The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-22
ARMOR BILL IS
 PASSED, 58 TO 23 IN SENATE
Assured of Adoption in House Today Despite Man
 ufaeturers' Threats,
PRESIDENT TO RUSH
 ALL DEFENSE PLANS
New Revenue Legislation May Place Levy on Sugar,
 Is Found Needed,

Washington, March 22-One of the most imp ortant measures included in President Wilson's national prepared ness program was 'sspeeded ups' yes terday afternoon, when the Ttllman bill. providing for a sgovernmen ent plant to manufacture armor for the navy, passed the Senate, 58 to 28.
 Simultaneously, an amendment of fered in the House to the Hay bi1I by Representative Kahn, and iInme ediate1y adopted. permits the President to or der out the regular army reserves without going to Congress for author ity-gS The contena plated strength of the reserve is 0.0O0. By calling out the reserve and also filing up the regular organizations< the President could increase the army from it's peace strength of 40, 900 to 235, 900 if war Seemed imminent
 The President during the afternoon held a long conference with members Gsof the Senate and told them nothing should interfere with the prepared ness measures. The Senators agreed sand said they would push all other legislation out of the way.
 The Ways and Means Committee of the House and the Finance Com nittee of the Senate held conferences regarding the revenue bills The in. come tax is to be readjusted so as to sc11 GOO. .0pO; an inheritance tax provision will be framed to produce from $40,- eO0s000 to $50s000s000, and if this is Snot sufficient consurnerss tax on sll- gar, which will return $45, 1000, 900 will be levied.
 The Tillrnan bill provides for the erection or purchase by the govern nlent of an armor plate factory at a cost not to exceed $11, 900, 900. The House naval committee tha.s set aside today for consideration of the measure with a view to reporting it to the House promptly. Its passage there is regarded as certain. g
 Democratic Senators supported the bill solidIy. Nine Progressive Repub- .licans Joined with the majority in vot- ling for the biIL- They were Senators Borah. Clapp, Eummins, Gronna. Ken yons Norris. Poindexters Sterling and Works.
 The bill. which has the approval of the administration and Secretary Dam ie1s, was bitterly opposed by several Republican Senators At committee hearings on the measure officers of the Bethlehem and Midva1e Steel com panies, two of the. three concerns which furnish armor to the govern ment, appeared, and the threat was made that their plants would Have to be dismaptled as soon as the govern l ment entered upon the business, leave ing no source of supply for the navy's immediate needs The opposition in the Senate was led by Senators Pen rose, Oliver, Lfppitt and Lodge.
 As general debate closed yesterday, the test vote on the issue came when Senator Weeksaof Massachusetts offer ed a substitute which would have au- l thorized the Secretary of the Navy to enter, if possible, into fve-year con tract with the Bethlehem, 1didvale and
 
 arrnor plate needed at a price 6 per cent. in excess of cost, maintenance and depreciation. The substitute. after considerable debate, was rejected, 60 toS 25s Democrats& voting solid1y with the nine Progressive Republicans against it.
 Senators Oliver and Penrose insist ed that the proposed action Of the governnsnt was condscatory and that it would force the private plate manufacturers out of4business at al time when they are most needed by the government.
 Senators Swanson, Reed and Till- man closed the general discussion for the Administration, maintaining that l the private manufacturers never had dealt fairly with the government, and | that government manufacture in com 1 petition with private manufacture was necessary. Senator TiI1naan declar- 1
 
 vate manufacturers out of business. and predicted that 1t would not
 Although rapid progress was made in the House with the Hay Army In crease Bill, it was found impossible to reach a vote before adjournment It may be- passed today, "Ca1endar Wednesday, having been set aside to permit it's uninterrupted considera.- tion.<
 In the Senate, Chairman Cham ber- lain of the Military Committee now plans to call up his Army Bill tomor- row
 Several important amendments were made to the Hay bill during the day With one exception they were apz proved by Chairman Hay of the Mil itary Committee After defeating a proposal by Representative Kahn, ranking minority member of the com, r1ittee, to permit efficient regular. so1- dfers to be discharged into the re- serve in one year on recommendatiot of their commanders, or in two years on their own motion the House re- versed itself and put through. a sim liar amendment by Representative Gardner, Republican,, of Massach11- | sets, over Representative Hays oppo- sftfon- The Senate bill contains such | a provision.
 The most important amendment | was the insertion of the reserve of hcers'S training scheme proposed by | Representative Gard of Ohio, Demo- erat, which already has been included in the Senate bill. It provides that | military instructors be supplied by | the War Department to any civil edr- catfona1 Institution with an available student body of 100 or more and where a military course satisfactory | to the War Department is established
 Another amendment accepted, of- fered by Representative Kahn, would permit the President to order out the regular army reserve without going to Congress for authority. The con- L EsnDIated strength of the reserve is so, ,000s and as the bill now stands the Esss@1nent could increase the regular army from its peace strength of 1 140,- !