The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-28

charge of confidence with respect to
the administration had been with re-
spect to the Philippine policy. Now
it was proposed to reprise this mon
Strosity and cut down and provide for
al army of $4,000 with a sort of pro-
vision for an increase to 100000 upon
which the president could exert his
wellknown powers of elasticity" He
agreed with Mr.. Dockery, he said,
that no president should be entrusted
with so much power much less a man
who was seeking to wage war against
a people beyond the sea, in order to
force them to submit to government
they despised and repudiated. Every
man in the house, he declared, knew
what the proposed change meant-it
meant an army of 100000 by direct en-
actment of congress or by the will Of
the president. There was, he urged,
no reason why congress should abro
gate and give to the president this
extraordinary power He declared the
bill would cost the treasury 100000, 0
a year, and he warned the Republicans
they would not dare go to their con-
stituents on the record.
Mr.. Hull contended that the larger
the army the less cost per man.
Mr.. Cannon scored Mr. Johnson, who
would be great man, he said, if his
judgment equaled his ability He did
not believe any one could be found
who would have wanted the army or
navy to depart from the Philippines up
to this time.
you are mistaken cried a voice
from the Democratic side.
Who is he? Where is he?" asked
Mr. Cannon, looking around. He
paused.
Every one laughed.
rs there another?" shouted Mr..
Cannon. I'VE will have an experience
meeting"
Mr.. Todd Gus, Mich) arose amid
an outburst of laughter, but he was
the last.
Mr. Cannon ridiculed the idea of
trotting out the ghost of Caesarism in
order to frighten the country.
Mr.. Hay said that the Hull bill Gre
aies 5000 officers; 1900 more than it's
author would admit.
Mr.. Johnson, replying to Mr.. Cannon,
said that the original wrong was COM
mitted when the president sent his
commissioners to Paris to demand the
cession of the Philippines. But now
he should withdraw the menace which
inspired in the people of the islands
the we'll grounded fear that we were
determined to take away their liber-
ties. The only danger of trouble was
that the misguided policy of the pres
ident would provoke those people to
a Just resentment. Now was the time
to fight this whole proposition, to ex-
pose it and correct it and not wait un-
til the machinery for colonial policy
was forged. If it succeeded, we would
repent in sackcloth and ashes.
MIR. FLETCElER'S CONTENTION.
Congressman Fletcher secured time
and made a strong speech on the army
reorganization bill. Further discussion
CT the bill, as he said at the outset,
would be from business rather than a
patriotic standpoint. He said in part:
This bill to increase the regular
standing army of the United States to
100000 men. In my opinion, is the most
important question before congress and
the people.
81 want to go just as far as any
member of this house in strengthening
and aiding the war department and the
administration in having we'll trained
soldiers enough to guard and defend
every right Of the most humble citizen
of the United States against the most
hostile or unwarranted and unjustified
action of any nation in the world.
But I do not want to go to the ex-
tent, to use a somewhat familiar phrase
heard by most of us when we were
school boys, of walking around with a
chip on our shoulders.
Much has been said concerning the
bringing home Of the Thirteenth volun-
teer regiment from Minnesota. That
regiment was in at the hardest Of the
fighting at Manila, Aug. 13 last. They
came from colleges. high schools, office,
shop and farm. No more patriotic spec
tacle was ever witnessed than when
the young men, the flower of our state,
took up the cause of the oppressed and
marched forth to do their duty, as their
forefathers did in the War of the Re
bellion, and it shall ever be the pride
of Minnesota to recall the valor and
glory of her citizen soldiers in every
emergency"