The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-28
RECORD OF CORBIN
HOUSE DISCUSSES HIS RIGHT T3
 HIGH RANK.
Statement Made That He Has Never Been In Command ef More Thau
 Regiment Except In Times of Peace.

today the Army Appropriation bin be- ing under consideration for amendment. That General Corbin and General McAT- thur might become Lieutenant Gener- als, the provision in the bill abolish- ing that rank was eliminated m a point of order raised by Mir. Grosven- or. of Ohio. who substituted an amend | ment to abolish the grade after these officers had been promoted. but this | too met defeat.
 Members of the appropriation com. | mittee disputed the right of the militia | ry committee to appropriate for an ap- | paratus for fire control of field artil- lery. but without success. Only etgh' | of the fifty pages of the bill were pass cd upon when the House adjourned.
 The House passed the Dalzell bin. | chartering the Lake Erie and Ohir River Ship Canal Company with an authorized capital of $s0.0Go.00n
 On motion of Mir. Hull IawR) the Army Appropriation bill was taken up for consideration under the five min ute rule. The reading of the bill was interrupted by MT. crunipacker. who raised an inquiry which developed lively turn of debate. MT. Crumpacker had read in the papers the charge that $20, 000, ,000 had been wasted by army officers who bought useless apparatus scientific and otherwise, including fi-- ing machines, telescopes. etc.
  that the committee on military af- fairs has never authorized flying ma- chimes, That has been done bv the great and good committee on appro- priations. not by the small committee on military affairs"
 l The Fort ation bll comng from the | appropriations committee, explained Mir. 1 Fitzgerald (N. ". had annually cer- i ried an amount for experimental pur- ! poses
 My recollection is." continued MT. 1 Hull, that flying machines were spe- l officially authorized. I regard flying machines as absolutely absurd" 1 At this point Mir Grosvenor broke fin to ask where the flying machine para I graph of the bill was located and Mr. Hull did not complete his estimate of flying machines.
 MT. Slayden (Tex.) asserted that there was no paragraph in the bill to | which flying machines could be applied. 4 sharp dispute arose over committee jurisdiction between, the Appropria- tions and Military Committees. Mir. Littauer :(N Y0 made point of order against the provision for fire control for field guns, on the ground that the Apnropriations Committee had Jurisdic- tion over coast and field artillery In the Fortification bill. i4v
 Mr. Tawney suggested that the For tifications bill had not carried the amount asked for by the War Depart ment and hence the Military Commit tee had been appealed to.
 Mir. Smith .(Iowa)s repeated this idea, l'when Mir Hull hotlS declared 1t was not true. He held the field artillery to be a part of the line of the army and clearly within'.the Jurisdiction of the Military Committee.
 It was urged by MT. Sullivan (Mass.) that the question ought at this time I TaH fAr al a Fortihcations bill had carried the money to provide field guns and the fire control apparatus was. part Of their necessary mechanism.
 Emphasizing the importance- of the question, Mir. Tawney, chairman or the appropriations committee, said: The Iline between the two committees Should be so marked that when persons come before one committee and are refused, they. cannot return to another commit tee and claim that that committee mas jurisdiction of the subject matter. Where the line should be drawn Is be- tween the thing itself and It's opera tion."
 An exhaustive review of the subject was made by Mir. Beutell, (Ill.) in the chair who, concluded by everything the point of order with reference to the fire control apparatus.
 Gosyenor (Ohio) made a point
  ling the grade of lieutenant general. MT. Clark (Mo.) declared that 1t was Ithe desire of General Miles to become lieutenant general and or General Cor bin to become major general ana the coalescing of their friends revived the
 rank of lieutenant general m asoV pS a senate amendment. At that time he had made an effort to confine 1t alone to General Miles and now was glad to see 1t abolished.
 After MT. Grosvenor had announced Ithat he should offer an amendment to abolish the rank at future time so as lnot to exclude from promotion General c.orbin and General Macarthur, MT. Gardner (Mich) asked
 "Who was this man Corbin. The highest rank he ever attained lp war was that of lieutenant colonel and com manded a regiment. He never com manded an army in battle; practically speaking, he knows nothing about war lexcept as the commander of regiment. This is nothing against him. It Is not . saving that he would not have been under other circumstances great com mander, but he was not and that setties 1t. General Corbin iIas been substan- tially a bureau officer Tor years ana ho' general commanding an army. MT. Gardner said if he had his way General Miles never should have worn the shoes of Washington, sherman ana . Sheridan.
 MT. Keller (ohio) replied that while 1t was true General Corbin did not nave birh rank in the civil war he had as high a record of honor as any soldier or officer. In tho Spanish war he was responsible in a large sense. he sald' for the splendid organization of the M volunteer army.
 l MT. Grosvenor's point Of order was 1 sustained He offered an amendment abolishing the rank after 1t shall oe- come vacant after January 1. 1907
 MT. Butler (Penna.) made point or order against the amendment which de- feated it. After completing eight pages of the bill, the house adjourned at O'CLOCK mill fnmnrroW.