The record-union., 1898-01-18
PROCEEDINGS
IN CONGRESS,
Continued from First Page.)


sumed consideration of the army ap-
preparation bill, which was begun ON
Saturday.
In the course of the general debate
Griffith (R) of Iowa defended the policy
Of retiring army officers on three quar-
tenS pay.
The debate was made significant by
an attack upon the efficiency of the sew
eral branches Of the army by McClel-
Ian CD of New York. a son of General
George B. Mcclellan.
The army, he declared, was little bet
ter than clumsily organized national
police force, top-heavy with the gold
lace of staff officers, many of whom
had not seen more active service than
falls to the lot of member of the po-
lice force. The army should, he de-
clared, be entirely reorganized He
said this in no spirit of jingoisnn, but
for the purpose of calling the attention
of the country to the fact that we We're
paying a large price for a very ineffi-
cient army, utterly unprepared for war,
while a very small additional expendi-
ture, with proper reorganization, would
work wonders.
Mcclellan went into a detailed dis
cussion of the various branches of the
service. Our infantry formations, he
said, would have been considered excel
lent in the seventeenth century He
criticised particularly the organization
of the cavalry. AS indicating the poor
quality or condition of the mounts pur-
chased for the cavalry he said, we
were each year replacing % per cent. of
the cavalry horses, While in Europe,
Austria, for instance, but - per cent.
of the cavalry horses We're replaced an
nually One of the gravest defects in
the present organization, he said, was
the lack Of a properly instructed and
competent staff. In the modern sense
Of the word. we had no staff. With
the present rate of accumulated reserve,
he said, at the end of five years, we
would only have enough ammunition to
supply the infantry for two days at
the firing rate Of the battle of Gettys-
burg
Lewis CD of Washington made a Wig
orous speech against any increase of
the army. He created something Of an
innovation 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 coun-
try, 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 it was not to be used to bar
ricade the courts and break down
everything that means the freedom Of
the country. He differed, he said, from
the leader-Mr. Bryan-whose cause he
had followed TO the pit. He was not
willing to subscribe to the idea that
free silver was the single end TO be
fought for There was necessity, he
said, for a return to the true Democra-
cy which had for its end the freedom
of the individual as an individual
Lewis quoted telegram which he
said Senator Hanna had received from
Frankfort, Germany, signed by A. Sc
ligman. as follows: II congratulate
you on your election. II is most salts
factory to me-"
That message, he said, came from the
man who helped to place a mortgage on
this Government of S200,O00,000. Its
insolenee, he said, had no parallel in
history.
He is the last man." said he, whom
I should take pride in calling an Amer
lean citizen"
Hull (R.) of Iowa, Chairman Of the
Committee on Military Affairs, ex-
pressed concurrence in the views of Nc
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 rose, and at $40 p. m. the House
adjourned