Arizona republican., 1899-02-17
THE ARMY BILL ISSUE
Democratic Senators Dis.
 posed to Draw it.
German and Others to FiIibuSfer. They Accept inc Challenge of inc President in Proposing an Extra Session of Congress-.

Washington, Feb. 16.-In spite of
 the presidents declaration that unless
 session an extra session of congress
 will be called, some of the democratic
 leaders in the senate are still deter
 mined to filibuster against the bill
 Senators Jones of Arkansas, CCckrell
 of Missouri and German of Maryland
 say they are quite ready to have the party lines drawn on this question, and
 that there is no way in which they
 could be drawn more effectively than
 by compelling the president to call an
 extra session of congress for the avowed purpose of. establishing the
 permanent army organization on large basis
 Just how much of filibuster these senators can put up is uncertain. But one thing may be set down as sure. If they force the calling of an extra ses- sion congress will be summoned, not for the purpose of passing an army bill at once, but for indispensable legisla- ton as well. For if the army bill shall fail in the present session, several appropriation bills will fail also. and it is these which will demand the at tention of congress after March 4.
 Senators Cockrell of Missouri and Mitchell of Wisconsin are members of the military affairs committee, and they have been using their position to filibuster against a report which should reach the senate in time for action dur ing the present session. AS soon as the bill gets into the senate, appropria- tiOn bills will be put to one side, and the entire time of the senate will be devoted to army legislation, with night sessions if necessary, until the fourth of March
 The republican senators will stand together on this question as one man and they have agreed to stay at their posts of duty So as to preserve a quo rum. Republican managers have can vassed the senate very thoroughly and hope they can look for support to so many democrats that the flibusters will soon see tho fruitlessness of con- tinuing the fight. The next two or three days will doubtless determine just how far Senator German and his associates are willing to go.
 Senator German believes that in the issue of a large standing army the democratic party will find something to rally about which will restore the or ganization ito something like aggres- sive unity. He suggested this very pointedly in his speech in the senate the day the treaty was ratified. For the menace of a standing army is really the most tangible feature in the | anti-eXpansion issue, which German has been striving to bring to the front i He believes that this will appeal to the i laEoring classes and that demagogical | appeals to labor organizations will re- suit in crystalizing opposition to the | administration.
 General Joe Wheeler, who is an earn | est advocate of army legislation, has | pointed out that the democratic party | in the past has been responsible for in creasing the size of the regular army | ir more instances than any other party, l
  cratic party have been responsible for | most of the legislation diminishing the army's size. So that it may be ques- tened whether the democratic leaders will find their new issue as powerful as they now expect; particularly when it is remembered that no matter what | legislation may be enacted by the pres 9nt congress, it will always remain for future congresses to decide whether the army shall be diminished or not.
 Since the civil war the size of the !, regular army has been reduced several times by provisions in appropriation bills, and there will be nothing to pre- vent similar action III the future if the l. establishment is found to have assumed menacing proportions.