The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-16
Administration Proposes to Jam the
Army Bill Through.
EXTRA SESSION THREATS
M'KINLEY WILL ACCEPT NO
COMPROMISE MEASURE.
Democrats Are Willing to Continue
the Regular Army Bill at $4,000,
But the Administration insists
Upon the Hull Bill Or Nothing
Senate Committee a Tie.

Washington. Feb. 15.-The president
has conveyed assurances to some of the
party leaders in congress, in addition
to those given last week. that he will
certainly call congress together in. ex-
ira session IL it fails to pass the army
reorganization hill at the present SEES
sion In answer TO inquiries, the admin
istration has been obliged to decline
all propositions looking to the tiding
over of the needs Of the army by pass
ing a joint resolution simply extend
ing the appropriations on the basis of
tne present organization, holding that
this device would be utterly inadequate
10 meet the absolute necessities of the
case. The status of the volunteers
would II is said, be extremely unsatis-
I factory. and there would be absolutely
no assurance that the president could
retain them in service. even when the
emergency is great The same state
ment would apply to the regular army
soldiers who enlisted for the war
= very serious objection to the joint
resolution programme. too, according
10 the war department officials. would
be its failure TO supply the staff and
line officers absolutely needed. These
officials say the pending Hull bill pro-
vldes for Just So original appointments
OF second lieutenants, and it is declared
10 be the policy of the administration
to divide these places among the states
and territories on the basis of the pop
ulation.
Reports from the senate end of the
capitol convey the impression to the
officials that the quickest way TO secure
action upon the reorganization bill is
to allow the CocIrell bill to be reported
from the military committee, it being
understood that this bill commands the
support of the majority Of that commit
tee Providing, as it does, for a purely
native scldiery in Cuba, Porto Rico and
the Philippines, the measure is looked
upon by the war department officials as
most unsatisfactory. Therefore they
have urged their friends in the senate.
while allowing this bill TO be reported
from the committee. to move the adop-
ton OF the Hull bill as it came from
the house as a substitute.
COMMITTEE DEADLOCKED.
The senate committee on military af-
fairs has reached q deadlock on the
army reorganization bill. This is due
to the absence Of Senator Proctor, who
holds the balance OF power on the COM
mittee. He is in Cuba.
This leaves five Republican and five
Democratic members on the commit
tee. When an effort was made TODAY
to secure a favorable report on the bill,
the Democrats objected and were able
to prevent action. An agreement was
reached to meet again this evening,
when it was stated that the Democrats
would let the Republicans know what
they were willing to do.
The Democratic members of the COM
mittee expect to make a proposition au-
thorizing the maintenance OF the reg
ular army on the basis of the increase
authorized for the war with Spain for
a given time, and VIII suggest an indie
pendent bill containing this authorize
ton. The hold that if all the regi-
ments are filed out as under the pres
ent law authorized, the army would
number about $1,000 men, and they say
this number is sufficient for all pur-
poses.
Several conferences were held be-
tween the opposing sides Of the army
reorganization bill. These resulted in
an agreement that the bill should be re-
ported tomorrow practically without
The Democrats sim !
ply agree to let the bill be reported. re-
serving the right to make d statement |
of their position and showing the COM /
mittee to be evenly divided.