panying maps and plates, also a large mass of uncompleted work in connection with the books yet to be printed.

The volume of the official records in the possession of the Govern. ment and those donated or loaned by individuals furnish an enormous amount of material available for compilation and publication. The expectations of the Department that by this time the publication of these valuable and elaborate records would be completed has not been realized. It appears that the members of the expert board of publication established by the act of March 2, 1889, have not, as respects certain of the records, reached the same conclusion as to what should b excluded as unimportant. The law now provides that the selection o f matter for publication shall be made by the board of experts under the direction of the Secretary of War, and all in accordance with a plan Se project that has received the approval of Congress; but as the quantity to be included or excluded, according to the personal determination of some of the experts, is very voluminous, I recommend that Congress be requested to define the scope of the work as respects the matter not yet printed.

CONCENTRATION OF TROOPS.

The policy of concentrating the Army and abandoning unnecessary posts has not only won the approval of all those acquainted with the lines of progress which conditions have marked out for our Army, but is approved by all thoughtful citizens. It has been shown that sufficient bodies of troops can be transported for service to any necessary point in shorter time and at less cost than under the old system, that the area under effective military protection is consequently much larger, and that all elements of expense have been perceptibly reduced.

This policy has also rendered it possible for this Department since March 4, 1893, to turn over to the Department of the Interior 741,000 acres of public land, conveniently situated, for the use of actual settlers. At the present time there are eighteen posts whose garrisons exceed a full regiment, while thirty stations are garrisoned by less than a battalion. This policy, with everything to commend it, should be steadily pursued.

Agreeably to the act of Congress the Department has accepted from the citizens of Spokane, State of Washington, a tract of land embracing 1,022 acres for military purposes. Eventually this should be availed of by the erection of barracks and quarters to take the place of some of the posts in that vicinity which, under the conditions following the development of the country, are not well located for present needs.

While our Army remains at its present numbers, and with the facilities for the quick dispatch of troops to points where required, the appeals of localities for the establishment of posts in their vicinity can have no substantial basis.

To respond to such appeals will be to provide quarters far in excess of our needs or our ability to supply them with garrisons.

The distribution of the Army by geographical departments on October 31, 1895, was as follows:

THE MILITARY ACADEMY AND SERVICE SCHOOLS.

The superintendent of the Military Academy at West Point reports that the number of cadets on September 1, 1895, including one foreigner admitted by special authority of Congress, was 324, being 48 less than the full number authorized by law. Notwithstanding the desire of large numbers of the youth of the country to enter this institution, there are every year many unfilled vacancies, mainly because of failure on the part of Representatives in Congress to make nominations and the restrictive laws concerning appointments.

It is highly desirable to keep this expensive plant in operation to its full capacity, and various methods to increase the number have been suggested. I renew the recommendation of my last report, that the President be authorized to name ten cadets at large each year.

One of the most pressing needs of the Academy is a new library building, which can be constructed for $70,000, including incidental expenses, estimated pursuant to act of Congress. This venerable institution, in which the country takes justifiable pride, is undergoing a necessary period of material renovation, and an amount somewhat in excess of the usual appropriations is now required for that purpose. The service schools at Fort Monroe, Fort Leavenworth, and Fort Riley continue the high grade of instruction for which they have been

commended in previous reports. A general desire throughout the service for the opportunities afforded by these schools is evidence of an ambition in the Army to excel in military knowledge, as well as in daily routine.

STATE TROOPS.

The efforts of recent years to bring the Army into closer relations with the National Guard of the States may now be regarded as having established a permanent union between the two forces, advantageous to both. During the year 33 officers, 6 more than in the previous year, were permanently detailed at State headquarters, and 43 States secured for temporary duty the services of army officers. State encampments of troops were held by 22 States, to which 25 additional officers were assigned as instructors and inspectors.

The conditions are favorable to the development of a volunteer force of upward of 100,000 men, of the highest efficiency and prepared for any service. Legislation, however, is necessary to put to the best use the relations which have been established between the Army and the troops of the States. The laws of the United States relating to the militia were enacted in 1792, and need thorough revision and renovation to bring them into accord with present requirements.

The variety of weapons which now obtains is so great as to preclude the employment of considerable bodies of the militia of different States in cooperation, and the longer the Federal Government delays action the greater the possibility that different States will select different models of rifles, requiring different forms of ammunition, thus rendering almost impossible the employment in joint action of the troops of the different States. The Springfield .45-caliber rifle appears to be the best available weapon adapted to the use of the State troops, and authority from Congress alone is necessary to enable the Department fully to equip within the year the militia of the country with this uniform arm. In the event of war the new magazine rifle could be issued to these troops, and a fortnight would be ample to secure proficiency in the use of the arm.

The appropriation for the National Guard has remained unchanged for many years, although the country's population has multiplied many fold. Repeated recommendations for an increase of this appropriation have not met with a favorable response from Congress, though the reasons for such increase seem obvious. The States now hold many unserviceable, worn-out, or obsolete stores and weapons advanced to them by the War Department in past years. Authority is asked to

grant credit to the States for the return of such useless material, to be sold by the Federal Government for what it will bring, and the proceeds applied to the arming of the militia with uniform, serviceable weapons. It is now suggested that authority be granted to the Department to sell to the States, at cost price, such arms and equipments as they may require, and that the proceeds of such sales be credited to the appropriations for supplying and replacing such arms and equipments. These propositions involve no increase in the appropriations for the Department, but the bestowal of the authority asked for is necessary to the success of any plan looking toward the joint action of the Army and the National Guard of the States in case of war.

Community of interests, mutual respect, and familiarity with each other's methods have been established between the Army and the State troops in peace, but unity of action on the field requires uniform armament and equipment.

The following table shows the number of officers and men comprising the National Guard of the States and Territories and allotment to each State and Territory of the annual appropriation by the General Government and the appropriations made by each State and Territory. The artillery arm, comprising 5,151 officers and men, is maintained by 33 States, and the cavalry arm, comprising 5,249 officers and men, maintained by 25 States:

is

MILITARY SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES.

The Lumber of pupils at schools and colleges receiving military instruction from officers of the Army has more than doubled within the last four years, and the steadily increasing interest of the youth of the land in military affairs is apparent. Last year 99 officers, a larger number than in any former year, were detached for this duty. The students attending schools and colleges at which military instruc-. tion was regularly imparted during the year numbered 35,638, of whom 23,723 were capable of military duty.

The relations of these schools with the National Guard of the States are becoming closer, and one of the valuable consequences of this system of military instruction is that those receiving it in many