The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-12-20
CONGRESS IN BRIEF.
The House..
Tuesday, December 10. !

TIC uOubCs
The first move toward the abandon
ment Of a large number of army posts
was taken by the House to-day, when
it adopted the Buckley resolution, asking
the Secretary of War to furnish Con-
gress with detailed information regarding
the distribution of the army and the
practicability of abandoning some of the
posts
Previous to this action, Maj. Gen.
Leonard Wood, Chief of STAFF, appeared
before the House Military Affairs Com
mittee and informed 1t that the depart
ment is now working out a plan for the
concentration of the army.
I'VE want the aid of Congress in this, "
said Gen. Wood, for the War Depart
ment is constantly embarrassed by pres
sure brought from all sides to maintain
this post and that post
There are 176 army posts, and the plan
of the department and the House is
thought to Ito eliminate all the smaller
posts, concentrating the troops at larger
ones. Chairman Helm. of the committee
investigating the War Department, told
the House that millions of dollars could
be saved by concentration.
Beyond the passage of the Buckley reso-
luton the House transacted only routine
business to-day.
A bill. was passed authorizing the pay
ment of December salaries to secretaries
of the various members on December 20,
instead of January l.
The President transmitted to the Sen
ate and House a report, the contents of
which have already been made public,
report from the Department of Agricul-
ture on the fertilizer resources of the
United States. The President also trans
mitted an invitation from the Belgian
government asking this government to
participate in the international EXPOSE
ton to be held at Client in 1873
The Stanley Steel investigating COM
mittee, after hearing Joseph G. Brown,
Of Chicago, took n recess until after the
Christmas holidays. Mr.. Brown testified
concerning the old Brown and others
suit against the Duluth, Mesaba and
Northern Railroad, brought before the
Minnesota Railroad Commission in 1898.
The senate.
By unanimous vote, ~ ayes, the
Senate at o'clock passed the joint reso-
luton reported from the Committee on
Foreign Relations yesterday as a substi-
tute for the Sulzer resolution terminal
ing the treaty with Russia.
The resolution passed by the Senate
ratified the action of President Taft in
giving notice to Russia that the treaty
would be terminated. 1t is understood
that the House will concur in the reso-
luton and that the incident Will be
closed. Under the terms of the resolu-
ton and the notice, the treaty will be
terminated one year from January l, 1872.
The Senate met at IL o'clock, and. after
diSposing OF some routine business, in
Guiding the passage of the urgest de-
ficiency appropriation bill, proceeded TO
the consideration Of the resolution.
Speeches continued until nearly o'clock.
and when 1t began to look as IL a vote
would not be reached If the talk contin-
ued, Senator Lodge warned the Senate
that unless the resolution passed the
Senate before adjournment, 1t might not
be possible to get it through the House
until after the holidays, and in such
status the life OF the treaty would be
prolonged one year more, or until jan
uary, 1914.
With this condition confronting the
Senate there was a prompt acquiescence
in Mr.. Lodges request that the Senate
agree to vote on the resolution at Z
o'clock. The first test vote came on a
proposed substitute by Senator Hitch
cock, which simply modified the Sulzer
resolution by striking out all references
to race and also modifying the language
so that the resolution would not charge
that Russia had violated the treaty, but
simply recognize that the two signatories
were at variance as to the construction
of the treaty. This substitute COM
manded but sixteen votes, all Democrats,
except Clapp, of Minnesota. and Poindex-
ter, of Washington, insurgent Republic
cans.
day.