Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-05-10
ARMY BILL PASSED:
The Senate Disposed Of a Most I'm.
portant Measure.
RORTIFICATIOyS BILL ALSO PASSED.
The House Made Fair Progress with the
sundry Civil Appropriation Bill-At.
tempt to Cripple the Coast and
Geodetlc survey.

session of the senate was rendered
especially notable by the passage
after a debate lasting only three
hours, OF the army reorganization
bill. In military circles the measure
Is regarded as one of the most impor-
tant of the present session. 1t prac-
tically revolutionizes the present staff
arrangements of the army. II pro-
poses to change the present system
OF permanent appointments in GER
tain staff corps to one Of detail by a
gradual process, as the officers now
In those corps go out of active sery-
ice. As vacancies occur in depart
ments of the adjutant general, the
inspector general, quartermaster gen
eral and commissary general, they
are to be filled by details from the
line, the details to be temporary and
not to exceed four years. The new
system is not applied to the corps of
engineers, medical department, pay
department or judge advocate gener-
ais department. The bill discontin-
ues the regimental organization of
the artillery and establishes an arti-
lery corps of two branches, viz 1876
batteries of coast artillery and Is bat
teries of field artillery, with total of
17,44S men. 1t provides for an in
crease of 100 in the corps of cadets at
West Point, two at large from
each state, and ten more to the pres
ent number OF 20 from the United
States at large. The rank of the com
manding general of the army is raised
to that of lieutenant general, and
that of the adjutant general to major
general, the latter being during the
incumbency of the present adjutant
general, Gen. Corbin. The president
Is empowered to place on the retired
list any officer who has been suspend
ed from duty by sentence Of court
martial, or by Legislative order In
mitigation Of such sentence, for a
period extending to or within one
year of the time of his compulsory
retirement for age This is well I'M
derstood to apply to Commissary Gen
eral Eagan
An amendment creating vcteri-
nary corps for the army consisting of
a colonel and 35 other commissioned
officers was attached to the bill after
spirited debate, the amendment be-
Ing adopted by vote of 25 to %.
The Notifications appropriations
bill, carrying S,733,62s, was passed.
A bill was passed increasing to
100000 the limit of the cost Of the
public building at Joplin.
After short executive session the
senate, at $40 p m, adjourned until |
Monday.
sundry Civil Appropriation NIL
Washington, May 5,--The house
made fair progress yesterday with tho
sundry civil appropriation bill, com
plotting 70 of the 1872 pages of the bill.
Much of the time was consumed in
an effort Of the members of the naval
committee to cripple the coast and
geodetic survey in retaliation for the
refusal of the house to agree to their
recommendation when the naval bill
was before the house to place the
survey Of the waters of our insular
possessions In the hands of the navy
They tried to strike out the item in
the bill authorizing the coast survey
TO survey the coasts in the jurisdic-
ton of the United States, but were
defeated. They made point of or
der hold against new vessel for the
survey and against an appropriation
VI plO~,ifo ioI ciiiialNu iiVH VII NuiNy
vessels, but the latter appropriation
went back in the bill in another. form,
AT 6.l0 o'clock, while wranglingover
an item relative to the purchase Of
additional ground for the insane asy-
lum, the quorum failed and the house
adjourned.
Mr.. Baker, of Maryland, introduced
n bill repeating the Chinese exclusion
laws and making the general immi-
grafton laws applicable to Chinese
who shall prove themselves able to
read the constitution Of the United
States in English or the Chinese
Ia.