Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-14
XXXIXth Congress.
HOUSE.

I
vent the introduction Of cholera into the
United States.
The Speaker presented a communication
from the Secretary of War, In compliance
with the resolution Of March I4th, stating
that he has no data by which to form an
.pinion as to effect the erection of quar-
antiae will have on naVigable waters OF the
New Yerk harbor.
, Also a communication from the same in
answer To a resolution OF the 10Th inst, in
relation TO the finding of Commissioners in
the case of the awards to the captors of
Booth and Harold. The communications
Were laid on the table and ordered to be
printed.
Mr.. SCH0FIELD. of Pennsylvania, made
a personal explanation, defending himself
from the charge of indifference 70 the Pc
troleum interest made by Committee Of
Oil producers in Western Pennsylvania
Mr.. LAWRENCE, of Pennsylvania, and
Mr. MO0REHEAD also, made statements
on this subject.
In the naval appropriation bill the House
rsceded from the following disagreements /:
Two thousand dollars for the Brooklyn
yard, and 9I,00O for the Norfolk yard, and
agrees to them.
The Senate agrees to the amendment ap-
pr'priating sl35,OO0 for the purchase Of
Oakman or Eldridges wharf at Charleston
| anu cOJ,UUU IOE bne Z Ecu-dcOia yard Inc
House agrees to S26,0OO for the purchase Of
additional grounds at Annapolis. Other
amendments were agreed 70.
On motion of Mr. FARNSWORTH the let
ter from the Secretary of War stating the
amount paid to and still claimed by the
Illinois Central Railroad Company, for
transportation, &c, was transferred from
the Committee on Appropriations to the
Committee on Judiciary.
Mr. FARNSWORTH, from the Conference
Committee, presented report for naval ap-
preparation. The bill and report was agreed
Mr.. TAYLOR, from the Committee on
| Invalid Pensions, reported back a Joint
resolution giving to Mrs. Maria A. McCOOk,
of Jefferson county, Ohio, pension of $3.50
on account of the services of two of her IN
married sons, killed in war, in addition to
the pension OF $500 which she now receives
as the widow Of Major MeCook. The bill
and amendment offered gave rise to dis
eussion which occupied the whole of the
morning hour.
A message from the President, in refer
ence TO the fisheries was received, bat the
House having taken up the bill to Re-
| organize the Army of the United States as
| q special order, Mr.. SCHENCK declined TO
agree TO the suggestion Of Mr.. Raymond TO
let the message be read, and proceeded to
the consideration of the army bill.
| Mr.. SCHENCK, in reporting the Army
| bill, said it was framed in accordance with
the views of the Lieutenant General Of the
army, and was sanctioned by the Secretary
| of VI ar in so far as it regarded the numbers
of the standing army. 1t provides for an
army to consist OF $4,000 men, but with an
organization capable of expansion to 81, 900.
| His own opinion was that the army should
amount to at least 100000 men, but he
yielded his opinion to the high authority Of
the Lieutenant General, which was sane
Ii ned by the President.
Without going into detail it would be
found that the number agreed upon was By
ne means too great The Senate fixed the
number of infantry regiments at 50 and the
Committee at -55, which was according 10
the recommendations of the Secretary of
| War and the L eutenant General CO nmand-
ing. The pairing down of these Eve regi-
| ments by the Senate was done apparently
for the purpose of crowding out aud getting
rid OF veteran reserve corps. The Commit
| tee retained 50 regiments using 10 of them
| for veteran reserve corps.
The appropriations for the army during
the last year of the rebellion amounted to
S5I6, ,0O0, 900. The estimate for the army
proposed to be retained amount to S33,0OO,-
900, one e-sixteenth OF the army expenses
during the last year of the war
Another feature of this bill differing from
that of the Senate was in regard to the
number Of eolOred troops. The Senate pro-
posed eight regiments of colored troops
this bill proposed ten regiments of colored
troops. The Senate bill proposed that two
of the I2Lh Cavalry regiments, provided
for in both bills, should be composed of
colored men, while the House bill con-
tanned no such clause. He was aware that
there would be objections from some quar-
ters TO the preserving Of the Veteran Re- |
serve Corps. He would not now give any
argument as to the organization Of that |
Corps, its services, its character, or manner |
in which it was ofieered He would but say |
thatthis corps, which sprung from the Ieses- :
sites Ofthe war, had us birth in the exigel-
cies of the great struggle. IL was proposed |
in this bill 10 retain ten regiments OF that
corps, the officers of these regiments to be
drawn not exclusively from those who were |
officers in the twenty-four regiments that |
heretofore existed, but to be selected by |
examination from among those officers and l
from among all other volunteer officers who !
may have requisite qualifications. Their |
enlisted meu were to be such as might be \
fit for light or garrison duty and who might |
be assigned for service in that corps, but |
all of whom would be selected from other |
regiments.
Another feature in The bill reported was
the preservation as a distinct bureau of the |
Provost Marshal and his assistants. He |
knew there would be a number of Objec |
tons He would say here that considering |
recruiting as the great means Of keeping up |
the numbers of the army the committee |
concluded that some such bureau was nee
essary, as under the Adjutant Generals de- |
partment recruiting had been heretofore a
decided failure.
In this bill the committee had not cOnin- |
ed the selection OF officers to be appointed |
to fill up original pcies in varil Us
arms of the service to volunteer officers, but |
proposed to extend it t. all volunt teers,
whether officers or soldiers, who could, by
examination, prove themselves possessed of
the requisite qualifications, and who should
have a record of services IN connection with
their qualifications, whether as privates or
as officers, emitting them to such selection.
Another peculiar feature Of this bill, diff
fering from that of the Senate, was this:
There were provisions in the Senate bill |
that in selecting officers for newly organ /
lied regiments two-thirds Of them should |
be taken from volunteer officers and sol |
jiers, and the selection of the other third |
to be left to the discretion of the President /
and all regular army officers who have du- |
ring the war commanded volunteer troops /
shall be commissioned either as regular /
army officers or as volunteer officers. The /
Committee regarded this as giving the first |
third of the prize to regular army officers, |
and then remitting to the enjoyment Of the !
other two-thirds those regular army officers
who had commanded volunteers during the !
war, thus cutting off volunteer officers. |
The Committee had inserted in lieu Of it a
section, THAT no officer of the regular
army who has commanded volunteer forces |
during the war shall on that account be |
counted as q volunteer ofiaer, bu5 shall |
only be counted as an Office OF the regular
army"
Another very important provision of the |
bill was the provision for revising the /
whole army list, as it now stood, In order |
to determine what officers shJuld be prop |
erly retained in service. 1t might be /
thought that this was very radical. The /
committee had thought that in this transi-
tion perisd when establishing new army
one mode of making the army servieeabls
would be TO have a general revision OF all
those who know its constitution and its Of
fcers. The provision agreed upon by the
committee would not interfere with many 4
officers and might not interfere with any Of
them. Il was not a star chamber mode of
| procedure such as that which prevailed
when the navy list was revised, but fair
/ procedure by which each arm Of the SER
/ vice should be represented ia general
council of the officers, who shoaId 20
through the whole army list, set down 70
be retained in service all against whom no
objection is urged, and when they report as
- - l.