Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-02
SCOUTS NO LONGER REQUIRED
GEN. CARRIERS SUGGESTION RE-
GARDING PHILIPPINE FORCE.
Recommends That Organization Be
Withdrawn From Service and
'Constabulary Augmented.

The discontinuance of the Philippine
Scouts as an organization of the United
States Army, numbering about 5000 Of
ficers and men, has been recommended to
the Secretary of War by Brig. Gen. w.
III. Carter. commanding the military de-
partment of the Luzon. The law for
their organization was designed, he says
so that they could be discontinued at any
time when their services were no longer
needed. In his opinion that time has
now arrived.
THE services rendered by the Philip
pine constabulary.'' says Gen. Carter,
have been arduous and worthy and 1t
would be a questionable discrimination
between them and the Philippine Scouts
to embrace the latter in the retirement
laws OF the regular army. The indefinite
| continuance of two distinct bodies of ma
tive troops for the same purpose is not
| good policy. nor is 1t necessary. One
| should be gradually eliminated, and there
| Is no possible question that the body re-
naming should be under the pay and
control of the civil government.
The scouts cost about twice as much
as the constabulary. There can be no
question that TO expand the constabulary
AMI reduce the scouts will strengthen
the control Of the civil government; that
to eliminate the scouts will make service
that to fill UP the regular army as the
scouts are reduced will give a more per-
fectiy dependable force for all kinds of
| service. costing but little more than the
scouts.
Gradual Transfer of Cost.
This arrangement would gradually
transfer the cost of maintaining the
scouts from the army to the civil gov
eminent of the Philippines, but in a
greatly modified form, because Of the
less cost of the constabulary in every
way. The constabulary live as natives
do. Nearly everything the scout draws
is transported from the United States.
las soon as the civil government Is in
a position to handle the situation with
| the cOnstabulary 1t is recommended that
the companies of scouts be discontinued
and that those men not accepting service
i'm the constabulary be discharged from
the service. Employment of individual
scouts for real scout service. not in the
! ranks of regular organizations. should be
| authorized whenever necessary to work
on cases not SO readily handled by regu-
| lars. If a body of Philippine soldiers
is ever organized into colonial regiments.
the plan followed by England should be
adopted. That would admit of the ap-
pointment of native officers, except TO
the positions of field and staff officers
Absence Of Officers.
Commenting on the absence of officers
from their commands, Gen. Carter says
that 1.-The percentage of absent line OFF,
GERS continues at a figure so large as TO
| jeopardize the efficiency of the regi-
ments.'' He strongly recommends the
adoption OF the three-unit battalion sys-
| tenn saying that three companies of 800
men are about all that one man can
readily command with the voice., and
that for simplicity and rapidity of
movement under battle conditions the
three-unit battalion commends itself as a
war organization" A strong plea is made
for keeping up the strength of the army
i'm the Philippines.