The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1899-02-06
PASSING OF THE ARMY BILL.

The passage of the HUI! army bill
in the house of representatives yester-
day by a majority of forty-three
sends that measure to the senate un-
der satisfactory conditions. The
majority is larger than its opponents
conceded ard its friends expected it
would have. In the four weeks and
a little over of the life OF the pres
ent congress which remains the bill
will have good chance TO go
through the senate. Powerful oppo
sition was shown to the measure IN
the house. 1t will also be antagcnized
fiercely in the senate. Moreover, the
Republicans, have not clear major
iLy in that chamber. Consequently
It's friends will have a hard struggle
in order to carry it. The chances,
nevertheless, are In lis favor, though
it may be Glanced from Its present
form. The lack, too, of any method
of forcing vote at any particular
time if half dozen persons attempt
to prevent it will operate against the
predict that 1t will pass that body.
Unfortunately the measure in the
shape in which it passed the house is
not as good bill as it was when orig
inally framed. 1t provided for
minimum of $4,000 and q maximum
of 100000. The president is given
discretion to limit enlistments to the
minimum or to increase them TO the
maximum. OF course this will mean
that the 100000 figure will be
reached, for the president will see
that this number is necessary, and
will use the power put in his hands
to employ it If the bill reaches him in
this form. The president will accept
this responsibility without hesitation.
Any other levelIheaded man in Mr..
McKinley's place would also do this.
Congress, however, on its own re-
sponsibility ought to have brought
the army up to the 100000 line. To
preserve order in our extensive pos
sessions and at thesame time to man
the sea coast defenses adequately at
least this number will be needed.
Nobody whose judgment has any
weight with the country has any
doubt on this point.
Many of the Democrats show, in
dealing with this proposition to in
crease the regular army, their usual
folly and demagogy. Nearly all of
them who have touched on this point
in their speeches IN the house urged
the discharge of the volunteers i'm
mediately, but most of them were
unwilling to increase the regular army
to the extent of even third of the
number of men whom they want to
send home. They urge a dangerous
reduction Of the army, regardless of
the lesson which the unpreparedness
of the country at the beginning of
the Spanish war ought to teach. The
Democracy's blindness and cowardice
in keeping the regular army down to
small figure cost the country hun
dreds of millions of dollars and
thousands of lives in battle and in
hospitals. If the country had had
anything like the number of soldiers
on hand which patriotism and COM
mon sense demanded Spain would
have got out of Cuba last year, when
hidden by the United Safes, without
the firing OF shot on our part; Cuba
would be free, as now; there would
have been no war, and the lives aud
money expended would have been
saved But the Democracy learns
neither wisdom nor patriotism
through experience nor any other
process. The Democratic party has
diminished the effectiveness of the
army bill but it will hardly be able
to defeat that measure.-Globe Dem