The herald., 1898-12-09

terrogated Cannon with a view to receiving
a statement as to the disposition to bt
made of the volunteer army.
Cannon said the treaty Of peace might bt
ratified in January; it might not be ratified
for months. No one could tell what was
in front of us. We must deal with situa
ton. The volunteer army might be mus
tered out and its place taken by the regu
lar army. That was matter for the future
to decide, but he felt confident that the
treasury would be rich enough and congress
wise enough to meet any emergency.
Sayers, Democrat of Texas, the ranking
minority member of the appropriations com
mittee, gave his unqualified endorsement
of the bill, which, he said, did not affect in
any way the legislation regarding the vol
unteer or regular armies. 1t simply made
appropriations to support the present naval
and military establishment. The bill was
based on the theory that the volunteers
would continue in the service until July l.
1899. If they were mustered out the appro-
priations would be covered back into the
treasury.
Livingston, Democrat, of Georgia, ex
pressed the opinion that the law under
which the volunteers were mustered into
service was subject to double construction
as to the time when they should be mustered
out, and believed if the president was dis
posed to keep the volunteers in the service
until the regular army had been reorganized,
this bill appropriating money for their pay
ment would strengthen his hands.
McRae, Democrat, of Arkansas, gave no.
tice that at the proper time he would offer
an amandment declaring that nothing in the
pending bill should be construed as to ex
tend or modify section four of the act OF
April %, creating the volunteer army. He
said he would not have pressed the amend
ment had it not been for the president
declaration in his message that he would
muster out the volunteer army as soon as
the regular establishment was increased. 1t
was unjust to the volunteers to hold them
in the service when congress had given a
solemn pledge that they should be mustered
out as soon as the war ended. He believed
it was the purpose of the president to hold
the volunteers until large standing army
was provided.
''The army on a peace footing numbers
but 26,000," interposed Cannon. "Do the
gentleman and his side of the house stand
ready to support bill to increase that
army to meet the necessities of the govern
ment in its present emergency and those
which confront it 2"
1--WE will meet that question when it
arises replied McRae. I'VE are opposed
to large standing army, and we are op-
posed to holding the volunteers to per-
form the duty of regulars and be used as
club to force us to create large standing
army. Let organization of the army come
in the regular way"
Cox Democrat, of Tennessee, contended
that under the law the volunteers were en-
titled to their discharge the moment hostili-
ties ceased. He supported the McRae
amendment, as did Bland.
Hemmenway said he could not understand
how gentlemen could desire the mastering
out of the volunteers until standing army
was provided large enough to properly gov
ern our new possessions. Certainly no one
would contend that $4,000 men would be
sufficient
"Do you favor the retention of the volun-
teer army in the service until the regular
army is increased" asked Bland.
"If an increase of the regular army is
deemed necessary" replied Hemmenway.
II believe it necessary that the volunteers
should be held in service until their time of
enlistment expires"
Dockery, Democrat, of Missouri, a mem
Der Of the appropriation committee, diff
fered from his colleague, Livingston. He
did not believe that the pending bill could