Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-07
SENATE RETAINS
VOLUNTEER PLAN
Upholds Provision by Vote of
36 to 81, but 1t May Be
Abandoned

Washington, ID. D., April THE !
Senate retained the Federal volunteer
provision in the Army bill late yester-
day by vote of SO to "a, rejecting
Senator Lees amendment to strike the
section from the bill. The vote ended
four-day debate on the section.
Advocates of the National Guard as
the first line of defense behind the reg
ular army supported the amendment
vigorously, and the struggle was one of
the hardest fought in the Senate at
this session of Congress. 1t began
after the defeat of the Military Affairs
committee last week, when a proposal
to create a National Guard section of
/ the army general staff was written
into the bill.
The narrow margin by which the
the Federal volunteer provision was
| retained makes it doubtful that it will
! be in the measure finally framed by
| the conference committee between the
two branches of Congress. An effort
| during debate on the House Army bill
to insert this section. which is designed
to provide such n force as the contn-
entail army proposed by former Secre-
tary Garrison, was decisively defeated.
Compromise May BE Made
! A compromise may be reached by
the House and Senate on their respec-
tive bills for increasing the military
| forces of the country, and a bill re-
ported from conference which will con-
tain the Senate'S proposal for a stand
| ing army of 100000 men and the
| Houses provision for making the mill
tia the second line of defense instead
of the volunteer army as supported by
the Senate to-day.
1t was stated yesterday upon excel
lent authority that Chairman James
Hay of the House Military Affairs
committee has declared his willing
ness to accept the Senate provision for
regular army of 100000 men, but
that he will not yield on the militia
provision of the House bill. This gives
a good basis for compromise and it is
believe there will be little trouble
in arriving at an agreement when the
bills reach conference. The House bill
fixed the strength of the standing
army at 100000 men.
In view of the objections that have
been raised against the volunteer army
provision as adopted by the Senate by
officials of the militia, it is probable
that the Senate will later be ready to
abandon that part of the bill if the
House will yield as to the increased
strength of the regular establishment.
1t was the continental army feature
of the original House bill that was the
target of such general criticism by the
National GuardSmen, and when this
feature was discarded and in its place
the militia was substituted, Secretary
OF War Garrison resigned his post be-
cause President Wilson would not in
sist upon the continental army. The
volunteer army is declared by its op-
ponents Just as Objectionable as the
plan proposed by Secretary Garrison,
so far as the militia officials are con-
cerned.
Given Republican Support
Without Republican support the
volunteer section would have been
voted out by the Democratic Senators
to-day, despite the fact that it was
unanimously recommended by the
Military Affairs committee. Twenty
four Democrats and ten Republicans,
including nearly all the Progressive
Republicans, voted to strike it out.
Nineteen Democrats and seventeen Re-
publicans voted to retain it.