Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-12-06

serve a regular tropical detail. as usual
thus involving no greater hardship
upon tho personnel and greatly In
creasing the effectiveness Of the garri-
son.
The Home Army.
simultaneously with tho foregoing
steps the war department has been
proceeding with the reorganization OF
the army at home. The formerly dis
associated units are being united into
a tactical orga nization Of three divi-
sions. each consisting Of two or three
brigades of infantry and. 80 far az
practicable, a proper proportion Of di-
visional cavalry and artillery. OF
course the extent to which this reform
a be carried by the executive Is
practically limited to a paper organiza-
ton. The scattered units can be
brought under a proper organization,
but they will remain physically scat
tered until congress supplies the nee
essary funds for grouping them in
more concentrated posts.
Regular Army Reserve.
The new law provides that the sol
der, after serving four years with col
ors, shall pass into a reserve for three
years. At his option he may go into
the reserve at the end Of three years.
remaining there for four years. While
in the reserve he can be called and
only In such case will receive a stated
amount Of pay for all Of the period
In which he has been a member Of the
reserve. The legislation is imperfect,
In my opinion, in certain particulars,
but it is a most important step in the
right direction, and l earnestly hope
that it will be carefully studied and
perfected by congress.
The National Guard.
Under existing law the national
guard constitutes, after the regular
army. the first line of national defense.
Its organization, discipline, training
and equipment under recent legislation
have been assimilated. as far as posi-
Bile, to those Of the regular army, and
It's practical efficiency under the effect
Of this training has very greatly In
creased. Our citizen soldiers under
present conditions have reached a stage
Of development beyond which they can
not reasonably be asked to go without
further direct assistance In the form
Of pay from the federal government
On the other hand. such pay from the
national treasury would not be justi-
fed unless 1t produced a proper equiva-
lent In additional efficiency on the part
of the national guard.
The organized militia today cannot
be ordered outside Of the limits of the
United States and thus cannot lawful
ly be used for general military pur-
poses. The officers and men are ambi-
tious and eHger to make themselves
thus available and to become an eff
Gent national reserve Of citizen sol
diery. They are the only force Of
trained men other than the regular
army upon which we can rely. The
80 called militia pay bill in the form
agreed on between the authorities of
the war department and the represent
atives Of the national guard. In my
adequately meets these condi-
lions and offers a proper return for the
pay which 1t Is proposed to give to the
national guard.
l believe that its enactment into law
be a very long step toward pro-
this nation with a first line of
soldiery, upon which Its main
reliance must depend IN case Of any
national emergency. Plans for the or
g~anization Of the national guard into
divisions on the same lines as
those adopted for the regular army are
being formulated by the war college
division Of the general staff.
Porto Rico.
Porto Rico continues to show notable
progress, both commercially and in the
Of education. Its external COM
MERGE has increased II per cent over
the preceding year, bringing the total
value up to 500. 631.9S6, or more than
five times the value Of the commerce
Of the island in 1901. During the year
1870, 1857 pupils were enrolled In the
public schools as against 145,625 for
the preceding year and as compared
With $4,000 for the first year Of Ameri-
can administration.
The failure thus far to grant Amer1-
can citizenship continues to be the only
ground Of dissatisfaction. The bill
comforting such citizenship has passed
the house of representatives and Is
now awaiting the action of the senate.
I am heartily in favor Of the passage
of this bill. believe that the demand
for citizenship Is just and that 1t Is
amply earned by. sustained loyalty on
the part Of the Inhabitants Of the Is
land. But It should be remembered
that the demand must be, and In the
minds of most Porto Ricans Is, entire
ly d~isaasociated from any thought OF
statehood.
The Philippines.
A bill Is pending in congress which
revolutionixes the carefully worked out
scheme Of government under which the
Philippine Islands are now governed
and which proposes to render them VIZ
tually autonomous at once and abso
lutsly Independent In eight Year,. suct
a proposal can only be founded on tht
assumption that we have now discharg
ed our t~rusteeship to the Filipino peo
pie and our responsibility for them t
- 49, A. -
pared for self government az well al