The Portland daily press., 1900-12-06

Kun the repeiilou Wouio nave enucu In
thirty days.
Mr.. Grosvsnor and Mr. Underwood in
duIeed In some sharp crcss-firing after
whioh the resolution was adopted with
out division.
Mfr. Hull, who was In charge Of the
bill, and Mr.. sulzer OF New York, on be-
half OF the minority, then arranged that
general debate should run for four hours,
two hours on q side, and that then the
bill should be considered under the i've
minute rule. The agreement was ratified
hy the house.
MIR. Hull suggested that the oleomarga-
rine bill, which was q special order for
tomorrow, be postponed until the army
bill was disposed OF. This request
aroused ths friends OF the latter bill >lest
postponement OF the order would give one
side or the other tactical parliamentary
advantage and MIR. Underwood finally
objected. The House then went into COM
mittee Of the whole. MIR. Daizell OF Penn
syIvanin In the chair, and took up the
consideration OF the bill MIR. Hull made
the opening statement. He explained the
details OF the bill, which, he said, fol-
lowed practically the scheme already
twice endorsed by the House Of Represen-
tatives.
In concluding his statement, Mr.. Hull
ridiculsd the charges made during the re-
cent campaign by the opposition to the
effect that the Republican party desired
to foist upon the country great stand
ing army.
MIR. Hepburn Of Iowa, asked what pro-
vision the pill made for the transfer OF
volunteer officers to the regular army.
mir. Hull replied that In the staff volun-
tssr officers could be appointed to the
regular army without regard to age or
grade, but IN the line volunteer officers
could not be appointed above the grade
Of first lieutenant and then only when
below the age OF thirty,
Mr.. Hepburn asked II Mr.. Hull would
object to an amendment providing that
vacancies below the grade of colonel
could be filled from the list OF volunteer
officers and declaring 1t to be the purpose
OF the act TO place volunteer officers COM
missioned since April 10. 1898, upon the
same footing with officers Of the regular
army.
L should" responded Mr.. Hull. ITO
appoint volunteer officers to the grade Of
major would do great injustice to regu-
lar army officers who have served twenty
or twenty five years In the army"
Mr.. Cochran OF Missouri, who followed
Mr.. Hull, introduced the political phase
OF the question. He charged that the
ayowed purpose or the administration to
use an army OF 80,0O0 to enforce its man
dates in the Philippines was the very es-
sence OF imperialism. He declared it TO
be his opinion that no army that marched
on the face-of the earth could accomplish
the subsection Of the Philippines. Their
position made them practi-
cally independent o. oaAtst@s control.
MIR. Klebsrg of Texas, announced his
opposition to an increase OF
the standing army ana he appealed to his
colleagues to stand untIinchingly against
the subyersIon of the constitution.
Mr.. Mcclellan of New York. regretted
that he was unable to vote for the bill,
because, as q reorganization measure, 1t
was the best army bill ever proposed. II
1t had stopped at reorganization, he
might have supported 1t, but he could
not bring himself to vote for standing
army OF 100, 600 men.
The sensation OF the day occurred when
Mr.. Sulzer, who had charge OF the time
on the Democratic side, yielded an hour
to MIR. McCalI. Republican of Massachu-
setts. The announcement created great
stir. Mr.. Mccall on several occasions
during the last session antagonized his
party, notably on the Porto Rican tariff
bill and O great desire to hear him was
manifested today.
He criticised some OF the technical
features OF the bill charging
that the organization proposed
was not economical In that 1t contem-
plated the same number of officers for an
army OF 81, 600 as for an army of 10000
He was especially severe upon the propo-
sition to lodge In the President for all
time, unless Congress acted to the con-
trary the power to double the strength Of
Juo army hb WILL 4Sos A9 was e6.ttA&ee WIG
policy of retaining the Philippines and
the Inauguration OF colonial policy
that he opened all his batteries.
The bill proposed a standing army of
hundred thousand men
such number, he said, was not needed.
A temporary provision should be made
for the Philippines and the character of
the bill made it Important to discuss
what the ultimate policy OF the country
with reference TO the army should be.
The government should have declared
at the outset policy in the Philippines
similar to that declared In Cuba. Our
system OF government was inanifestiy un-
tit for colonial policy. No advocate or
retaining the philippines had been daring
enough to maintain that they should be
a part OF our political system. Upon
what theory, he asked, are we to remain
in that countrys The motive tnat had
been widely put forward was that 1t
was for our advantage and especially our
pscuniary advantage. AS a part Of the