The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-26
ARMY BILL IS PASSED
ABOUT $T6, ,oo0, 900 CARRIED BY
 THE MEASURE.
Several Amendments Adopted by tha
 Houss-Reselution of Inqu ry as to Carriages Used at Ex- |. pense of Government.

Washington, Jan. 25-The House to- day passed the army appropriation bill
 carrying approximately sgB,OO0,oO0. after adopting ntssnber of aRaendpients. The i provision for the consoI Iidatioff of etiie adl 1 tutant generals department and the re- cord and pension office of the War De- partment into one bureau, to be known
 as the military secretary's office, was
 stricken from the bill on a point of order
 raised by MT. Grosvernor of Ohio. The item for $4OO,O0O for the construction of an army general hospital at Wash ington, also went out on a point of or der.
 A resolution calling on the Secretary of State for information as to the number of carriages maintained by the govern ment for the State Department was adopt ed.
 When the House convened today, Mir Adams Pa.), from the Committee on Ex- penditures in the State Department, re- ported a privileged resolution requesting the Secretary of State for information as to the number of horses. carriages and automobiles maintained at the expense of the Government for officials of the State Department.
 MT. Hitchcock (Neb.) sought to amend the resolution so as to make it read during the calendar year." saying that the omission of these words would leave a loop hole but Mir. Adams demanded the previous question. and on this MT. Hitch cock called for the ayes and nays, which were ordered.
 The previous question was ordered by vote of 125 to 100. when the resolution was adopted.
 The House then resumed consideration of the army appropriation bill In commit tee of the whole.
 An amendment by MT. Parker (N. J) was adopted giving a contract surgeon in charge of a hospital the same author ity as a commissioned medical officer. Mir. SIayden CTexas), made an unsuccess- full effort to eliminate from the bill an appropriation of JAS for the mainten- ance of the two battallions constituting the Porto Rico provisional regiment of infantry. He had Secretary Roots state- ment before the committee read in which he advocated the appropriation as po- litical, but not a military necessity.
 Mir. Hull said the word political was not used in a partisan sense. To this MT Slayden assented, but maintained that patriotism could be best developed in the Porto Ricans through civic advantages rather than military service.
 Mr. Hay (Va.) said that the Porto Ri- cans enlisted in this regiment had done so for a term of years and to cut off the appropriation would be a violation of the contract with them on the part of this government.
 MT. Patterson (Tenn) in making inqui- ries of MT. Hull concerning the para graph providing for barracks in the Phil ippines, asked: Does the gentleman think there always will be a necessity for troops in the Philippine Islands and for these expenses to go on?"
 'I should think" Mir. Hull replied. that the time never would come when the United States would not have troops in the Philippines. any more than the time has never come when we have not had troops in the States of New York and Illinois,
 The paragraphs appropriating $4O0,0O0 for an army general hospital in the Dis trict of Columbia and creating fund fro mthe sales of ordnance and ordnance stores and making 1t available for re- placing such stores, went over on points of order as new legislation and like fate met the provision for the consolida- ton of the adJutant generals department and the record and pension office into bureau known as the military secretary's office. MT. Hull said that he would offer this last proposition as a separate meas- ure The army appropriation bill then as amended in committee of the whole, was passed