The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-20
Bill Will Soon Be introduced Into the
House.
OPPOSITION TO SO LARGE AN ARMY
INCREASE AS ALGER PROPOSES.
Indian Education In the Penitentiary
is the Kind That Delegate Smith
Thinks Most Effective.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.l

ESPECIAL TO THE PREsS.l
Washington, Lee. 10. Speaker Reed has
brought to the attention of the House
committee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce the bill for the construction OF
a light ship near Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
There seems to be no doubt that the bill
will soon come before the House, and that
it will pass unless the Light House Board
should submit an opinion that the ligh,
ship is not advisable. 1t is not thought
that they are likely TO do so
Commander Perry, the Light House in.
speotor, has reported to the Light House
board that the East and West Cod hedges
make the approaches to Portland difficult,
ami has stated that hght-ship moored
in some position outside the lodges, and
provided with steam whistle, which
would be equally accessible of approach
from all seaward directions, and from
which vessels could take departure and
steer straight. safe course through the
lodges toward the harbor, would remove
the present dangers and difficulties in a
great deg rec
He Indicates in his report the proper
place for mooring the light-ship at a
of water, and states that he sees no reason
to suppose there would be any trouble in
keeping the vessel in place.
| A light-ship at this point would be OF
great benefit net only to vessels entering
the port of Portland, but to those coast
Il ing to or from eastern ports Of Maine
and the British maritime provinces Dor
dering on the Fay of Fundy.
The bill providing for this light-shiI
appropriates seventy thousand dollars.
1t is not likely that much important
legislation will come up in the House of
| Representatives before the Holiday recess.
The bill for the increase of the Army has
not yet been reported from the Military
Affairs committee and SO is not likely tt
come up for some time. Some difference
of opinion seepis likely to be manifest or
| this bill, especially if it proposes to in
| crease the regular army to one hundred
thousand men. The laboring men of the
country are against such increase. believ-
ing that it menaces them. The capitalist
although some Of the wisest of them per
haps feel that TIE move will not be wise
The regular army is now effective in labor
outbreaks because of thesgeneral public
feeling that it represents the proper ane
legitimate might of the nation. A much
larger force of regulars might not be sc
effective if they were associated in tht
popular mind with an express movement
to gain greater ascendency over the
laboriDg masses, who are often at odds
with their employers
OF course the immediate need of more
regulars is the claim of the volunteers
who do not wish to remain in the discom-
forting and deadly climate of the Philip
pines and the West Indies. But this need
is only temporary, il we are to believe our
own solemn professions. We have declared
that we intend only to give to the Cubans
Independence, and therefore it cannot be
that the fifty Thousand men now required
for Cuba will be required there long. But
the increase in abe Army which Secre-
tary Alger asks Is a permanent increase.
And there is mue,l distrust in the House
of Representatives, at least, over the pros
pect of the fifty thousand regulars from
Cuba becoming @ permanent charge, as
we'll as a permanent repressive power
over the people of the country. 1t seems
likely at present that there will be dis
position on the part of the House to in
crease the army somewhat, but less than
Secretary Alger proposes.
Delegate Marcus A. Smith, of Arizona,
does not believe in the Eastern ideas of
educating the Indian. On Saturday he
was discussing the question and declared
that ON the San Carlos reservation in his
State there were all kinds of Indians,
from the graduates of the Carlisle and
Hampton schools to the wild Apaches just
from the war path And of all these In
idans, the ones best qualified to make an
honest living in an honest way were
those that had served terms in the peni
Tertiary. There was great laugh in the
House at this. but MIR. Smith maintained
that this was SO, and he gave as q reason
therefor that in the penitentiary the In
dian was made to work and acquire not
only habits of in 1ustry but much knowl-
edge of doing the common things of life.