Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-10
THE POST OFFICE BILL
Passed by the Senate This After
noon.
INCREASING OUR MILITARY FORCE
Bill to Provide for Volunteer Sig
nal Corps Passed.
SHORT SESSION OF HOUSE

Soon after the opening of today's session
| of the Senate Mr.. Hale (Me) entered a
| n otion to reconsider the vote by which the
Senate yesterday passed the bill increas-
| ing the number of rear admirals from six
TO seven.
| The motion created some surprise, but 1t
Is the opinion of the committee OF naval
| affairs that the President has ample au-
! thcrity to nominate Commodore Dewey as
rear admiral without the bill passed yes
| terday.
MI Sewell On. j. reported, from the COM
mittee on military affairs a bill providing
for the increased volume of work in the
| Office of the adjutant general of the army.
The bill provides for one assistant adiu-
] tant general, with rank of colonel and one
| with rank of major The bill was passed
| Volunteer Signal Corps
| From the military affairs committee Mr.
| Carter tMont) favorably reported and OBJ
| talhed the passage CT bill providing for
| Volunteer signal corps. The measure au-
| thorizes the President to organize vol
| nn'eer signal corps for the existing war
| Inc corps shall cors ist of one colonel. one
| lieutenant colonel, one major as disbursing
oIhcer aud such other officers and men as
| may De required. not exceeding one major
| ior each army corps, and two captains.
| Two nrst heutenants. two second Heuten-
| anus, hVe hrst-ciass sergeants ten ser
| geants' ten corpoi ais and thirty privates to
| each organized division of troops. Two
| thirds of all officers below the rank of
| major and like proportion of the enlisted
men shall be skilled electricians or teIe
! graph operators
| Mr. White (Cai) introduced the following
| resolution: THAT the committee on for
| clgn relations are instructed to forthwith
| investigate the cases of Harry K Spring
ana CHARLES w. Nelson, citizens of the
| United States and residents of tn. state of
Cdniornia, VINO are lnder arrest in the re-
| pubic of Colombia, and to inquire whether
| SAID Spring and Nelson have been detained
| uireasonably without trial or have been
otherwise unlawfully restrained of fbeir
| i'oerty, and whether the diplomatic Off
| GERS and agents Of the United States in
said republic of Colombia have made an
Eiopriate eXerttons to procure the release
resolution or otherwise
| Inc resolution went over under the rules
immunes and Engineers.
| Mr.. Hawley Comm, chairman of the
military affairs committee. called I'D the
tiil providing for n volunteer brigade of
| engineers and the enlistment of TO- 900 i'm
| muncs' in the southern states IL had
been passed by the House with two amend
| ments, and Mr.. Hawley moved that the
| oehate concur in the amendments. The mo-
ton prevailed.
| The bill will now go to the President for
| his signature.
Mr. Morrill, Vt) called up the House bill
to readmit Mrs Nellie Grant Sartoris r,
| citizenship in the United States. the hill
! House. -.
Thanks to Dewey.
AT 1:o3 pm the Vice President announc-
| ed ms signature to the resolution of thanks
| to Commodore Dewey and the officers and
| men of his command. The Senate passed
| nccn.
| The Post Office Bill
| The consideration of the post office appro-
priation bill was resumed. Mr. Butler
| whose amendment was pending when the
senate adjourned last evening, offered
| new amendment, dividing his proposition
His substitute amendment provided for the
| appointment of two Joint committees one
| to Investigate the cost of Transporting the
| mails by the railroads and the other to in
| vestigate the receipts and expenditures of
the Post Office Department
| After an hours discussion of the Butler
amendment the discussion being partici-
| pated in by Err. Butler, Mr. Chandler, Mr..
| Pasco and Mr.. Quay, the voting on thu.
post Office bill began at 2 D. M
The first vote was upon Mr. Buffers
| amendment providing for two investigating
committees. The amendment was defeated
| 24@O
Mr.. Chandler offered the amendment pro-
posed last evening by Mr.. Butler limiting
me investigation provided for in the bill to
| the cost OF transporting the mails 1t was
oe1eated without division. Mr. Butler Of
| Tered another amendment striking out The
| paragraph of the bill making it discretion
airy with the Postmaster General whether
he shall exoend $111 ,23S to secure a special
last mail service between New York and
Washington to Atlanta and New Orleans
The amendment was defeated, l1-54.
The Bill Passed.
The bill was then passed without division
Date of Inauguration.
joint resolution proposing an amend
ment to the Constitution of the United
States substituting the last Thursday in
April for the 4th of March as the inaugura-
ton day of the President and Vice Presi-
dent and the beginning of the terms of the
members of Congress-senators and reprs.
sentatves-was considered.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
Pursuant to agreement reached yester-
day today's session of the House began
with consideration of legislation affecting
the District of Columbia.