The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-06
Fight ON THE ARMY BILL
The Reorganization Measure Comes
Before the House.
Representative Mccall of Mnssn-
chusctts Attacks the Philippine
Policy of the AdministrntiOn-Hc
opposes the Granting of Unusual
Authority to the President.

Authority to the President
The House yesterday began the consid-
+; Grafton of the Army Reorganization bill
| reported by the Committee on Military
| Affairs as substitute for the bill passed
| by the Senate on May 4 last. BY consent
| the general debate was limited to. -four
| hours, and not all that period was SO oc-
cupied. The most notable feature of the
discussion was prepared speech by Mt
| Mccall of Massachusetts, in opposition to
! the increase of the army and to the re-
tcntion of the Philippines, the Democrats
| giving him the time.
! Mr.. Mccall is the Republican member
of the Committee on Ways and Means
who differed from his colleagues and po-
| litical associates in the House on the
Porto Rican Tariff bill, leading the futile
! opposition to that measure.
Nearly one-half the bill was disposed OF
being made The most important of these
was one increasing the force of the quar-
| termaster's department from IS to 119
| officers. General Miles was an interested
spectator of the proceedings from the
| Speakers bench in the members gallery.
| Efforts to secure vacation of the order
! for today making the Grout Oleomar-
! garine bill the special business, were un-
| availing, so that unless the advocates of
| the oleomargarine bill change their minds
the army bill will have to go over till the
| oleomargarine bill shall have been dis
| posed of.
H.
resignation of Mr.. Boutelle of Maine as
Chairman of the Naval Affairs Commit
| tee. Mr.. Foss succeeds to the position.
The gavel of Speaker Henderson fell at
noon, and after prayer by Chaplain Cou-
den and the reading of the journal legis-
lative work was entered upon by the
| House.
MIR. Dalzell. from the Committee on
| Rules. reported an order for the imme-
| diate consideration of the Army Reor-
| ganization bill, not to interfere with the
| order for the consideration of the .Grout
| bill. He briefly explained the necessity
| for prompt legislation on the army ques-
| tion. He said that on July 1, 1901, under
| the present law, the army would be re-
| duced to 26,0CO-less than half the num-
ber now in the Philippines. Legislation
| of some character was imperative. and
| the Department urged the necessity Of
haste. 1t would take time to recruit and
organize the new army which must re-
place the old.
MIR. Dalzell was followed by Mr.. Rich
ardson of Tennessee, the minority leader.
who expressed his opposition to the pro-
posed measure. He did not believe that
the army ought to be permanently in
creased in a time Of profound peace. The
provision that the army might be COM
posed of from IS, 900 to 100. 900 men accord
ing to the Judgment of the President. he
said, was discretion that should not be
lodged in any one man. No matter how
good or able that man might be he was
not willing to see one man given such
power. 1t was, in his opinion, abdicating
the functions of Congress.
Mr. Richardson said he was ready at all
times to vote to put down rebellion any
where and everywhere that it existed. but
under the stress of an emergency he was
not willing to establish permanently a
large standing army.
He favored the enlistment of volunteers
for such service in the Philippines as
might be required.
MIR. Underwood, a member OF the Com
mittee on Ways and Means said the bill
was not the production of member or
committee of the House. but came from
the War Department with the approval of
the President. WAS it possible" he
asked, that the Executive of the nation
distTusted that the legislative department
would not provide all the men that are
necessary to preserve peace in this cDun
try"
He also criticised the sliding scale"
feature OF the bill, and said it was not
tho question of establishing an army that
was now presented for the first time but
now proposed to establish a sliding scale
by which the President and not Congress
should determine the size of the army.
Defence of the President.
Responding to these objections, Mr..
Gr5sycnor said that the country had been
familiar with a standing army from its
beginning. General Washington by the
powerful influences he was able to exert,
secured the establishment of a standing
army, four times as great per capita of
population as the one proposed in the
pending bill. That army was maintained
until Jefferson's time. when he reduced
the force 20 number twice as great. pro-
pcr,ionally as that In the present bill. 1t
was not the fact then, that now, for the
first time the question of establishing or
increasing permanently the Regular Army.
was raised.
As for the opposition to the sliding
scale the President always had practi-
rally been supreme in the use of the army.
Why should he not in the use of his dis
cretion have the power in time OF neces-
sity to expand the army? II was glorious
tribute TO our system that never had the
President OF the United States attempted
TO abuse his power over the army. One
OF the magnificent acts Of Grover Cleve-
land had been his assumption of his duty
TO keep the peace in great Common
wealth by means of the United States Army
when the Governor OF that State did not
want him to interfere. Mr. Grosvenor said
If there had been u standing army of 80, 900
loyal men at the battle of Bull Run the
rebellion would have ended in thir'" da"-
Hopkins fr''.-