FIFTIETH CONGRESS, 1887-1889. 1235 
hands of the District militia, and as a place for their instruction and 
drill. 
Q. You have a building now used for that?—A. Only for one bat- 
talion. There is no place large enough for all the men. We ask for 
$10,000. Fix whatever amount you choose, and let the Secretary of 
War hire a place. The Secretary could use any appropriation you 
deem proper by renting rooms in various places temporarily. 
Q. How many militia have you in the District?—A. Two white 
‘regiments, two colored battalions, one battery of artillery, and one 
ambulance company. It is not a large force, but if you removed the 
regular troops from here you would find, in case of emergency or 
danger, it would not be a larger force than was necessary to protect 
the public property. It leaves you free to remove the regular troops, 
in case of exigency, elsewhere. You can remove your artillery, 
marines, and cavalry, and we take care of the public property. I do 
not think it needs any argument on my part. The amendment calls 
for $10,000. Iam free to say we could get along, by figuring closely, 
with $7,500. That would provide pretty good quarters, and we could 
get along as long as you choose to keep possession of the other 
building. 
July 27, 1888—Senate. 
The sundry civil bill for 1889 under consideration. 
The next amendment of the Committee on Appropriations was, on 
page 47, at the end of the clause appropriating $130,000 for ‘‘ propa- 
gation of food-fishes,” to add the following proviso: 
Provided, That the building known as the Armory building, Washington, D. C., is 
hereby transferred to the charge of the United States Commissioner of Fish and 
Fisheries for use as a hatching and distributing station and for offices. 
The amendment was agreed to. 
The next amendment was, on page 47, line 24, before the word 
‘“*thousand,” to strike out ‘‘two” and insert ‘‘three,” so as to make 
the clause read: 
Rent of office United States Fish Commission: For rent of rooms in the city of 
Washington, $3,000. 
Mr. Witi1aM B. Axison. It will be observed that by the preceding 
proviso we transfer the Armory building to the control of the Fish 
Commission. I have been told since this amendment was framed that 
in addition to the room there provided for hatching purposes there is 
also room enough for most of the offices of the Commission. So I 
move to insert in the pending clause $2,500 instead of $3,000, so that 
the conference committee may have full control of those two para- 
graphs, and it may be possible that we can dispense with the entire 
appropriation on lines 24 and 25 of page 47. 
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