Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-12-24

Washington, D. c., December "a
The minority>of the House Committee
on Military Affairs to-day filed with
the clerk their report in opposition to
the Hull bill, for the\increase of the
! regular army to 100000 men. 1t is
as follows:
The minority of the committee dis
sent from. the view of the majority
of the committee because the bill re-
ported makes a permanent standing
| army in the United States of over
100000 men. Such an army is not
necessary to be maintained in this
country now, neither because of our
relations to the islands of the sea, nor
because OF any necessity which in the
past year has arisen in this country
itself The evils of standing armies
are too well known to be dilated upon
here. Such a standing army as the
one proposed would in time of peace
menace the liberty of citizens, and in
time of war would not be sufficient TO
meet successfully the armies of the
first class powers of the world. Hap
PLY, we are so situated that a large
standing army is not a necessity, and
would only be luxury to be support
de by the taxes of the people. 1t is
estimated that the Hull bill will cost
the people annually the sum of $780,
600 900. There would be a permanent
charge upon the people; s145,000,000
are being annually paid to the soldiers
of the civil war, and the war with
Spain, thus placing permanent
charge of 1926, 100000 upon the people
of the United States, and this to main
tain the military alone, to say nothing
of the navy The passage of this bill
| means the practical destruction of the
national guard and the volunteer
troops of the States. With such a
large standing army, the citizen sold
iery of the country would feel that it
was not necessary to prepare for war
in time of peace, nor to go to war in
| time of war.
THE TAXES, so BURDENSOME
| to the people, will continue to be col
| lected and will rather be increased than
otherwise. No hope of economical adj
| ministration can be INDUCED in while
such permanent and lavish expediture
is provided for.
| 1t is well understood that the great
corporate interests of the country are
| demanding this large standing army,
! their reasons for such abandonment
are too obvious to be pointed out.
| These interests want force to enforce
| their demands and president dom
mated by such interests would have,
| with such a standing army, the means
at his hand to invade the liberties of
| the people, to suppress freedom OF
speech and to desecrate the ballot box
itself
1t is needless, however, to continue
to point out the many evils of this bill;
suffice it to say that in both form and
substance it overturns the policy which
has been pursued so successfully by
this government for so many years
and launches the country upon a course
which can only terminate in the de-
struction of the liberties of the people.
The minority holding the views
above expressed, have thought they
owed it to the country to present 10
the House of Representatives d sub
stitute for the bill reported by the ma
jority. They herewith present such
substitute as embodying every need OF
the government in its present condi-
ton and at the same time preserving
with scrupulous care the liberty of the
citizen and avoiding the evils of
great standing army.
The substitute provides for perma-
nent standing army of 10000 enlisted
men. about the number in the army
before the war with Spain; the or
ganization provided for in the substi-
tute conforms to what it has been with
some few important changes. A larger
number of men is provided for the ar
tillery than usual by reason of the
necessity of manning our coast de-
fences, upon which large sums have
been spent. The substitute ALEC pro-
vides
FOR $4,000 VOLUNTEERS
to be taken from the states and terri
tories, and the District of Columbia in
proportion to population; these yolun-
teers are to be mustered out of the SER
vice of the United States within two
years from the date OF the passage Of
the act, unless sooner terminated.
Their organization is to be the same as
that of the regular army.
VOLUNTEER organizations now in the
service are to be given preference as
to re-enlistment- All voters now in
the service of the United States are to
be mustered out within sixty days from
the passage of this act The substi-
tute is not to operate to discharge any
commissioned officer who was in the