CONGRESS. (WAR MEASURES.) 



m 



the consent of the Governor of any State, muster 

 into the said force the whole or any part of the 

 organizations of the naval militia of any State to 

 serve in said auxiliary naval force, and shall report 

 to the Secretary of the Navy, for his action, the 

 names and grades for which commissions in said 

 United States auxiliary naval force shall be issued 

 to the officers of such naval militia, and shall have 

 I he power to appoint and disrate the petty officers 

 thereof. 



'SEC. 7. That the officers, warrant officers, petty 

 officers, and enlisted men and boys of the United 

 States auxiliary naval force thus created shall be 

 paid from the appropriation 'Pay of the Navy'; 

 and the sum of $3,000,000, or so 'much thereof as 

 may be required, is hereby appropriated, from any 

 money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 

 for the purchase or hire of vessels necessary for the 

 purposes of this resolution." 



The following bill to increase the efficiency of 

 the quartermaster's department was passed by the 

 Congress and approved by the President, July 7, 

 1898 : 



" Be it enacted, etc., That during the existing war, 

 and for a period not exceeding one year thereafter, 

 the Secretary of War may make such distribution 

 of the duties and labors of the quartermaster's 

 department as may be deemed for the best interests 

 of the service, and may assign a suitable officer in 

 charge of each of such divisions, and may assign to 

 duty as special inspectors of the quartermaster's 

 department not exceeding four officers, to be selected 

 from the regular and volunteer officers of the de- 

 partment ; and such officers, and the quartermaster 

 on the staff of the commanding general of the 

 army, while so acting, shall have the rank next 

 above that held by them and not above colonel. 



" SEC. 2. That the President may nominate and, 

 by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, 

 may appoint 2 quartermasters of volunteers with 

 the rank of colonel, 2 quartermasters of volunteers 

 with the rank of lieutenant colonel, 3 quartermas- 

 ters of volunteers with the rank of major, and 20 

 assistant quartermasters of volunteers with the 

 rank of captain ; and the Secretary of War may 

 assign an officer of the quartermaster's department 

 in charge of each principal depot of the quarter- 

 master's department not exceeding 12, to be selected 

 from the regular and volunteer officers of the quar- 

 termaster's department ; and such officers while so 

 acting shall have the rank next above that held by 

 them and not above colonel, and the 4 principal 

 assistants of the quartermaster general while so 

 acting shall have the rank of colonel. The Secre- 

 tary of War may assign such of the said volunteer 

 quartermasters as may be deemed necessary to duty 

 in the office of the quartermaster general, at the 

 various supply depots or on other important and 

 special work, and may continue such assignments 

 for a period not exceeding one year after the close 

 of the war, then to be discharged." 



The following bill to increase the efficiency of the 

 subsistence department of the army was passed by 

 the Congress and approved by the President, July 

 7,1898: 



" Be it enacted, etc., That during the existence of 

 the present war, and for not exceeding one year 

 thereafter, every commissary of subsistence, of 

 whatever rank, who shall be assigned to the duty 

 of purchasing and shipping subsistence supplies at 

 important depots, shall have the rank next above 

 that held by him and not above colonel, but the 

 number so assigned shall only be such as may be 

 found necessary, not exceeding 12; also that the 2 

 commissaries of subsistence, who may be detailed 

 as assistants to the commissary general of subsist- 

 ence, shall have the rank of colonel: Provided, 



That when any such officer is relieved from said 

 duty his temporary rank, pay, and emoluments 

 shall cease, and he shall return to his lineal rank 

 in the department. 



"SEC. 2. That there is hereby authorized to be 

 added to the subsistence department in the volun- 

 teer service during the present war, and not to 

 exceed one year thereafter, 8 majors and 12 cap- 

 tains for the discharge of such subsistence duties as 

 may be assigned to them by the Secretary of War, 

 to be nominated and by and with the advice and 

 consent of the Senate to be appointed by the Presi- 

 dent." 



The Congress passed and the President approved, 

 July 5, the following bill relative to the Corps of 

 Engineers of the army : 



"Be it enacted, etc., That the Corps of Engineers 

 of the army shall hereafter consist of one chief of 

 engineers with the rank of brigadier general, 7 

 colonels, 14 lieutenant colonels, 28 majors, 35 cap- 

 tains, 30 first lieutenants, 12 second lieutenants, 

 and the Battalion of Engineers: Provided, That 

 the vacancies created by this act in all grades 

 above second lieutenant shall be filled by the pro- 

 motion by seniority of the officers now in the Corps 

 of Engineers : And provided further, That the num- 

 ber of officers in any grade above second lieutenant 

 shall not be increased beyond the number hereto- 

 fore established by law by the promotion of any 

 officer to fill an original vacancy created by this 

 act until such officer shall have served at least 

 three years in the grade from which he is promoted 

 and the captains and lieutenants shall have satis- 

 factorily passed the examinations required by exist- 

 ing laws.'' 



The Congress passed and the President approved, 

 July 8, 1898, the following bill for a temporary in- 

 crease in the inspector general's department : 



".Be it enacted, etc., That the President is au- 

 thorized, by and with the advice and consent of the 

 Senate, to appoint one inspector general witli the 

 rank of colonel, one inspector general with the rank 

 of lieutenant colonel, and one inspector general wit h 

 the rank of major: Provided, That the vacancies 

 created in the grade of colonel and lieutenant 

 colonel by this act shall be filled by the promotion 

 of officers now in the inspector general's depart- 

 ment according to seniority, and that upon the 

 mustering out of the volunteer forces and the re- 

 duction of the Regular Army to a peace basis no 

 appointments shall be made in the inspector gen- 

 eral's department until the number of officers in 

 each grade in that department shall be reduced to 

 the number now authorized by law." 



The Congress passed and the President approved, 

 June 18, 1898, a bill " to amend an act entitled 'An 

 Act to promote the administration of justice in the 

 army,' approved Oct. 1, 1890, and for other pur- 

 poses." It is as follows: 



" Be it enacted, etc.. That the act entitled ' An 

 Act to promote the administration of justice in the 

 army,' approved Oct. 1, 1890, as supplemented and 

 amended by subsequent legislation, be, and 'the 

 same is hereby, amended so as to read as follows : 



" ' That the commanding officer of each garrison, 

 fort, or other place, regiment or corps, detached 

 battalion, or company, or other detachment in the 

 army, shall have power to appoint for such place 

 or command, or in his discretion for each battalion 

 thereof, a summary court to consist of one officer to 

 be designated by him, before whom enlisted men 

 who are to be tried for offenses, such as were prior 

 to the passage of the act " to promote the adminis- 

 tration of justice in the army," approved Oct. 1, 

 1890, cognizable by garrison or regimental courts- 

 martial, and offenses cognizable by field officers 

 detailed to try offenders under the provisions of the 



