The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-12-29
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[Uy Press Leased Wire Service
- DON, Dec 2o.-The greatest
~ ,1mentary battle In many decades
foreshadowed today by the
~ <horitative announcement that the
government intends to introduce next
week a bill providing for conscrip-
tian.
The lines were being drawn today.
An Informal conference Of labor men,
bers Of commons now In London was
called. Other laborites are enroute
here from provincial districts. Trades
union heads, who early in the war
denounced conscriptlon, were ex-
changing messages. Before parlia-
ment meets to hear from Premier As
quith, the labor party may make
known It's decision on compulsory
service.
Some hope was expressed by con-
| scrIption leaders that the iaborites
will not soIidly. oppose the modified
form Of conscription understood 20 be
planned by the government, though
principle Of compulsory services.
The solid opposition Of the irish
party, If Ireland is included in the
conscription 10 expected. In many
quarters it was reported today that
the government will exclude ireland,
to escape the antagonism OF John
Redmond and other Irish leaders. At
the same time such a course Is bound
to draw vitroIie attacks from other
members.
| The cabinet will meet again tomor-
row. II is understood the form Of the
conscription bill to be introduced next
week will be considered. Il is sener-
ally believed that It vii! order Into
service at first only unmarried men
who have no dependents, With pro.
vision that all unmarried man and
later married men may be drafted II
found necessary. The best estimates
today were less than 100000 unrnar-
ried men eligible for service and with
out dependents would be added to the
service, the great majority having
volunteered under the Derby plan.
hope sssak nssfaen viii Come for
ward voluntarily before the govern
ment acts.
| The NorthcIiffe newspapers, which
opened the campaign for conscription
many months ago, today reported that
! Chancellor of the Exechequer Mcken'
ma and President Walter Runciman,
of the board Of trade, probably will
resign. The Times credited the VIC
tory for the conscriptionIsts to the
strong stand taken by Minister OF
Munitions LIoyd-George.
The press generally expressed sat
isfaction that what promised to de-
veIop into startling uphcavai in the
cabinet, has been settled apparently
without the retirement Of either Pre-
mier Asquith or Lloyd-George.
Even the anti-conscription newspa-
pers today conceded that compuI-
sorry service bill introduced by the
government will pass the house OF
commons and that modified form OF
conscription will be accepted by the
country without serious disturbances.
The fear that compulsory military
service, though adopted only for the
period Of war, may eventually sup
plant the voluntary system in Great
Britain entirely, will be the weapon o:
the anti-conscriptionists In the com.
ina parliamentary struggle.
Certain classes of workers are Ger
! tain to be exempted from the prov'.
slons Of any conscription bill offered
bv the government. These will In.
cjude thousands Of machinist< EN-.
played In nunition works, probably
most Of the railway trainnnen and q
! LARGE percentage Of coal miners. Con-
| scriptiorists believe these organiza'
| tions whlse men are exempted, may
| not oppose the government.
| THREE SHIPS SUNK.
! LONDON, Dec. 2e-Three vessels
| of neutral countries have been sunk
bv mines or have gone down In the
heavy gale Iashine the waters about
Great Britain in the last twenty-four
hours.
The Dutch trawIer Erin was blown
I'D by a mine, according to Amsterdam
reports. Three Of her crew were
| killed, three were wounded and the
| other eight were rescued. The mine
! became entan9led in the traW'ers
! nets.
/ The Norwegian steamer HorneIen
was sunk north of Bergen with loss
| Of one life. Bergen dispatches did
not state the cause. 1t Is believed
/ in the storm.
| DISPATCHES from Penzance, Wales
TODAY reported that wreckane from
the Norwegian steamer Heidrum and
/ body, about which was strapped one
Of the Heidrun's life belts, washed
ashore at MuIiion. The heidrun is
believed to have gone down in
/ storm.
| The Erin displaced 1e5 tons and
| was owned at Ymuiden. The Horne
len was a st766 ton steamer. owned
and registered at Bergen. The Held
! run was a 972 ton steamer owned
! and registered at Christiania.
THE OPENING GUM
| LONDON, Dec. 29.-The opening
aun in the struggle to defeat the
Governments proposed eonscriptior
bill was fired by the Evening Star
today.
The comment Of the afternoon
press generally followed political
! lines. The Star, however, presented .
kContinued on page, So