Mr. SCHENCK. I propose in a very few words to explain to the House the object of this bill: and then, unless there are members who desire to make inquiries of me, I will call the pre.vious question. prevails in what is called the regular Army an idea that volunteers are not a part of the Army of the U.S.; the main object of this bill is to correct that idea. In all respects volunteers have been called through out the late war by those who rePresented the regular Army the “militia.” Now volunteers are not militia; the militia are State organizations; and when they are called into the service of the U.S. they go bodily into that service with all their State organizations complete. The State militia, by regiments, by brigades, and by divisions, are simply called into the service of the U.S., and they cooperate with the Army of the U.S. Volunteer soldiers, however, although obtained for limited periods of time, are yet, obtained under the laws of the U.S. All drafts, all enlistments, all that relates to volunteers, all that is done with them when they are once raised and are constituted a part of the military forces of the Government, is in relation to them as soldiers of the U.S. There is but one exception, indeed, from which anyone might infer anything else. During the recent war the commissions of all regi mental and company officers of volunteers were ranted by the Governors of the several States from which they came; yet those Governors of States in doing this only acted as the agents of the Government of the U.S. The 2nd section of this bill provides that in all things relating to their privileges, rights, &c., the rules and regulations of the service shall apply without distinction for such time as they may be or have been in the service, alike to those who belong permanently to that service and to those who, as volunteers, may be or have been mustered into the military service under the laws of the U.S. for a lim ited period. But nothing in this act is to be construed as relating in any manner to the militia of the several States when called into the service of the U.S. Then there is a specific provision contained in the other section of the bill: that for the purpose of computing the time for which is allowed the long evity ration, or the additional ration for every. years of service, when officers are appointed in what is called the regular Army, the permanent Army of the country, there shall be computed whatever time they may have served under a volunteer commission. That is, when the longevity ration is granted to an officer now in the Army of the U.S., his length of service in the Army shall not be computed simply from the time he was appointed in the regular Army, but he shall have allowances made to him also for that period of time which he passed in the volunteer service. Again, it is provided that in fixing the relative rank of officers of the same grade and of the same date of appointment or commission there shall be taken into account the time they served in the volunteer service. This provision is made necessary from this fact: that in reorganizing the Army and in extending it a great number of original vacancies have been illed. In filling those vacancies it has been provided that a certain proportion of the appointments shall be taken from those who have served in the volunteers and a certain other proportion taken from the regular Army. Now it turns out in practice that this course is pursued; a number of officers are appointed or commissioned as of the same date, and it be comes necessary to determine which of them shall have relative rank above the other. The Present regulation requires that in order to fix their relative rank an account shall be taken of any previous service in the Army before they were thus appointed. If a man has been in the regular Army for a year, or for 6 months, or for 3 months, or for even one month, he is credited with that year or 6 months or 3 months or one month of service, because they say he has been for that time in the Army and must be put in relative rank above others of the same grade who have not served so long in the regular Army.