The Portland daily press., 1898-01-18

bergen, Norway, Wnlcn nau UeoA p"0oo
by the House, with an amendment pro-
United States should have a salary OF
$780, wal called UP by Mr.. Nelson OF
Minnesota.
The amendment Of the House was
agreed to and the resolution was passed.
The Senate then went into executive
session and at p. m. adjourned
ARMY POORLY ORGANIZED.
Notable Speech BY Congressman McClel-
Ian in the House.
Washington, January 17.-This was
District of Columbia day in the House,
but only three bills of local Importance
were passed. The remainder of the ses-
sion was devoted to further consideration
of the army appropriation bill. The de-
bate was particularly notable for Wig
orous speech by Mr.. Mcclellan OF New
York, a son Of Gen. Geo. B. Mcclellan,
attacking the present army organization
as obsolete and inefficient. He asserted
that we were unprepared for war should
a crisis come and contended for modern
methods in organization, Equipment and
supplies which would enable the Unit
ed States to meet an emergency.
Mr.. Lewis Of Washington also made a
speech that attracted attention in de-
nunciation of trusts which he declared
were threatening the liberty Of the aoun-
try. The consideration of the army ap-
preparation bill was not completed to-
day.
In the House Immediately after the
reading of the Journal of the House pre-
ceding to consideration of district bust
ness.
In the course Of general debate Mr..
Griffith, Republican of Iowa, defended
the policy of the retiring army officers
on three-quarters pay. The debate was
made significant by an attack upon the
efficiency of the several branches OF the
army by Mr.. Mcclellan, Democrat OF
New York, son of Gen. Geo. B. McClel-
Ian. The army today, he declared, was
little better than a clumsily organized
national police force, top heavy, with
the gold lace of staff officers, most OF
whom had not seen more active service
than falls to the lot of member OF the
police force. The army, he declared, snould
be entirely re-organized. He said this IN
no spirit Of jingoism, but for the purpose
of calling the attention OF the country TO
the fact that we were paying large
price for very 1refllclent army, utterly
unprepared for war while a very small
additional expenditure with proper re-
rganization, would work wonders. Mr..
Mel iellan went into a detailed dis.
cussion of the various branches OF
the service. Our infantry formations.
he said would have been considered in
the seventeenth century. He criticized
particularly the organization OF the cav
airy. AS indicating ths poor quality or
condition of the mounts purchased for
the cavalry. he said we were each year
replacing 20 per cent of the cavalry horses,
while in Europe, Austria for instance,
but IL per cent of the cavalry horses We're
replaced annually. One Of the gravest
defects in the present organization, he
said, was a lack of properly instructed
apd competent staff. The brains OF the
army should be in the staff.
II the modern sense of the word we had
no staff. Our ammunition plant, was,
he sail, hopelessly deficient. At the pres
emit rate of accumulated reserve, he
said, at the end of five years, we would
only have enough to supply the infantry
for two days at the firing rate OF the
battle of Gettysburg.
In the present condition. hedged about
as the service was, MIR. Mcclellan said,
it was not strange that army officers
looked forward to only soft berths and re-
tirament. II was utterly amusing, he
said, but it was true that not an officer IN
the service was engaged in preparinR~for
war There existed not single plan of
campaign, not skeleton order for mobi-
lization, not plan for camps of Instruction;
intact not one of the preliminary neces-
stiles to meet war crisis should it
come These statements might be denied,
but they were true. 1t was the duty of
Congress, he declared, in conclusion, to
see to it that our army for its size was
as nearly perfect as human experience
and knowledge could make it. Mr.. Nc
Clellan's remarks were given close atten-
ton and he was literally applauded
when he concluded.
Mr.. Lewis, Democrat, of Washington,
made vigorous speech against any L.
crease of the army. He charged that the
trusts were in control of the country and
constituted the mailed hand Of powe- be-
hind the DEGREES of the courts If the
army were increased the peonie would
be Justified in asking whetheri it was not to
be used to harricade the courts and break
down everything that mea Mt the freedom
of the government.
He differed with ths leader Mr.
Bryant, whose canse he had followed to
the pit. He was not willing to subscribe
to the IDEAS that free silver was the
single end to be fought for. There was
necessity for return to the true Demo-
cracy which had for it's end the freedom
of the individual as an individual. Mr.
Lewis quoted a telegram which he said
Senator Hanna hsd received from Frank
fort. Germany, signed by A. Seligman,
as follows: ~ congratulate you on