The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-02
HOUSE PASSES THE SUNDAY CIVIL BILL Sulzer's Custom House Propo-
 sition Voted Down CONFERENCE REPORT IS UP House pisaerees to Practically All the Senate Amendments and Sends
 the Measure Back to
 Conference.
CONFERENCE REPORT IS UP

Washington, April 1.-The house today passed the sundry civil appropriation bill after voting down a proposition by Mr. Sulzer to recommit 1t with instructions to strike out the appropriation of s136,6O0 for the New York custom house. The re- mander of the day was devoted to dis cussion of the conference report on the army appropriation bill With the excep- tion of one amendment proving certain increases in the signals corps the house disagreed to all other important senate amendments and the bill was sent back to the conference.
 The general proposal to consolidate the office of adjutant general with that of the record and pension division, and make Brigadier General Ainsworth chief of the latter division, military secretary with the rank of major general, and put him in charge, and the amendment to allow officers who served in the civil war who retire or may have retired, to retire at the next higher grade. were debated at length and met strong opposition.
 MT. Gillette, republican, of California se- cured permission to have printed 2O0O ex- tra copies of the report of the committee on judiciary in the Swayne impeachment case, together with the views of the min ority. The speaker announced the resig- nation of MT Glass, democrat, of Virginia from the committee on public lands. He also announced the following committee appointments:
 MT. Lind, democrat of Minnesota com mittee on public lands Mir. Glass, dem ocrat, Of Virginia, committee on bank ing and currency: MT. Volstead. republi- can of Minnesota. committee on railways and canals.
 The speaker announced as members Of the board of visitors to the naval acad- emy on the part of the house Mess.s. McCleary of Minnesota, Brick of Indiana. and Wade of Iowa. Board of visitors to the military academy, Messrs McMahon Of Pennsylvania, Prince of Illinois and Broussard of Louisiana
 Report of Conference. The report of the conference on the army appropriation bill was then taken up MT. HeminWay made a point of order adding two amendments inserted by the conference, authorizing the secretary of war to assign to duty In the office of paymaster general such paymaster' : clerks as may be necessary and also pro- viding that of the appropriations for con- struction and repair of hospitals not more than $40,00O shall be used for the enlarge. ment or construction of a hospital at any one post. In the case of paymasters clerk MT. Heminway contended that the law ex- pressly prohibits the detail of clerks out side the District of Columbia for duty within said district
 The chair sustained both points, which has the effect of rejecting the two amend ments and referring the bill back to the conferees.
 Separate votes were demanded on both senate amendments and those upon which the house conferees disagreed. The house disagreed to the senate amendment increasing the number of quartermasters' grants from 150 as pro- vded in the house bill to 250. Both MT. Hay, democrat. of Virginia, and MT. Will Hams, democrat, of Mississippi. opposed any increase in the army. The latter de- clared that the government was starving home development every day by devoting money to some 10000 more soldiers than was needed. He did not believe In putting E any more men on war footing. Amendments increasing the number of clerks of the s1100 and 5000 class of the divisions and departments. and In the office of the chief of staff, were dis- agreed to.
 Mir Hull moved that the house insist on its disagreement to the amendment of the senate providing for consolidation of the adjutant generals office and the record and pension office, and raising Brigader General r. C. Answorth. chief of the latter bureau. to the rank of major general, and putting him in charge as military secretary.