El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-02
THE NEW
ARMY BILL
Provisions Of the Measure
Which Now Becomes
A Law.
TEMPORARY INCREASE
Is All That the Opponents Of
the Administration In
the Senate Would
Agree To.

WASHINGTON, Mar. 2,-The main pro
visions of the army bill which has pas.
sed the house and now goes to the pre-.
sident for signature are as follows:
One section covers the entire in
crease of the army and it reads as fol-
lows:
That to meet the present exieencies
of the military service, the president
is hereby authorized to maintain the
regular army at strength of not ex-
ceeding 65 600 enlisted men, to be dis
tributed amongst the several branches
of the service according to the needs of
each and raise q force of not more
than 35, 600 volunteer infantry, as he
may determine, from the country at
large under general law or from the
localities where their services may be
required with regard to citizenship or
educational qualifications, and to form
the same into not more than 30 regi-
ments organized as infantry regiments
of war strength in the regular army.
The allotment OF major and bri-
gadier generals is as follows:
The president shall have power to
continue in service, or to appoint by
and with the ad vice and consent of the
senate: brigsdisr ino,de generals ,hs br OF
adler generals of the re-
ceed for every 1000
enlisted men actually in service, and
major generals of volunteers who, in
Guiding major generals Of the regular
army, shall not exceed l for every 12,-
600 enlisted men: Provided that no
nj
provisions of this section shall be con
tinued in service as such beyond July
1, 1901.
Section 1 provides that the regular
army shall consist OF 8 major generals,
6 brigadier generals, 10 regiments OF
cavalry, I regiments of artillery, 25 re-
giments of infantry. In the cavalry
organization each regiment consists of
twelve troops organized in three
squadrons of four troops each. The ar
tillery regiments are fixed at fourteen
batteries of which two may be organ
lied as field artillery.
The infantry regiments are fixed at
twelve companies organized into the
three battalion formation.
Provision is made that no person
other than an officer of the regular
army who has passed the age OF 45
years shall be appointed as field
company or staff officer therein If he
be past the age of 35 years; provided,
that field officers under the provisions
of this section may be appoint
ed from officers of the regular army
or from persons who served as Of
ficers of volunteers in the war with
Spain.
Mr.. Hawley's amendment authorizes
the president to enlist temporarily in
the service, for absolutely necessary
purposes in the Philippines, volun-
teers, officers and men, Individually
and by organizations, now in those
islands and about to be discharged,
and directing that they shall be count
ed as part of the volunteer force au-
thorized by this act, and that they
shall Tot be enlisted for more than six
months nor beyond the time necessary
to replace them.
Mr.. Gorman's amendment reads as
follows:
That each and every provision of this
act shall continue in force until July l,
1901, and on and after that date all the
general staff and line officers appointed
to the army under this act shall be
discharged and the numbers restored
in each grade to>those existing at the
passage of this act, and the enlisted
force of the line of the army shall be
reduced to the number as provided
for by law prior to April l, 1898. ex-
elusive of such additions as have been
or may be made under this act to the
artillery, and except the cadets as
provided for by this act who may be
appointed prior to July l. 1901; and
provided, further, that no officer who
has been or may be promoted under
existing law or under the rules OF
seniority shall be disturbed in his
rank.
Ia time of peace the enlisted
strength of the regular army will ac-
cordingly be limited to less than 20, 600
men. Until July l, 1901, the president
can increase the regular army to 65,-