Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-28

eStS6i Gill, NdOiC anu lCttcT u IIlSlIuc-
ton that passed between the President
and the peace commissioners"
For the purpose of my argument -
continued Vest. II content myself with
the statement that we were to take
nothing less than Luzon. If that be
true how is it that the President sail
in his Boston speech that this contin-
gency has come upon us by the act Of
God? He said that there had been no
disposition to exercise the power Of
conquest. If the island was to be taken
why does he tell US now that he Is an
instrument of Providence"
Vest said he knew of but one parallel
of this scheme of Christian phiian-
thropy. He then cited the scene in
Dickens novel BLEAK House" where
the Rev. Chadband insists on doing
good to an unwilling vagrant and said:
so it is with the President. He places
his hands upon the shoulders of the
Filipinos and says I am toiler and
"A moiler and l intend to save you In
spite of yourself. And he wants loo.VOo
missionaries with rifles to shoot his
good resolutions into effect.
Vest stated that all those who were
opposed to the plans of the admins
tration were denominated as traitors,
but he repudiated the charge with
scorn.
He said he might as well vote for an
army of 100000 as for one OF l0O,oO0
men. He could not vote for soldiers TO
be used for purpose antagoniStlc 10
the country. The army would never be
less than the number provided for in
the bill, for when the policy or expan-
sion was entered upon it meant the in
crease of the army, the navy and the
number of men offered up for Slaugh-
ter.
White. Cal, spoke against the bill
and against the present policy in the
Philippines He said he could not con-
| template the situation in the Philip
pines with any other feeling than that
| of shame There was no possibility of
| assimilating the Filipinos. The out
look was very gloomy. He agreed with
| Sewell that war was likely with Cuba.
| On behalf of the military committee,
| Cockrell suggested several amend
| ments to the army reorganization bill.
| among them being one striking out the
| language fixing the minimum in COM
| panfeS. of the various branches of the
service. AS reported from the commit
! tee the bill provided that the minimum
| of privates in troops of the cavalry
service should be AZ. that the minimum
in each battery of artillery should be
81 and in each company of infantry
49, The effect of Cockrelfs amend
l ment is to fix these numbers as the
maximum instead of tn minimum al
flpttd to ach company.
4 Another amendment extends the age
limit of persons to be appointed to the
positions of judge advocate. paymaster
and chaplain to "A years, the bill as re-
ported fixing the age at 40.
At the instance of German he also
offered an amendment relieving APP
pointees to those offices from the re-
quirement to pass civil service exam
ination in cases in which the appli-
cants had served in the war with
Spain.
All the above amendments We're ac-
cepted. but some discussion arose over
the following offered as a substitute
for the age limitation of field and staff
officers:
No person over the age of As years
| officers or enlisted men who served in
| the war with Spain, shall be appointed
as field officers in such emergency
force. and no person over 40 years OF
| age shall be appointed company off
| Ger therein.
| Thurston moved to strike out the
| entire paragraph relating to the age
limit of officers in thes provisional
force. Cockrell endorsed Thurston's
motion and withdrew his amendment
The amendment of Thurston striking
out the paragraph relating to the agt
| limit was agreed to.
| Cockrell offered the following amend.
| ment to section IA which was agreed
| to:
That. for each regular army officer
| of d staff corps or department who
| may be retained in or appointed to {
corps or department than that actually
| held by him in the regular establish
ment. there may be appointed one Off
GER of volunteers of the lowestgrad,
J mentioned in this section for such stat
corps or department but no appoint
ment shall he made which will in
crease The total number of officers
regular and volunteer. serving in an,
by this act"
Hawley offered an amendment as "A pro
vso Of the 18th section authorizing tn
| President to enlist temporarily i'm the ser
vice for absolutely necessary purposes il
the Philippines, volunteer officers am,
men individually or by ganiZa,lons nov
| in these islands and about to be dis
charged. and directing that they shall b.
counted as part of the volunteer force au
thorizcd by this act and that they shall
nOttbc enlisted for more than six month
nor beyond the time necessary to repac
them 1t was adopted.
German offered an amendment as
provision of section Is providing that ev
cry provision of this act shall continue IL
force until July l, 1901 and on and afte
that date all the general staff and lin
officers appointed to the army under thi
act shall be discharged and restored il
each grade to those existing at the pas
sage Of this act and the enlisted force o
the line of the army shall be reduced t
the number provided for by law prior +
April l, 1898. exclusive of such addition
as have been or may be made under thl
act to the artillery and except the cadet
provided for by this act. who may be ap
pointed prior to July |, 1901 and provides
further. that no officer who has been o
NAV be promoted under the existing law
l or under the rules of seniority. shall b
disturbed in his rank
Warren, a member of the militar
affairs committee, opposed the amend
4 ment.
isfied with the proposition. and. as a. frs
presented. 1t met his posi.ive diSapprova
The bill. he said. had been pronounced b
Mo- a,,thorjtv the best that had eve