The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-28
ARMY REORGANIZATION.
Discretion for Increase to Be Lodged
With the President.

Washington, Jan. 27.-When the
house met to-day but little more than
an hour remained of the time for gen.
eral debate on the army reorganization
bill Mr.. Henderson, rep, Ia, was the
first speaker to-day. He had, he said,
last spring. He had foreseen
some of the future trouble as the out
growth of the difficulties which beset
us at our immediate doors, but he had
not anticipated that we would be car
ried to another hemisphere, 1000 miles
from our shore. He looked with aver
sion upon any proposition to increase
the regular army, and he hoped it
would not be necessary to establish
standing army of 100000. He was,
however, in view of the conditions, will
ing to support cheerfully proposition
to increase the army to $4,000 or Co.
900 men. Beyond that he hoped he
would not be called upon to go. But
if congress must go beyond that, he
trusted that no provision for 100000
men would be made, but that discre-
ton be lodged with the president. The
president could be trusted There
was nothing in this country to call for
a standing army of 100000 men. The
people We're peaceful, and there was
absolutely nothing in the United States
to draw the fire of the guns of any
other country on the globe
Mr. Henderson spoke of the demon
stration of the "kickers" which the
country and the house had witnessed
The kicking had begun before the war
was fairly under way. Some kicked"
at the president, some at the secretary
of war, some at the staff, some at the
adjutant general. There was kicking
at everything and anything. 1t was
easy to kick. 1t was the cheapest kind
of craftsmanship, and the applause that
greeted it was the cheapest sort of
applause. 1t had been charged, he said,
that the commission appointed to in
Vestigate the war was stacked" He
eulogized all the members of the COM
mission, Chairman Dodge by name
paying a high tribute to his incorrupt-
ible and fearless character. Adverting
to Mr.. Johnsons speech on Wednesday,
he said that never in Is years expert
ence had he heard a speech so deserv-
ing of the condemnation of patriotic
hearts. What crime had the president
committed? The president had done ev-
erything possible to prevent the war
Was that crime? There was not
enough powder in the country to last
our guns "a hours, there was neither
arms, ambulances, surgical instruments
nor equipments. When the war came
the president quickly set factories and
arsenals in motion. Then he forced the
days he had whipped the enemy on
land and sea, and had wound up the
war before the people of the country
had fairly realized that 1t had Begin.
Was that a crime? He had driven the
enemy from Cuba, he had seized Porto
Rico and the richest island of the La
drones. Was that a crime? BY the
guns of his country and by treaty he
had terminated the war. The treaty di-
vested Spain of her sovereignty over
the Philippines. After it was ratified
new problems would come. Until it was
| ratified, the war was legally still in
| progress. During the war it had been
| the duty of the president as the COM
| mander-in chief of the army, to strike
| the enemy where the blow would hurt.
| He had struck him in the Philippines,
and the echo of that blow would ring
through coming ages. Until the treaty
| was ratified the president must hold
| what he had taken.
| But" said he. with elaboration. II
| say frankly that I entertain grave
doubts as to the wisdom of holding the
| Philippines against their will" (Dem-
| ocratic applause).
| While this was his present opinion,
however, he added that when the time
came to determine this question he
| must know what his duty to his coun-
| try was.
Mr.. Grow, rep, Penn. argued that the
| future of the Philippines was a question
| for the future. Neither Filipinos nor
| the Porto Ricans, said he, had the right
to haul down the American flag.
| Mr.. Cousins, rep, Iowa. in support of
| on Page