New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-02
HOUSE PASSES ARMY BILL.
ALL PROBABILITY OF AN EXTRA SES-
SION REMOVED.
THE COMPROMISE ADOPTED WITHOUT
CHANGE-BILL TO MAKE DEWEY AN
ADMIRAL SENT TO THE
PRESIDENT.
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBuNE.l

PRESIDENT.
fpY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUSEl
Washington. March 1.-The vote Of 203 to 81
by which the House Of Representatives late inns
afternoon passed without amendment the sem
ate bill "for increasing the efficiency or the
Army and for other purposes was by no means
q correct indication OF the true attitude or that
body toward the measure. In fact. the House
acted under duress. and II members had voted
according TO their real convictions the to'as
might have been completely reversed and the
hill defeated by as big a majority as that by
which IL was pGsseI. significant statement
hv Chairman Hull In the course OF the depate
disclosed the real state OF feeling. He said tha'
every member Of the Military Committee was
opposed 10 the BILL but had felt constrained 10
vote to report il favoraby and recommehu n'
massage Another significant fact was tha' az
.or ,oo,,,ro 70 SUSPEND the rules and pass the
bill Chairman Hull devoted the twenty Hihu'eS
Of time at his disposal to submitting eNceie"'
reasons why 1t ought not 70 be ehao'e" ~
law Still another thing which had Sums
influence on the vote was Mr. Huhs ieo''h
= .,,o o,o,,art made bv the President to him that
he would not construe Section l. as a"'"o,''
70 conscript the minority in volunteer organHa
,ions which should choose 10 remain IN 'ne Set
vice. -,
y, oo,ree the desire 10 avoid extra session
-, Corgrees this spring was the chief motive
which innelled large majority of the members
% vote for the bill There were some Demo
oro,s however Ike Mr. Bailey. OF Texas VINO
snola IN favor OF the measure because II wouIo
hacoroe ,nonerative in large measure on July L.
1on1 and 10 that extent relieve the country from
.-ba menace Of a great standing Army where-
as. If It should fall the next Congress "ouu en-
act legislation for A permanent ana large III
crease of the military establishment. ~ '"'
vote showed however. there were thirty-'"'
| members whom neither the fear or speciai ser
sion OF the LVIth Congress nor the other con-
! siderations referred to could deter from Nouhs
! according 70 their real convictions. They were
! about equally divided between Republicans ana
| Democrats the former being represented py
| Messrs Steele Of Indiana, and Hepburn OF
| Iowa.
The eighty minutes devoted 70 dehate gave
comparatively few members an opportunity 10
no heard but a number Of short. crisp speeches
were delivered, not one Of which was a. square
defence Of the pending measure.
MANY other important matters were also dis
nosed Of The General Deficiency Appropriation
bill carrying S21 Os9O0O passed under sus-
pension of the rules without word OF criticism.
This is the last OF the appropriation bills. The
bill were non-concurred in and it was sent 10
conference the friends Of the Nicaragua Canal
amendment having decided 70 postpone their
fight until the conferrees report
! The conference reports on the Omnibus Claims
bill the Naval Personnel bin and many other
less important measures We're agreed TO- The
Senate bill making Dewey full Admiral was
passed and IL now goes to the President for his
| signature.
THE PROCEEDINGS IN DETAIL
Tbera was considerable excitement on the floor
! before the assembling Of the House at Il o'clock
| this morning in anticipation OF a hard fight on
| the Nicaragua Canal amendment 10 the River ana
| Haroor bill The purpose Of the River ana HarDor
| Committee to offer a motion 10 suspend the rules
| and non-concur In all the Senate amendments was
| learned As this motion would not be subject TO
| amendment the friends OF direct concurrence in
| the canal proposition appeared 10 be blocked AZ
least temporarily. Mr. Hepburn. Of Iowa. MI
| Grosvenor of Ohio and other active champions
of accepting the Senate proposition, discussed the
| situation The disposition OF Mr.. Hepburn was
not 10 contest the notion but allow the bin to
| go 10 conference and postpone the night until the
! conferrees made their report
Immediately after the reading OF the Journal the
Senate amendments TO the Sundry Civil bill were
! non -concurred in and the bill was sent to con
! ference
The conference report the bill 10 reimburse
the Governors OF States FOR money expended in
organizing troops for service In the late war was
| adopted.
comrrtee then moved to pass the General De-
eciencv bill under suspension OF the rules. II was
! passed without division
HOT DEBATE ON THE ARMY BILL.
Mr. Hull chairman OF the COMMITTEES Military
Affairs then moved the passage OF the Senate
Army Reorganization bill under suspension OF tho
rules Mr. Hull, in behalf OF the committee. ex-
| plained the reasons which induced the committee
to report the Senate bill. II needless to say
! that the committee had been constrained 20 report
| il II was not such a the committee
| would recommend the House II there were time
! ahead but with this Congress in It's dying hours
| the committee did not feel warranted IN taxing
action thar must inevitably cause an extra session
Mr. Bailey questioned Mr.. Hull closely as 20 GER
tain features OF the bill. The Senate he said had
practically stricken out the limit FOR civilian
| appointments. He asked whether the language or
| the bill meant that In majority OF the vol
| unteer companies who would have the right TO DO
| mustered out after tho ratification OF the Treaty
| OF Peace should desire 70 remain In the service
they could hold the minority; In other words. con-
| Mr Hull replied that he did think the Presi
| dent would place such construction upon tho
sentence. .., .on,,,,,, Daroocr,,,c r,.r,bsr os
the Military Committee, warmly opposed the Dill
| II provided he said for more soldiers than tho
| Government nad asked lOFi v'e Hu-t ~ ~
| enlisted men and fve thousand officers He was
| IN favor Of giving the President all the soldiers
| needed in cuba and the Philippines but this bill
gave twenty thousand more than ne asked More
over he did not believe in sacrificing principle for
! expediency. This bill contained cOnscript feat
| ure. The vote OF n majority Of any organization
now in the service would conscript the minority
| Such legislation should 90 upon the statute
books Mr. Hay declared that the bill should not
| be passed unless il previously amended
/ Messrs Henry Sparkman and Talbert antas-
| onlzed the bill. -,
| Mr. Carmack said he would vote for the bill as
| the best that could be obtained. A..
| The most prominent Republican leaders on the
! Mr. Slizer a member OF the committee spoke IN
| frs favor He was anxious TO obviate the necessity
| for an session. and he favored the Dhh oe-
! cause II was a Democratic proposition. 40,
Mr. Swanson said he would never vote TOT a OIL!
/ that would force men serve In the Army without
| ,beir consent He denied that this was a Demo