Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-24

to require mentioning. The committee over
Wnicn ne presided had been impressed with
an earnest desire to meet fully and COM
PIE the expectations OF the House and
tne country In providing this great arm of
tne naval defense with all reasonable re-
Quirements to meet any exigency that
might arise.
MT. Boutelle took occasion to resen- some
OF the criticisms which had been made
against the committed The committee he
said. had periodically and earnestly labor
ea 70 meet all the extraordinary demands,
ana as a result of infinite pains had re-
ported the bill.
Lack Of Engineers.
With this preface Mr. Boutelle entered
uron detailed explanation of the bill
ana the increases and extraordinary pro-
Visions II carried. In the course of his re-
Marks he replied to what he termed an
EXTRAORDINARY SANDER upon himself
which appeared in a New York paper yes
terday, charging him with responsibility
for tine lack OF engineer officers in the
service
He explained the urgency with which
tne Navy Department had pressed re-
quest for additional engineers upon the
committee. Chief Melville had asked for
no additional assistant engineers. At n
subsequent hearing it was decided that 100
skilled machinists enlisted as warrant Off
GERS at N,2O year, would relieve that
number of Junior officers. The immediate
commissioning of the last two graduating
classes of Annapolis cadets and the short
enlng OF the course at the academy. which
vas also recommended. would have still
further relieved the stress produced by the
present deficiency in the number of avail
able officers. Later Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt had appeared before the COM
mittee and had urged that the whole
scheme for the reorganization of the per-
sonnet of the navy should be placed in the
I'LL, but when ii was explained that this
was impossible he had requested that all
the proposed provisions be eliminated lest
the personnel bill might be weakened when
1t was brought before the House.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Boutelle's re-
closing general debate. He suggested )
O'Clock tonight, but there was a chorus OF
protests. whereupon he moved that the
committee rise for the purpose of fixing the
time at which the debate should close. The
motion was hotly contested. but it pre-
vailed by narrow margin, 93-SS
Several republicans voted with the demo-
Gratis. Speaker Reed himself marched
through the tellers. When the committee
rose Mr.. Boutelle moved that general de-
bate close at 3 o'clock.
Mr.. Richardson moved to amend the
motion by making the hour o'clock to-
morrow. but the chair declined to recognize
the molten. accepting the statement of Mr.
BouteiIe that he intended to move the
previous question on the motion.
me latter motion was put after some
sharp parliamentary wrangling.
Inc motion for the previous question was
defeated-91-92
Tnereupon Mr.. Boutelle demanded the
ayes and nays for the purpose of putting
on record the republicans who refused to
vote to sustain his notion
Before roll call was concluded Il compro-
Mise was reached, by which 1t was agreed
that the general debate should close at 1
O'Clock tomorrow, the session Of the House
to be extended until O'Clock tonight THIS
arrangement was ratified and then the de-
bate proceeded. Mr.. Meyer da), one Of
the floor.