The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-28
FOR TIE REGULAR army
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON MILITARY
AFFAIRS TAKES UP WAR DE-
PARTMENT BILL
WHAT MR.. ROOT RECOMMENDS
New Measure Provides for Maxi
mum Strength of 10000 Men
Snd Minimum of
$4,000.

two. This afternoon they went over
the bill, which has been known as the
war department bill, drawn on lines sug-
gested and approved by Secretary Root
The secretary expects to give further
consideration to the bill and then will
send it to members of the committee.
The war department bill provides for q
maximum of $4,000 men and minimum
of $1,000, with 80 regiments Of infantry, Is
regiments of cavalry and a gradual in
crease Of the artillery until at the end
of five years there will be Is 600 men. The
artillery is not to be organized into regi-
ments, but as batteries and organizations
Of heavy and field artillery. With the
maximum army there is to be $50 men to
each infantry company, making 1880 men
to a regiment. The maximum of cav
airy troop is to be 100 men. There is no
provision for a lieutenant general in the
war department, but under the present
law the senior major general command
ing would have the rank of lieutenant
general The war department bill does
not give tie same increase of major gem
erals and brigadier generals as the Hull
bill.
The detailed staff provisions are an i'm
portant feature of the measure. 1t pro-
Vides that hereafter vacancies in the
staff, excepting the medical corps, pay
corps and engineers, shall be filled by de-
tails from the line, such detailed officers
being subject to line duty at any time.
That is the same as the Hull bill of the
last congress and is earnestly favored by
Secretary Root. The war department
bill provides that the promotions shall be
made from the regular army, according
to the present rank, down to and includ-
ing the rank of captains. The officers Of
the present volunteer army can become
officers in the regular army, but in he
grades of first and second lieutenant only
the vacancies in the captains rank being
filed from the first lieutenants of the
present regular establishment, the rela-
tive rank of the volunteer officers enter
ing the regular establishment to be de-
termined by seniority.
The committee will not hold another
session until Friday, adjourning over to-
morrow and Thanksgiving day.
NEW SIX-INCH GUN TEST.
The new six-inch naval gun for the bat
tleships of the Maine class was tested
today at the Indian Head proving ground
under regular service conditions with
excellent results. With a charge of 81
pounds of powder, giving a pressure OF
1877 tons per square inch, the gun gave
muzzle velocity of 1923 feet With an
1S-ton pressure which is above the serV-
ice allowance, the gun has shown 3,15S
very superior on the service basis. With
a high grade of powder the gun is eX-
pected to do a shade better. 1t Is fifty
calibers in length and is the type of d
gun being made for the new ships.
PHILIPPINE TELEGRAPHS.
Gen. Greedy, chief signal officer of the
army has received from Col. Allen, at
Manila, a fresh map of the Philippine
land wires and sea cables showing that
the islands practically are covered at
every important point with a thorough
system of wire communication. A new
cable has been put in within the last
month across the eastern end OF Laguna
de Bay, from Santa Cruz to Siniloa, thus
giving assured communication with the
southeastern section of Luzon, where 1t
heretofore has been very difficult to
maintain a land wire.
IRRIGATION COMMITTEE.
After the cabinet meeting today the
president received committee appointed
by the national irrigation congress, VINO
presented the resolutions adopted by the
congress at Chicago last Saturday, urging
the government to inaugurate the work
of retaining the arid lands of the West,
The committee consisted of l.. B. Prince,
of Santa Fe, N. M, chairman; Col H.
B. Maxson, of Reno, New; secretary; c.
J. Gavin, of New Mexico; F. c. Goudy,
of Colorado; G. II. Maxwell, of Chicago;
D. H. Stearns, of Oregon; F. l.. Fergu-
son, of California; ]. R. Goble. of Wash
ington. and B. A. Fowler, of Arizona.
Later in the day the committee called
upon Secretary Hitchcock and Secretary
Wilson.
RIVERS AND HARBORS.
The house committee on river and har-
bors today continued work upon its bill,
but did nothing save compare notes on
the work with the view later of formu~
lating a bill which viii be generally sat-
isfactory. The printed estimates will be
received tomorrow and the work of put
ting the committees conclusions on pa
per will begin then.
OPPOSE BEER TAX.
Rudolph Brandt. president of the Brew
ers' association; n. K. Kendall, vice pres
ident Salus Thoman, seer etary; Freder-
lex Gottlieb, of Baltimore, and ]. w.
Brown, of Brooklyn, called upon the
president today to urge the abolition of
the additional tax on beer imposed by
the war revenue act. The committee
presented facts and figures to show the
hardship which the additional tax i'm
posed upon them and the president prom
Used to refer the matter to the commit
lee OIL .Un6 mouse having lu6 TSuuCIIOil
of the war revenue act in charge.
TITTMAN SUCCEEDS PRITCHARD.
Otto H Tittmann, assistant superin-
tendent of the United States coast and
Goedeuc survey, has been appointed su-
perintendent of that bureau, to succeed
DR.. Pritchard, who resigned to accept the
presidency of the Massachusetts institute
of technology. Mr.. Tittmann has been
connected with the bureau for a long
time and is regarded as a man of eN-
ceptional ability.
THE WHITE HOUSE TURKEY.
For many years the turkey for the
Thanksgiving dinner of the president of
the United States has come from the
state of Rhode Island. 1t invariably has
been sent by the same person, who is Il
resident of Westerly, in that state. This
years turkey has not arrived t the
White house from Westerly, but a mag
nificent bird has come from DR.. ]. s.
Trexler, of Cutztown, Pa, and will grace
the presidents table Thursday.
HONDURAS PAYS INDEMNITY.
= The state department received a cable
gram today from United States Minister
| Hunter at Guatemala City, announcing
| that he had just received from the Hon
| duras government draft for $10,0 900
| American gold as indemnity for the kill
ing of Frank Pears. at San Pedro, Sulu.
in May, 1899.
SECRETARY ROOT AT THE CAPITAL
Secretary Root returned from Cuba to-
day. He had expected to reach Wash
ington in time for the cabinet meeting,
but landslide on the railway south
of Washington delayed the train five
, hours, and instead of cabinet meet
ing he found the house committee on
military waiting to see him in his Of
fee
Mr.. Root said his trip to Cuba had
been quite satisfactory. He had con-
tinued his inspection to the east end
of the island where he said affairs were