The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-18

Washington, Jan. 17.-This was District
of Columbia day in the house, but only
three bills of local Importance were pass
ed. The remainder of the session was de-
voted to further consideration of the army
appropriation bill. The debate was par
ticularly notable for vigorous speech by
Mr. Mcclellan of New York son of Cen
eral George 3. Mcclellan, attacking the
present army organization as obsolete and
inefficient.
The army. he declared. was little better
than clumSily organized national police
force, topheavy with the gold lace OF
staff officers. many OF whom mad not seen
more active service than falls TO the lot
of member OF the ponce force The army
should, he declared. be entirely reorgan-
lied. He said this in no spirit OF lingo
ism. but for the purpose OF ealing the at
I tentiOn of the country TO the fact that we
, were paying a large price for very inef1-
cient army utterly unprepared for war,
while a very small additional expenditure
with proper reorganization, would work
wonders.
CAUSTIC CRITICISM.
Mr.. Mcclellan went into a detailed dis
cussion of the various branches Of the
service. Our infar try forma tons, he said,
would have been considered excellent in
the seventh century. He criticised par
ticularly the organization of the cavalry.
As indicating the poor quality or condl-
ton of the mounts purchased for the cav
airy, he said. we were each year replacing
% per cent of the cavalry horses, while IN
Europe. Austria. for instance. but Z per
cent of the cavalry horses were replaced
annually
one OF the gravest defects in the pres
ent organization. he said, was the lack OF
a properly instructed and competent stan
In the modern sense of the word, we had
no staff At the present rate of accumu-
lated reserve. he said. at the end OF i've
years we would only have enough ammu-
milton TO supply the infantry Tor Two days
at the firing rate of the battle Of Gettys-
burg.
TRUSTS IN CONTROL
Mr.. Lewis Dem. Wash) made vigor-
Gus speech against any increase OF the
army He created something of an in
nOVatiOn by taking his position in the
area in front of the speakers rOstrum
and speaking to the house face to face as
to a congregation. He charged that the
trusts were in control of the country and
constituted the mailed hand of power
behind the DEGREES of the courts If the
army were increased, the people would,
he said. be justified IN asking whether II
was not to be used to barricade the courts
and break down everything that means
the freedom of the government.
He differed, he said, from the leader
Mr. Bryan-whOse cause he had followed
to the pit. He was not willing to sub
scribe to the idea that free silver was the
single end to be fought for. There was
necessity. he said, for return TO tne true
democracy which had for its end the
freedom of the individual as an individ-
ual.
SELIGMANS TELEGRAM.
Mr.. Lewis quoted a telegram which
he said Senator Hanna had received
from Frankfort. Germany, signed by A.
Seligman. as follows:
Il congratulate you on your election Ii
is most satisfactory to me-
That message, he said, came from the
man who helped to place a mortgage on
this government of $20O,000000 Its inso-
lence ne said had no parallel in history,
save in the message sent by POntiuS Plate
to the executioner of Jesus Christ, con-
graduating him that his work was well
done.
Mir. Grosvencr interrupted TO ask if Mr..
Lewis was aware that Mr.. SellSman was
an American citizen.
Il am responded Mr.. Lewis He IS
a an unpatriOtic American citizen ZAP
plause on the Democratic Side)
Mr.. GrOsvenor recalled the fact that Mr.
Seligman, with the credit of his house,
rendered invaluable aid to the Union
cause during the war. To this Mr.. Lewis
replied with the statement that Mr.
Seligman had removed his residence from
this country at time when he feared the
income tax would compel him to pay his
share TO the support of the government
He is the last man, said he, whom L
should take pride in calling an American
citizen
Z Mr.. Hull CRep la. chairman of the
committee on military affairs expressed
I concurrence in the views OF Mr.. -
Clellan to the extent that he believed
! that the army should be reorganized, as
/ the present organization was obsolete
Without completing the bill the COM
mittee arose and at $40 D. m the house
adjourned.