The morning call., 1893-07-09

Coinage, Weights and Measures, BANKING
and Currency and Rules. With these COM
mittees in operation the House will be able
to proceed at once to business.
As is usual in the case of new congresses
there will undoubtedly be great number
of bills introduced during the first two or
three days of the session relating to imam
cial matters, and those can be taken up
without delay and acted upon.
Meanwhile the Speaker can take his own
time in the completion Of the formation of
the remainder of the committees. The diff
ferent members will undoubtedly have to
be consulted as to their preferences in
assignments. This always takes consider
able time, but with the plan proposed there
will be no unnecessary delay in proceeding
to the work for which the session is called.
1t is the general impression that Springer
will not be reappointed to his position as
chairman of the Committee on Ways and
Means. That place will probably be given
to Wilson of West Virginia.
The people of California will be glad to
hear that Holman will be succeeded by
Judge Savers of Texas. chairman of the
Committee on Appropriations. The Indi-
ana statesman will be given a minor chair
manship, probably that on Public Lands,
and. at his option, may also be assigned as
a member of the Appropriations Com
mittee.
1t is thought that Bland of Missouri will
again be made chairman of the Committee
on Coinage, although it is generally ac-
cepted that the membership of the COM
mittee will be such as TO insure prompt
report on the proposed bill repeating the
Sherman law. Bacon of New York. who
was chairman of the Committee on Bank
ing and Currency in the last Congress, will
not be member of the coming House and
his successor is likely to be Mr.. Sperry OF
Connecticut
The membership Of the Committee on
Rules is likely to remain as it is.
The subject of the re-esta bis hment of
the military divisions abolished by Secre-
tary Proctor is again being agitated. and
General Schofield is generally credited
with being behind the scheme 1t has been
ascertained that, although such a PROPOSE
ton has been discussed in the newspapers
and at outlying posts. it did not originate
at army headquarters. and. in fact. has not
even been seriously considered there.
The only proposition bearing any rela-
ton to the military establishment sub
mitted by General Schofield TO the Secre-
tary of War is the one approved by the
President just before his departure from
the city, extending the limits of the De-
partment of California, abolshing the
Department of Arizona and creating the
Department of Colorado, with headquarters
al Denver.
The project to re-establish the divisions
abolished by Secretary Proctor has appa-
reDtly been discussed everywhere in the
army except at headquarters. A number
OF petitions have been re eived at the War
Department for the establishment of mill
tary headquarters at this, that or the other
place, and for the reimbursement of the
departments so as to give particular places
a military importance not now enjoyed.
But none of these plans have received
tie Endorsement of General Schofield.
That officer has been repeatedly announced
as favoring the establishment of two or
three military divisions, when, as a matter
of fact, he does not regard such plan as
a all practicable in the present condition
of the service. In his opinion the military
service can be better administered under
the present system of departments than
Will Two OTtilfte ulViSlUuS.
If the latter system is to be restored
there should be no less than four divis-
ions, viz: The Atlantic, the Pacific and
Northern and Southern Missouri. ANY
other geographical division would be IN
equitable. according to military experts,
as with three or less divisions one must
necessarily be unproportonately greater
in Importance than the others.
There is great inequality of command
under the present system. For instance.
General Howard, who is a major-gene ral,
has a less important command in many
respects than General Brooke and General
McCook, who ale igadier-generals.
Major-generals are on plane with briga-
dier-generals and there is no distinction
in duties, and sometimes junior officers
have more responsible work.
Considerable secrecy, apparently, has
been thrown around the operations of the
Intercontinental Railway survey author
lied by Congress in accordance with the
plan adopted by the Pan-American Con-
ference in 1890. Though reports of more
or less detailed character have been incor-
porated in the estimates laid before Con-
gress, there has been q hot fight over the
appropriations for continuing the work,
which have only slipped through in con-
ferences between the two Houses.
1t is now stated. however, in an unoffi-
cial way, that the survey is practically
completed. All the surveying parties have
returned to Washington, having finished
feldwork completely. They are now en-
gagged in working up the data secured for
the publication Of the final reports and
maps of the line. This will occupy several
months.
The line surveyed runs through the
southern boundary of Mexico to the north
ern boundary of Bolivia and is 1000 miles
in length. Il connects the railway systems
Of North and South America. II is said
the route has been found for the entire
distance with no grade greater than per
cent.
1t is further said the engineer in charge
of the survey through Colombia reports
that for many miles the line runs through
a mining region so rich that the material
dug out for cuts of the road would contain
gold and silver enough to pay for the con-
struction of the road over that section.
This possibly accounts for the reticence