The Red Cloud chief., 1899-02-03
THE ARMY BILL IS PASSED.
The Closing Day Of the Debate
Was Exciting.
CANNON AND CUMMING CLASH.


met at IL o'clock to-day. The Rev.
James I. Vance of Nashville delivered
the invocation. This was the closing
day OF debate upon the army reorgan-
izatlon bill. The opposition before
the session opened had practically
abandoned hope Of either defeating or
having the bill recommittcd. When
the House resumed work upon the
bill to-day, section 1e. relating to the
pay department, had been reached
Tho number OF paymaster generals,
with the rank of colonel, provided in
the bill, vas reduced from four to
three, with tho rank Of lieutenant
colonel from eight to Eve, and pay
masters with tho rank of major from
forty-seven to thirty-flva The age
limit for appointments in this depart
ment was reduced from so to 40.
In the corps Of engineers the nun
Der of colonies wa reduced from ter
to eight; lieutenant colonies, twenty
to sixteen; majors, thirty-six to thirty;
captains, forty-one to thirty-6ve; first
lieutenants, Atty to forty. and second
~lieutenants fifty to forty.
Mr.. Browncll OF Ohio. Republican.
moved to strike out the provision
authorizing the appointment Of en-.
gineers from civil life. The amend
ment was supported by Mr.. Walker.
Republican, OF Massachusetts, but
opposed by Mr.. Marsh, Republican, OF
Illinois, who favored the appointment
of officers from civil life and said the
great engineer scheme Of Eads had
been secuted by the regular army
officers.
Mr.. Dockery of Missouri said the
best results in government work had
always been obtained from army Gu
gineers.
Mr.. Cannon, Republican, OF Illinois
directed attention TO the amendment
Of Mr.. Cummings, Democrat, of New
York, wins gave notice yesterday that
he would offer an amendment to pre-
vent the use OF United States troops
as posse c~omitatus" or in putting
down strikes or riots except upon the
written application Of the governor of
the state. The amendment, said Mr..
Cannon, proposed to put it out of tho
power Of the President, the constitu-
ton to the contrary notwithstand.
ing, to enforce the law within
the territory Of any state unless the
governor appealed for help. Mr.. Can
non then recalled the Chicago riots
during the last administration and the
dispatch into Illinois without the as
sent of the governor, and against his
,x.At IT..l Ga. $500. a.
suppress the riots. That action OF
President Cleveland had beer indorscd
by the Senate OF the United States and
the people everywhere. Had the pro-
posed amendment been law the Presi-
dent would have been prevented from
enforcing tho Law. The federal a n.
thority was and should be supreme.
Mr.. Cummings replied to Mr.. Can.
non. There was no question, he said,
that organized labor, through the
| American Federation Of Labor and
the Knights Of Labor, had condemned
the efforts TO increase the standing
army to 100. 900. There was no ques.
ton that the reason for their action
wa the fact that tho standing army
might be used unconstitutionally to
suppress them.
Now" he continued. III you do
mean to do it, say 80; IL you do not,
adopt this proviso." The gentleman
from Illinois, he said, had referred to
the action of Governor Altgeld, but he
had failed to refer to Governor John
NJ. Palmer. who had denounced the
action of the President for sending
troops into the state over the protest
OF tho governor. The United
States judge who had sent
Debs to prison for contempt
was promoted within a few months,
Everything indicated that the army
was to be used to Cypress labor IL tho
opportunity offered or il corporate
wealth demanded it. lie was no law
yer, or n banker, Mr.. Cummings con-
tinued; he was n trades union man, "A
member OF Typographical union No. o..
What he desired was that the mem.
bers of the House should go on record
upon his amendment.
Mr.. Cannon, replying, said that be
fore men were lawyers or bankers or
printers they were American citizens,
and the law Of the land, like the grace
Of God, covered all. (Applause.) The
one green spot in the record Of Prcs!.
dent Cleveland had been that when
he saw the law deied, not by labor.
but by law breakers, he had kept his
oath and had seen that 1t was en-.
forced Mr.. Cannon aroused tumultu.
GUS applause when he declared that
Mr.. Cummings. in seeking to make
labor the abettor Of law breaking,
slandered labor. Ho denounced 1t as
cheap demagoguery.
Mr.. Cummings said he honored Pres.
ident Mckinley because he was un.
like MIR. Cleveland. When, recently
during the riots, Governor Tanner de,
clined to order out the militia. said
he, according to the argument
OF the gentleman from Illinois, It was
the duty Of preSident McRi,lau A.