABLE STRENGTH.
Regarding the dependable strength of the
la -, IL
adjutant general states that although the
obligation OF officers and men Of the militia
to respond promptly to a sudden call of the
PRESIDENT has been on the statute books
more than a hundred years and of the
organized militia or National Guard for
nearly forty. and the neglect to so respond
is punishable by such penalties as a court
martial may direct, experience has shown
that this obligation is a theory rather than
a fact Without going further back than
the late war with Spain, the proportion
who have actually responded to such calls
OF the President has borne a very small
proportion to those actually borne on the
company rolls" Eliminating the men I'M
fit tor military service and those unable
to 90 to the front for logical reasons, the
report says that only about thirty of the
original company Is a fair estimate of the
number OF men in each company that were
finally received into the service of the
CHltcQ OtdlSS.
The adjutant general comments at length
on the opposition developed in some quar-
tiers to the militia law, which, he says, is
less on the whole than was anticipated.
He says that it is true that certain radical
leaders of the labor unions regard the
militia as a menace to their purposes, al
though it is doubtful, he adds. If this
enmity extends to any considerable proper
ton of their membership.
Continuing, the adjutant general states
that there is an applicable opposition on the
| mart Of pmnl0VlrS IN nprm1ffinU fhlir Qn-
ployes who are members of the National
Guard to leave their work to participate in
drills, encampments and target practices,
much less responding to the CALI of the
State for the suppression of disorder.
Business men connected with the organ
lied militia of some of the States" the
cannot afford to waste their time in riots
or labor troubles, while they would be per-
fectly willing to respond in case of war.
RACE PREJUDICE.
I'm some cities of Virginia, Georgia and
Louisiana the newspapers have prejudiced
the minds of the militiamen by their dis
torted views. The fear is expressed in some
Southern communities that under the
Presidents orders national guardsmen
might be compelled to serve under a col
ored commander and still others believe
that they are State troops and should not
be ordered for duty outside the State. All
These tAdllpltc, IlOWtNtI, are W Dc ItSdTQ-
ed as sporadic rather than contagious, and
as the intent of the law becomes better
understood, with perhaps some further
legislation it is believed that all opposition
will be confined to such irreconcilable ele-
ments which are not satisfied with anything
less than the abolition of all agencies that
make Tor the preservation OF law and or
der"
Among the recommendations for the or
ganized militia are the following: That
the attention of Congress be invited to the
aIxicohiltfr Of n nrnViSn in the nnnrnnria-
ton bill for the next fiscal year forage to
the horses of mounted militia troops and of
mounted officers while at maneuvers; for
per diem allowances to be made for the hire
of horses of militia troops and batteries
while engaged in maneuvers; for the fur
nishing of fuel for cooking and heating pur-
poses by the United States while engaged
in maneuvers; and for the furnishing of
straw and hay for bedding of militia SOL
diers while engaged in m~aneuvers.
I'm order to increase the attendance at
drills and thus secure increased efficiency of
the organized militia, that Governors be
permitted to utilize the allowance. of their
respective States under Section 1861, Re-
vised Statutes, for the purpose of furnish
ing a per diem allowance. not in any case to
exceed 43 cents per drill of one and one-half
hours for the purpose of paying enlisted
men of the organized militia for attendance
at each of the twenty-four drills annually
THAT as a precedent to a participation
In maneuvers the States and Territories re-
quire n sufficient physical examination for
entrance into tnelr organized militia.
THAT States be permitted to retain rifles
and carbines now in use by military schools
and colleges instead of throwing them in
on receipt of new arms.
THAT for the purpose of preserving order
in camp no troops of the organized militia
shall participate In maneuvers unless the
laws of the State to which the troops be-
long sufficiently provide for the punishment
of disorder"
BLAIRS SELL PROPERTY.