The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-04-21
HOUSE PASSED BILL GIVING
HIM POWER.
Measure Driven Through Under
Whip and Spur.
PROVIDES FOR RETENTION OF
STATE ORGANIZATIONS.

l
STATE ORGANIZATIONS.
All Regimenta1 and Company Officers are
| to be Appointed By the Goyernor-This
| was the Provision in the Civil War
Law was Made a Permanent One-Pas-
sage was Without Division,
Washington, April 20.-The House to-
day passed an emergency war measure,
the bill empowering the President to call
out the volunteer forces and providing
for their organization. Both the Presi-
dent and Secretary Alger had urged the
imperative necessity of the passage of the
bill today and Chairman Hull, of the
military committee drove it through
under whip and spur. The bill was
drafted at the war department., intro
duced in the House yesterday and consid-
cred and reported by the committee to-
day. No such expedition could have been
possible except under the stress of war
pressure. The bill is permanent in its
character. The principal change made
in the bill as introduced was that the
appointments of all regimental officers
are to be made by the governors of the
states instead of by the President as was
proposed originally by the war depart
ment. This action conforms to the prao.
tice of the civil war.
Washington, April 20.-There was a
tremendous demonstration in the House
Immediately after the reading of the
Journal, when Major Pruden, the Presi-
| dents executive clerk, announced the
Presidents approval of the Cuban reso-
buttons. The galleries cheered and the
members on the floor applauded vigorous
ly. The Speaker with difficulty suppressed
the ovation with which the announce
ment was greeted
The senate joint resolution authorizing
the printing of extra copies of the mill
tary publications of the war department.,
was adopted.
Mr.. Hull, chairman of the committee
on military affairs, asked unanimous
consent for the immediate consideration
of the bill he introduced yesterday at the
request of the war department authoriz.
ing the President to call for volunteers
He explained that the committee had
agree to a measure at a special meeting
this morning. 1t was a very urgent meas
ure, he said. The secretary of war had
appealed to him this morning.to press it
and he had just hadssa message. from the
White House saying that the passage of
the bill today was imperative.
Mr.. Hull said that the committee had
made only one important change in the
bill, as prepared by the war department.
That changs reserved to the governors
of the states the power to appoint compa
ny and regimental officers, which the bill
as drawn conferred upon the President
and was in harmony with the law of
1861.
Mr.. Mcmillan, Democrat of Tennessee,
be considered in the committee of the
whole. This was agreed to and the
House went into the committee of the
whole to consider it.
Mr.. Sayers Democrat of Texas, ortiz
cized the section authorizing the Presi-
dent to appoint the staff subject to con
tirmation of the Senate or authorizing
him to assign those officers from toe regu-
lar army, the volunteer officers or the
militia.
MIR. Hull explained that the committee
had unanimously agreed that past pre-
cedents should be followed and the gov
errors of states should retain the power
to appoint all regimental officers. He
felt authorized to say that il we were
volunteer and not the militia forces.
Mr.. Hull read the following telegram
he received from Secretary Alger this
morning:
II hope you will introduce your bill
this morning. Time is now very valu-
able. On the whole, 1 am inclined to
think that requiring commissions to be
will be cause tor action and opposition
by the governors, who naturally might
feel that this was taking some OF their
power from them. Can you consistently
change that and hasten it's passage?"
Mr.. johnson, Republican of Indiana, at
this point attempted to secure time to
address the House regarding his attitude
on the general situation.
The request met with much opposition
and was refused.
Mr. Handy, Democrat of Delaware, op-
posed the bill because it was proposed to
pass it as an emergency measure and yet
it was to be a permanent enactment
A question arose as to whether under
the provisions of the bill additional legis-
lation would be necessary to permit the
President to call out volunteers To
meet this defect Mr.. Lacey offered an
amendment authorizing the President to
raise volunteers when Congress shall
have authorized him to do so when he has
been authorized to call into the actual
service of the United States the militia
of the several states.
The Cuban resolutions contain the lat.
ter authorization.
Mr. Cox, Democrat of Tennessee the
senior minority member of the commit-
tee. gave the bill as modified, his endorse.
ment.
In reply to question MIR. Hull said
the bill OF 1861 was temporary measure
and COnpr6Ss WAS c0pfrcp .-.:Ar