The herald., 1898-02-23
IN THE SENATE
A Bill Passed for Improvement of the
Artillery Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. pas soon as the
reading of the historic farewell address of
Washington was concluded by Lodge of
Massachusetts, in the senate today. Hawley
of Connecticut chairman of the military
affairs committee, called up the bill pro-
viding for the enlistment of two additional
regiments of artillery for service in man
ming the heavy coast defense batteries
which congress has provided during the
past two years.
Bate of Tennessee objected to the bill.
because it tended to an increase of the
army, to which he said he was unalterably
opposed. He thought that there were
enough troops already under enlistment
to man all the guns now being provided
by the government He argued that IT
would be better to assign infantry regi-
ments to the manning of these guns than
to put them in charge of raw recruits.
In reply Hawley pointed out that the
strength of the army was really decreas-
ing in proportion to the inhabitants of the
country. In addition. he said, congress
made large appropriations in recent years
for great guns for forts and coast defense
stations. To these must be added 232 rified
| steel mortars already placed or soon to be
| placed In the coast defense stations. In
| order that these guns may be properly
| handled a body of trained men is neces-
sary. Each of these great war engines
| requires to handle it as much skill as it
| requires to run locomotive or an ordinary
river steamer. The war department esti-
mates that the sixteen hundred men which
| this bill calls for will be necessary properly
| to man these guns.
Cockrell of Missouri said he was oppos ed
| to an increase in the infantry or cavalry
arms of the service, but in this case the
| country was confronted by a serious condi-
| ton. He regarded 1t as necessary that the
guns provided by the government should
be properly cared for and manned. For
that reason he had consented, as member
| of the committee, to have the bill favorably
| reported.
The bill was then passed-54 to L. The
| negative votes were cast by Bate of Ten
| nessee, Clay of Georgia, Chiffon of Texas
| and Vest of Missouri.
| Morgan Of Alabama secured the adop-
ton of the following resolution: That the
| committee on naval affairs Is instructed tc
| inquire and report whether man-of-waI
| equal, at least, to any warship in the world,
to be named the George Washington, can
be built armed and commissioned within
| a period of twelve months by the use OF
| the facilities of the ship yards, machine
shops, mines and forests of the United
| States, wherever the same are found. and
that the committee has leave to report al
any time by bill or otherwise.
| The resolution was adopted without de-
bate. At 1:3O the senate went into execu.
| tive session and a p. m. adjourned.
IN EXECUTIVE SESSION
Cuba usurped the place of Hawaii in the
executive proceedings OF the senate today
and was under consideration for an hour
or more. The proceeding was based upon
a document presented by Senator Morgan
of Alabama, as the result of an interview
between himself and Mr.. Koop of Boston
Mass. In presenting the document Sena-
tor Morgan said that Mr.. Koop was capi-
talist who had recently returned from
Cuba after most exhaustive exploration
of the island
Senator Morgan laid considerable stress
upon the Importance of the document
which resulted from stenographic repor
| of the interview between Senator Morgan
and Mr.. Koop. The document consisted
of questions by Senator Morgan and replies
by Mr.. Koop. The latter said he had beer
in forty-three provinces and had spen
more or less time in each of them in the
prosecution of his inquiries.
In no place outside of Havana, he said
was any effort made to take care OF the re-
concentrates and he declared that the peo
pie were dying in great numbers In al
places in which they had been collected
together by the Spanish, both as resul
of the cruelty of the Spanish troops and fol
the lack of food. He declared that there
was no evidence in the provinces of a more
liberal treatment OF these unfortunate peo
pie under the administration of Genera
Blanco than there had been under the
Weyler regime and said that the people
generally were in just as deplorable con
lditfon now as they had been before thi
change. In no cases were the concentrate!
allowed to go outside the military posts t.
collect food, and while there was some
i effort in certain instances to grow crops II
the immediate vicinity Of the garrison
4 these crop areas did not extend more thar
4 500 yards from the forts, He added that 4