Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-04-25
New Volunteer Army,
Bill Passed Yesterday,
Has Many Features

| Washington. April 24.-The voIun-
teer army bill. as passed by both
houses of Congress yesterday, was a
compromise between the Senate and
House. 1t was approved by the
President.
Important Features
me important and distinguishing
features of the new bill are:
Any volunteer organization recruit
led up to three-fourths of it's strength
may be taken into the service by the
PRESIDENT regardless of the militia
regiments. The present law requires
tne president to exhaust the militia
or the States before accepting volun-
Iteers.
The President gets control of the
appointment of officers of the volun-
teers regiments, which has heretofore
peen vested in the Governors of the
respective States. The volunteer en-
listments will be the same as in the
regular army
The bill provides for the raising of
voluntary forces of the United States
IN time of actual or threatened war"
The measure is designed to obviate all
the trouble that was encountered at
the beginning of the war with Spain
when strife among volunteer organiza-
tions for assignment and the political
with the work of getting the volun-
teer army In workapIe shape.
Under the bill the President may
call out the volunteer army by proc
lamation and disband 1t as soon as
peace is formally declared. The bill
provides for an apDortionment among
the States of the enlistments in pro-
portion to population.
1t provides also that when three
lfnllrfhC nf tt,a ...I 4
enlisted strength of any company,
troop or battery, or when three
fourtbs of the prescribed minimum
enlisted strength of each company,
troop or battery comprised in any
battalion snail volunteer and he ac-
cepted for service in the volunteer
army, such organization may be ac-
cepted for service as the volunteer
FORCES in advance of the raising of
other organizations of the same arm
or class from the same State.
The bill practically makes the vol
unteer army subject to the regulations
that govern the regulars. The iden-
tity of the State volunteers will be
lost as soon as they enter the service.
The officers are to be appointed by
the President, not for particular or
carnations but for the arm of the
service subject to assignment for
clFiCe NY Inc war department. The
bill provides that no appointment shall
be made under the act above the grade
of Colonel. The number of staff Of
ncers to be appointed under the bill
shall not exceed one for each 200 en-
listed men.
Volunteer chaplains may be ap-
pointed in the ratio OF one for each
regiment. The President may accept
the recommendations of Governors in
appointing officers or may take them
from the regular list or from the
militia in the States. Appointments
are to be made on the basis of popu-
latlon, and as far as practicable from
the localities whence the troops come.
preference Is given in these ap-
pointments to men who have had
honorable service in the regular army,
militia or volunteer service. Prefer
ence is also given to graduates of
military schools. But the bill limits
the number of regular army officers
who may serve in any one regiment
at the same time to four, in a battal-
ion to one.
The bill requires that temporary va
cancies shall be filed by promotions
from the lower grades in order of
seniority. The records of service are
to be turned over to the Adjutant-
General in Washington and by him
held. The bill provides for the es
Enlistment of recruiting stations and
the appointment of special volunteer
recruiting officers.