Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-01-31
THE ARMY BILL.

The House spent yesterday on the
army bill and at night, when it adjourn
ed, thirteen of the twenty pages had
completed. The committee amend
ments giving the President discretion
airy power to reduce the size of the in
faotry companies and cavalry troops to
sixty men each were adopted, and also
2 series of amendments 10 reduce the
officers of'the staff.
Mr.. Simpson and Mahon became en-
gagged in au alteration, which reached
its climax when the latter denounced
the former as demsgogue.
Mr.. Simpson rose to a question q;
personal privilege in order 10 reply. He
termed Mr.. Mahon "plutogoge," and
said that ii was but natural that maa
like himself could not get votes in a
state where a conspicuous candidate
for the United States Senate was unde.
/ indictment. The corporations in Penn
sylvania elected the congressmeu, 10
said, and il was, therefore, not strange
that there were few democratic or pop
ulistic representatives from that State
In concluding, ne raised laugh by say
ing that he was proud Of being called
democrat" hastily correcting himself.
be said he meant "demagogue," "or
democrat either" he added, ''since the
Chicago platform has purged the demo
cratic party"
"Tbe gentleman has admitted that
he has been called a demagogue by
both sides of the House," replied Mr..
Mahon. "He has also been branded
demagogue By the people of HE own
district, who have voted to leave him
at home" Republican applause
Mr.. Cummings said he hoped the
treaty would be ratified, and that tLep
the President would notify Congress
what he intended to do. He gave no
tice that he would, if given On oppor
tunity, offer an amendment providing
that none of the troops authorized in |
the bill should be used as posse conf
tatus, or in putting down strikes or
riots, except upon the application of a
governor saying be could not preserve /
order with the forces at his command.
II he had no opportunity to 0fIer the
amendment, MIR. Cum nings said ne
would vote to recommit, with iHstruc. /
tons to insertit.
Mr.. Mahon offered an amendment to
the section providing for appointments
in the quertermaster generals depart
nent, so as to provide for mental and
moral" as we'll as physical" examine
ton, which alone was required by the
bill.
Mr.. Simpson, in support of Mr.. Ma
hons amendment, referred to the "nu
merous incompetents given commits
sions during the late war" aud Incl
dentally to the fact that chairman
Hull's son had held a lieutenan
colonelcy. Under the bill, said he, his
son could be appointed to similar
rank in the regular army. II object,n
he added, "to creating positions for
lot OF incompetents, who strut about
the army and navy clubs and the recap
lions in the West, and arrayed in The
latest Mckinley military millinery.
The Mahon amendment was adopted
The committee amendment, provd-
ing for one hundred dentists, with the
rank of first lieutenant, was defeated
Mr.. Hay protested against the commit.
tees proposed reductions in the medi.
cal corps; but the reductions were
agreed to. They reduced the number
OF surgeons and assistants from 500 to
234 and the number of privates in the
hospital service from 5000 to 1900.
A substitute was adopted for the sec
ton providing for promotions which is
designed to equalize prom otions. A
fight was made to reduce the age limit
for officers to be appointed to the vari-
GUS staff departments from fifty to
thirty, but failed. An amendment
was, however, adopted to require a
mental and moral as well as physical
examination for such appointees.
Much of the time yesterday was occu-
pied in short speeches on the general
proposition to increase the army and
annex the Philippines, and there were
several lively personal controversies.
The House concluded to meet to-day
at II o'clock, and whatever time re-
NAMED before o'clock, after the bill
was completed under the fve-minute
rule, would be devoted to general de-
bate. The weights on both sides
will close. At three o'clock the fiual
vote will be taken.
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