The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1910-12-06

sion OF new legislation and the delays
incident to It's c6asil EZRA lion and ndop-
ton. earnestly urge the passage OF
this volunteer bill.
I further recommend that congress
establish commission to determine
Us early as practicable a eomprehen-
tive policy for the organization. mob
Iization and administered don OF the reg
tlar army. the organized militia and
! sIe Volunteers forces Ia the event of
war,
Need For AdditieqPI pHisera.
One. Of the great lcnsties in the
prompt organization and mobilization
of militia and volunteer forces is the
absence OF competent ofneeTs of the
rank OF captain 10 reach the new army
by the unit OF the company the, bust
ness OF being soldiers and OF tak4nE
care OF themselves so us 10 render eff
fective service. This need OF army
ofacers can only be supplied by pro
visions of law authorizing the appoint
nlent OF a greater number Of army Of
fcers than are needed to supply the
commands of regular army troops now
enlisted In the service
There are enough regular army ON
GERS to command the troops now en-
listed. but congress has authorized
and the department has followed the
example of congress and exercised tue
authority conferred by detailing these
army ofacers to duty other than that
of the command OF troops.
For instance, there are large num-
Der OF army officers assigned TO duty
with military colleges or in colleges IN
which military training Is given. Then
n large number of officers are assigned
to general STAFF duty, and there are
various other places to which army
officers can be and are legally assign
ed, which take them AWAY from their
regiments and companies. In order
that the militia OF each state should
be properly drilled and made more
like the regular army, regular army
officers should bedetailed to assist the
ndtutant general OF each stnte in the
supervision OF the state militia. but
this Is impossible unless provision is
made by congress for a very consid-
cradle fncrens;s in the number OF com
many and field officers OF the army. A
bill was pending in the last session OF
congress for this purpose, and car
nestly hope that in the interest of the
proper development OF republican
army, an army small in the time OF
peace, but possible of prompt and ade-
ouate enlargement IN time of war.
shall become possible under the laws
of the United States
A bill, the strong argument FOR
which can be based on, the ground
quite similar to that of the Increased
officers bill. is the bill for the increase
of sixty In the army engineers. The
army engineers are largely employed
in the expenditure OF the moneys APP
proprIated for the Improvement Of riV-
ers and harbors. This. In addition TO
their military duties. which includes
the construction Of fortiflcatious both
of our coasts and in our dependen-
cies, together with the number used In
the Panama canal work, requires
many more engineers than the army
has, and this shortness of supply in
such officers delays important river
and harbor work and important forti-
ficntion work. 1 earnestly recommend
the passage of this bin, which passed
the house at the last session and Is
now pending in the senate.
Fertffeations-
have directed that the estimates
for appropriations for the improvement
of coast defense In the United States
should be reduced to a minimum.
while those for the completion OF the
needed Qualifications at Corregldor. in
the Philippine Islands, and at Pearl
Harbor, in the Hawaiian Islands.
should be expedited as much as pos
sible
The proposition to make olongapo
and subig bay the naval base for the
Pacific was given up, and st Is 10 be
treated merely as a supply station.
while the Notifications In the Philip
pines are to be largely confined to
Corregidor island and the adjacent Is.
lands which command entrance to Ma
Mia bay and which are being rendered
impregnable from land and sea attack
The Pacific naval base has been trans
ferred to Pearl Harbor, in the Hawai-
ian Islands
This necessitates the heavy fortifica.
ton OF the harbor and the establish
ment Of an important military station
near Honolulu. l urge that all the.
estimates made by the war depart
ment for these purposes be approved
by congressional appropriation.
Philippine Islands.
During the last summer, ut my re-
quest the secretary of war visited the
Philippine Islands and has described
his trip in his report. He found the
islands In n state Of tranquility and
growing prosperity, due largely to theI
change in the tarif laws, which has
opened the markets of America to the
products of the Philippines and has
opened the Philippine markets to-