The Senate Decapitates the Guard

OLYMPIA, March 11.—Special.—When the senate passed the Coon military bill this evening, every officer of the national guard from the adjutant general and brigadier general down to the second lieutenants was wiped out of existence and must be reappointed by the commander-in-chief. It all happened because of section 44, which had for its purpose the decapitation of Adjutant General O'Brien. Senator Taylor's motion to strike out this section entirely was carried, and this resulted in wiping out all the officers. Taylor said: "The purpose of this section is in substance to dishonorably discharge the adjutant general and to disgrace him. You have given him no opportunity to be heard or to defend himself. I say this is un-American. It is unfair; it is not military. There were other persons connected with the encampment extravagance, and it would be found that they were doubly guilty, if time were taken to investigate. I don't propose to apologize for General O'Brien, but I do contend that all the others, from the commander-in-chief down to the lowest officer, were equally guilty. While O'Brien may be wrong, there are others whom this section seeks to whitewash to his detriment." To these remarks Washburn retaliated: "When you say that we are attempting to whitewash you are mistaken; and when you say the commander-in-chief is equally guilty, you are doubly mistaken." Somebody moved the previous question, but Taylor interrupted by saying: "The man who called the encampment must have known how much money was in the treasury. If he did not he should have ascertained." Taylor then moved to strike out the entire section, and his motion was carried by a rising vote of 14 to 13. It had the effect of wiping out every commissioned officer of the guard. Senator Deckebach said a majority of the officers of the guard had elected O'Brien, and they were just as culpable as he. The bill was passed by a vote of 24 to 6. Those voting in the negative were Senators Crow, Field, Hutchinson, Miller, Range and Roberts. Absent: Kellogg and Frank. As the bill passed it gives to the national guard fourteen companies of infantry and two troops of cavalry.