The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-05
MAKES NOTABLE CHANGES
It Practically Revolutionizes the Pre-
sent Staff Arrangements.
F0RTIFICATIONS APPROPRIATION BILL
This Measure Carrying About S6, 100000
Also Passed. The Bill Appropriatirg
$4,000 For Public Building
at Durham Goes Through.
(By the Associated Press }

|
Washington, May 4.-Todays session of
the Senate was rendered especially nota
bic by the passage, after a debate lasting
only three hours, of the Army Reorgani-
zation Bill. In military circles. .he mea-
sure is regarded one of the most i'm
portant of the present session. 1t practi-
cally revolutionizes the present staff ar
rangements of the army. 1t proposes %
change the present system of permanent
appointments in certain staff corps to one
Of detail by a gradual process, as the
officers now IN those corps go out of ac
tive service. AS vacancies occur in de-
| partments of the Adjutant General. the
! Inspector General, Quartermaster Gen
era and Commissary General they are to
be filled by details from the line, the de-
tails to be temporary and not exceeding
four years.
The new system is not applied to the
| Corps of Engineers, Medical Department,
| Pay Department nor Judge Advocate Gen
! erals Department. The bill discontinues
| the regimental organization of the artil
lery and establishes an artillery corps of
/ two branches, viz. 126 batteries of coast
artillery and is batteries of field artil-
lery, with total of 17,44S.
| The bill provides for an increase of 100
! in the corps of cadets at West Point, two
at large from each State and ten more
| to the present number of twenty from
the United States at large. Two of the
| most important provisions of the bill are
those raising the rank of the Command
! ing General of the army to that of Lieu
tenant General. and that of the Adjutant
| General to Major General, the latter be-
| ing during the incumbency of the present
| Adjutant General, General Corbin. The
| President is empowered to place on the
| retired list any officer who has been suS-
pended from duty by sentence of court
| martial. or by executive order in mitiga
| tion of such sentence, for a period eX
| tending to or within one year of the
| time of his compulsory retirement for
age. This is well understood to apply to
Commissary General Eagan.
| An amendment creating veterinary
corps for the army consisting of colonel
and 80 other commissioned officers was
attached to the bill after a spirited de-
bate, the amendment being adopted by a
vote of % to 23
The Fortitications Appropriation Bill
carrying about $500 900 was passed.
Mr.. Wolcctt reported the Postoffice APP
preparation Bill and gave notice he would
| call it up on the 18th instant.
Mr.. Teller gave notice he would call up
his resolution expressing sympathy for
the Beers, after routine business tomor-
row.
The Army Reorganization Bill was then
called up.
MIR. Tillman IS. c. moved that the
| Fifteenth section of the measure be
amended so as to read as follows;
THAT the senior major general COM
manding the army shall have the rank,
pay and allowances of a lieutenant gen.
eral and his personal staff shall have the
rank pay and allowances authorized for
the staff of lieutenant general"
The amendment proposed by Mr.. Till
man had the effect of striking out the
provision making the section apply only
to General Miles, the present commander
of the army. 1t was agreed to.
Mr.. Berry (ArkD moved to strike out
the section as amended.
Mr.. Bate (Tenn.) also objected to the
increase of rank and tendency to increase
the strength of the army.
| MT. SEVEN pOluIeu Out Ludl Il6 1OH-
federacy had 19 lieutenant generals and
eight full generals, and said that any
European army of our present strength
would have two lieutenant generals and
one full general.
The motion was defeated. s to A, as
follows:
Yeas-Bate, Berry, Butler, Clay, Culber-
son, Kenney, Money Vests.
Nays-Allison, Bacon, Baker. Bard,
Burrows, Chandler, Cockrell, Davis, De-
Doe, El1ins, Fairbanks Foraker, Frye,
Gallnger, Gear, Hale, Hansbrough,
Harris, Hawley. Hoar, Jones New, Kean,
| Kyle, Lindsay, Lodge, McComas, Mason,
Nelson, Perkins, Pettigrew, Pettus, Platt
Comm, Proctor, Quarles. Rawlins, Ross,
| Sewell, Shoup, Simon, Stewart, Teller,
| Wellington, Wolcott.-44.
! Mr. Kenney (Del.) offered an amend
ment creating a veterinary corps and
strongly advocated its adoption.
| Mr.. Proctor presented letter from the
| Secretary of War strongly against the
amendment The amendment was agreed
| to-25 to %.
Mr.. Sewell offered an amendment which
was agreed to- providing for one chaplain
| for each cavalry regiment with the rank
pay and allowances of a captain mounted; ;
and for each infantry regiment with the
rank. pay and allowances of captain of