Mr. SCHENCK. We went on until we reached that point where we thoughtthere was an agreement, and where we stil think there was an agreement. But one of the conferees on the part of the Senate, havin been absent, returned and succeeded possiby in winning over one of the 2 who agreed with us. Thus the whole matter again fell. What we offered them was this: that instead of having 61 regiments, as the Senate proposed we would consent to cut the whole Army down to only 5 7 refliments and that we would take what we understood to have been once agreed to five regiments of artillery; ten of cavalry, 2 to be colored; 32 regi ments of infantr, instead of 37, or, as the Senate ha it, 42 5 a Veteran reserve oorps of only 5 regiments, and 5 regiments of colored infantry. In addition to this there were disputes about a great number of details but we went over the bill again and again and found that we were able to agree nppln these various matters of detail substan tia y. Now, sir, I come to what we have to propose. Congress cannot, without great detriment to the public service, adjourn without making some provision in regard to the Army. gentlemen are aware that the Army now consists of numbers that may be expanded to some 43,000, including 9 regiments of 3 battalions each, but all these regiments are, in accordance with the requirements of the present law, about to be disbanded. Along with this is a regiment of artillery, which in like manner was raised for the war, and must also be disbanded if nothing he done by this Congress. The result of that will be, it will bring down the Army to the old limits of from 17 to 20,000 men. Those in charge of the military affairs of the country, including the SecyWar and the General coinmanding in chief, are of the opinion it would be perfect madness to under take to manage the military affairs of the country if we are now to be remitted to the old Army, losing even the 9 large new regiments of infantry and the regiment of artillery in the regular Army raised for the war. am for one decidedly of the same 0 inion. What we have to propose new to this house, rather than let the whole subject fall through, I have already stated. 2 of the cont'crees did not have an opportunity to confer with the other conferee, the Gentfrom Pennsylvania, Mr. Amman] We propose to bring forwar a bill which will accept all of the details as agreed between the Senate and House conferees to put the Army, with its regiments, as I have exlnined, at the loWestPoint to which the conerecs, under any circumstances, were authorized to o. This will bring them down to 57 instead of 67, as the House had it, or 62, as the Senate had it. It will give up 1/2 what was pre‘ vided in regard to the Veteran Reserve corps, and so on.