Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-02-13

reorganization bill promises to be the
most important feature of the proceed
ings OF the Senate during the present
week.
Lines are divided very sharply on
this bill, and the contest over its con-
sideration will unquestionabIS be Doth
fierce and stubborn. The Republican
members of the committee manifest a
strong determination to press the bill
regardless of all other measures, and
their first effort will be to secure con-
sent from the Committee on Appropria-
tons to set the appropriations ASIDE
until the army reorganization bill can
be disposed of. They argue that it is
| useless to proceed with the appropria-
tions, especially those of the army,
until they know how large the army
will be. They also urge that there is
far greater necessity for legislation in
croasing the size Of the army than for
the appropriation Of money to meet
the governments expenditures. Said
Senator Warren, of the Military Com
| mittee, in discussing this matter:
The present appropriations hold
good until the first of next July, when
| the volunteer army will
NECESSARILY BE DISBANDED
| as soon as the peace treaty is signed
| by the Spanish authorities. We will
| then be in ridiculous plight, with
all our new possessions on our hands
and our forces reduced to such an eX-
tent that we will not be able to even
| man our guns in this country unless
| we get an increase of the army. 1t is
absurd to say that any temporary ex-
You cannot find men to enlist in the
| regular army at s13 a month unless
they are sure Of steady employment"
The Democrats, not only of the Mill
tary Committee, but throughout the
Senate, will resist any effort to get
| the army bill through They saw HOW
| ever, they will not try to prevent con-
| sideratiOn of the bill.
| In speaking on this point, Senator
Jones, Of Arkansas, said:
'If the Republicans want to take the
responsibility of filibustering against
the appropriation bills and of throw
ing them over to another session OF
Congress, l, for one, am willing that
they should do So
Continuing he said that he did not
believe that the
ARMY BILL COULD BE PASSED
if it should receive the exclusive at
tentiOn of the Senate for the remand
er of the Senate
AS I look at it, he said, If the pro-
gramme for taking up the army bill
to the exclusion of the appropriation
bills is pursued both the army bill and
the appropriations bills will have to
fail. l do not believe the Senate will
agree to the passage of the army bill
this session. So far as | am informed
we on this side are willing to grant
temporary increase of the army, but
do not believe many Democrats would
consent to the permanent increase of
the standing army"
1t is not absolutely decided that the
Committee on Appropriations would
voluntarily retire in the interest Of the
army bill. They may, however, step
aside for a few days in order to give
the promoters of the military measure
an opportunity to test the temper of
its opponents. There are at present
only two appropriations bills before
the Senate, so that the time for the
experiment is not unprOpituous These
are the agricultural and military aca-
denny bills, and both can be disposed
of in very short order unless there
should be eXtraneous opposition to
them. This is not to be expected as
an expedient to stand off the army
bill. Much of the proceedings of the
last two days of last week was due to
the expectation on the part of some
that there would be
EXCEPTIONAL PRESSURE
to get up the army bill, and the pro-
ceedings were intended to indicate TO
the friends Of that measure what they
might expect in case they should at
tempt to put their programme into ex-
ecution. Other opportunities will
doubtless be seized in the future for
the same purpose as long as the army
bill threatens.
The army bill has not yet been re-
ported to the Senate, but there will be
an all day session of the Committee on
Military Affairs on Monday with the
hope of concluding the consideration
of the bill in committee and having it
ready to report on Monday or Tuesday.
The probabilities are. however, that it
will not get into the Senate before
Wednesday. The probability of an eff
fort 10 force its consideration will.
however, make it almost as much a
basis of proceedings as ii it were in the
Senate itself, as everything will be
done with reference to this point SO