The San Francisco call., 1898-12-21
THE VOTE ON PARTY LINES
MINORITY WILL ALSO MAKE
 SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
Hulps Plan of Reorganization Is Ap- proved, but Many Changes in Various Departments
 Are Made.
speclal plgpatch to The call.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-The House Committee op Military Affairs com pleted consideration of the army re- organization bill to-day and ordered it reported to the House. The most inn portant changes made to-day were those fixing fifty years as the age limit for the appointment to the several staff corps, and adding new provision for 100 army dentists, with the rank of first lieutenants.
 Many changes in rank were made in the staff corps, in the judge advocate generals office the number of colonels being fixed at five instead of two, as first proposed. Provision also was made that new appointees be given the lower places. In the Quartermaster's Depart ment the colonels were reduced from ten to eight and the places of lower rank increased. In the Commissary De- partment the force is increased ma terially from that first contemplated, particularly in the lower grades, the captains being increased from twenty seven to thirty-seven. There is an in crease in rank in the Engineer Depart ment, the lieutenant colonels being in- creased from fifteen to twenty, majors from twenty-five to thirty-six and cap tains reduced from fifty seven to forty one. In the Ordnance Department the changes are toward the increase in officers of higher rank. The provision allowing 25 per cent extra pay for serv ice in outlying islands was made to in- clude Alaska.
 The age limit of fifty, which had been fixed for appointment to the Judge Ad- vocate, Quartermaster CommiSsary and Pay departments, was amended so that the age limit will not apply to those who served in the civil war or the Spanish war or to officers now in the regular army.
 A new section was inserted making the chief of the record and pension of- flee a brigadier general, with an as- sistant having the rank of lieutenant colonel. Section IS of the Hull bill was struck out entirely. It limited the age of appointeeS as second lieutenants un- der the provision of the several acts and also placed an age limit of forty years on chaplains.
 In the pay corps forty-seven majors were substituted for thirteen majors and thirty four captains as first pro- vided in the Hull bill. The signal corps appointments were opened to those from civil life as we'll as the volunteers. from thirty to forty. provision was made that assistant surgeons shall pass a satisfactory examination instead of competitive examination as at present.
 The final vote on reporting the bill was to 5, on party lines, as follows: Ayes-Hull Marsh, Griffin, Ketchum. Fenton, Belknap. Mcdonald and Brownlow, Republicans. Noes-Sulzer. Cox, Lentz, Hay and Jett Democrats.
 Marsh, while voting for the bill, re- served the right to oppose some of it's features on the floor. The minority gave notice of a minority report and a sub- stitute bill. The main feature of the substitute bill will be a standing army limited to that existing before the re- cent war and authority to the President to enlist a large temporary force, prob ably 5O0OO men, for service in outlying territory.