Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-04-14

mittee by Chairman Clapp. The COM
mittee added items aggregating $2,-
471,473 of which $S17,074 Is reimburs-
able ana eliminated items carrying
| 5000. Among the amendments
| adopted were the following: That no
| army officer should be engaged in the
performances of the duties Of Indian
agent.
Secretary Root has Informed the
Russian government that any date af-
| ter September 20 next will be conven-
| lent to the United States for the hold
| ing Of the second Hague conference.
An effort is being made to secure the
admission of the South American
delegates TO the conference on an
equality with others by allowing their
governments to adhere formally to the
arbitration agreement prepared by the
| first Hague conference.
| The first step towards providing the
| federal government with complete
code of criminal law Independent and
separate from that Of the individual
states has just been recommended in
| a bill faVOrably reported from the
House committee on revision Of laws.
The bill contains 400 sections. Be
sides bringing together all statutes
relating to the same subject ObSOlute
| enactments are omitted and such new
| legislation Is proposed as is considered
advisable.
Miguel Guerra Of San Juan, Porto
Rico was heard Friday by the House
committee on insuIar affairs in oppo-
sitiOn to the proposition to place the
harbor improvements Of the islands in
| the hands Of the government Of Porto
| Rico instead of in the jurisdiction Of
| the secretary Of war. Both PROPOSE
tons are pending in bills before the
committee. AS long as Gov Winthrop
| was in charge, he said, there would
De no need 10 doubt Il correct admin
istratiOn would not always continue
| iStratiOn Of the power but the present
| administration would nOt always con-
| tinuc and the proposed authority was
too extensive to b. vested III the gov
ernOr.
Lieut. Gen. Bates will retire today
at noon ana Maj. Gen. Henry &. Cor
bin, al present in command of the
northern division, will succeed to, the
| rank Of lieutenant general. He will
summer, however, and will in return
be succeeded by Maj Gen. Macarthur,
who will probably BE- the last Of the
iieutenamt generals. at least until there
| is another war. Lieut. Gen. Bates
duties Of chief Of staff will be assumed
by Brig. Gen. Franklin Bell. The
promotion Of Gen. Corbin will not
leave amy vacancy in the grade of
major general, as lie stands alone in
Il class as adjutant general Of the
army a title which dies with his pro-
motion.
The war department has about COM
plcted the new issue of rifles TO the
troops in the United States This
marks the passing of the carbine 50
long Il weapon Of the cavalry branch
Of the service. Both infantry and
cavalry are now being supplied with
The same model Of rife a modification
Of the model of 1903. This is about
SIX inches shorter than the Krag and
about two inches longer than the car
bine now being discarded by the caVal-
ry. For the pr, sent the rifles are be-
ing used with the rod bayonet. but
later they will be- called i'll when the
new bayonet recently decided upon
Will be substituted. The issue to the
troops in the Philippines will follow
and when that has been done all the
soldiers OF the United States army
will be armed alike