Evening star., 1914-04-26

introduced in the Sixtieth. Sixty-frst
| and Sixty-second Congresses. and bills
were introduced in the Sixty-third Con-
Sress. in the Senate April Q. 1918, and IN
the House July %. 1915. The House
passed the bill at its last session. ana
that bill. with various amendments. was
passed by the Senate this week, the
House non-concurred in the Senate
amendments, the bill went to conference
and received the sanction of the national
legislature yesterday. The report on this
bill from the Senate committee on military
affairs. which was presented by Mr.
Chamberlain February 20. showed that
the only law in existence authorizing the
raising Of volunteer forces, that OF
April - 1S9s which was hastily passed
three days before the declaration OF war
with Spain, proved defective in so many
ways that within three months from the
time of its enactment Congress adopted
twelve supplementary or amendatory
bills. and March .. 1899. enacted tempo
rary legislation for the organization of
volunteers. The act of April %. 1898.
which proved failure, continued in
force. The general terms of the measure
just passed by Congress have been stud
led and recommended by the War Col
lege division of the general staff.
One Of the Senate amendments retained
in the bill as passed is of especial in
terest to the National Guard. The House
bill provided:
That when volunteer forces are to be
raised the President shall issue his proc
lamation, stating the number OF men de-
sired for each arm. corps and depart
ment. within such limits as may be
fixed by law, and he shall prescribe such
rules and regulations. not inconsistent
with the terms Of this act, as may be
necessary for the purpose Of examining.
organizing and receiving into the service
the men called for: Provided. That the
power to organize volunteer forces shall
include the power to provide. within such
limits as are or may be prescribed by
law, the officers and enlisted men of
all grades and classes, and the trained
nurses. male and female. that may be
necessary in the various arms, corps and
departments.
The Senate added this:
scribed minimum enlisted strength OF any
company. troop or battery, or when three
fourths of the prescribed enlisted mimi
mum strength of each company, troop or
battery comprised in battalion, regi-
ment, brigade or division Of any state,
Eanized as prescribed by law and War
Department regulations. shall volunteer
for service in the volunteer army as such
company, troop. battery, battalion, regi-
ment, brigade or division, such organiza-
ton shall have the right to be received
into the volunteer forces in advance OF
the raising of other organizations OF the
same arm o. class and the officers in
service with each organization may then
be appointed by the President by and
with the advice and consent Of the SEN
ate as officers of corresponding grades
in the volunteer army and be assigned
the same grades in the said organiza-
tons"
The committee recommended this
in order that the government
might avail itself of any militia or
ganizations that would tender their serv-
ices as volunteers. The amendment seeks
to preserve the designation of organized
militia units and to safeguard their es-
prit.
An important provision Of the new act,
much relief from a usual scan
dal attendant upon the organization OF
is that not the governors but
the President shall appoint officers. and
that in making such appointments he
shall give preference to men with hon
orable discharges from the regular army
or militia and to graduates Of military
schools. This may minimize the commits
sioning of influential but incompetent men,
The enlistment period of four years and
the organization of brigades and divi-
sions without reference to state lines
promise to avoid many of the mistakes
made in other wars.