Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-04-04
Cummins Plan to Amend
Measure Is Adopted by
Five-Vote Majority.
ATTACKS OFFICERS
National Guard and Reg
ular Officials Play a
Part Too Prominent.

WASHINGTON. April 3.-Over Wig
"loGs objection by Chairman Cham
| ptflaiu OF the military committee tho
senate today voted 80 to 80 for the
CumminS plan To- amend the army re-
"rSani1ation bill by creating a ma
| u'hui guard section OF the general
| S,"ll hcn recess was taken tonight
| the chairman and other members of
the committee We're fighting hard
against second amendment cham
! pvned 10y senator Cummins and SEN
| "lot Lee OF Maryland which would
tHminate the provision FOR 4 federal
volunteer army.
senator Chamberlain charged dur
inS the debate that pernicious activity
| ON the part of officers OF both the ma
uonal guard ana the regular army
threatened to undo the months of
serious work done 10y the committee
ami he threatened that unless the
army officers ceased attempting to in
iIdence legislation through personal
appeal To senators he would seek to
have them disciplined ny the war de-
I partment. lie said officers who az
peared before the committee were un-
willing To see their plans worked into
q homogeneous bill and as soon rs
they concluded their testimony began
10 attempt To influence friendly sena-
tors.
How They stack Up.
The committee might just as well
give up II each officer is going to be
able to induce his senator to with
hold his support until the measure
embodies everything the officer
wants Senator Chamberlain said. II
want to express great regret that the
national guard has seen fit to in iect |
itself into the halls of congress until |
now it looks as though Il were a fight |
between the regular forces and the
national guard as to which is to he !
considered in legislation which affects
the whole country.
II am not going 10 limit that criti- !
cism to the national guard. I have |
devoted nearly three months of my |
time to working Just as hard as |
know how and this bill has run the |
samut of the department. including
the general STAFF the war college and |
all the other military bodies of the
government. We have had the views
of the representative men of these !
organizations and after we have |
undertaken To formulate a bill which
seemed in the committee at least to
meet pretty generalV the approval of !
the authorities. we find that not only
the national guard and its officers
and | sometimes fear q lobby is being
lsA Aat +A4lltu A0E Ailtk lAT lifSf---lul OIL
ficerS cf the army around the halls of
the senate and house Of representa-
tNes are interfering with this lesis-
lation through different senators In
stead of leaving the matter to the rep
reSentativeS who have had it in hand
and who are responsible.
Nav Give ont Secrets.
Army officers have objected to the
Cummins amendment and maintained
the efficiency of the general staff
would he lost If its meetings were
open TO national guard officers, many
of whom II was charged received
their appointments as political re-
wards and would not appreciate the
necessity Of guarding military secrets
under discussion
Senators Martin. Lee of Maryland.
and Smith and HardwiCk of Georgia.
spoke in opposition to the federal
volunteer plan.
senator Smith urged his amend
ment for short eulistments in the reg
ular army with at least ninety-six
hours each month devoted to educa-
tionm instruction. Senator Hardwick
wanted To substitute his amendment
TO provide for military instruction in
schools and colleges which he said
would insure n reserve Of two million
young men with military training.
Weeks for Volunteer Plan
senator Williams urged that the
amendment offered by the two sena-
tors from Georgia need not conflict
with the volunteer army plan which
he advocated. He suggested that each
state university should be turned into
4 branch OF the West Point academy.
senator Weeks spoke in favor of
the federal volunteer system and
praised the hill as the best piece Of
legislation ever put before
the senate Senator Brandegee Of
Connecticut also made an urgcnt plea
for the volunteer army At the close
Of The day Senator Chamberlain again
warned the senate that he would ask
for night sessions unless more rapid
progress Is made IN the near future.