The Washington herald., 1916-01-09
BY K. b. JOHNS.


Chairman Chamberlain next week will
break a precedent by opening the hear
ings on army legislation in the Sen
ate committee on military affairs before
the House bill has passed the House.
Usually the Senate committees maintain
q dignified silence until the House has
acted and then pick the House bill to
pieces
Senator Chamberlain is so impressed
with the Importance of national defense
legislation that he is convinced that the
Senate committee should take up the SUBJ
ject Immediately. 1t has been his eN-
perience that when military legislation
has passed the House 1t reaches the
Senate when the senators are so busy
with other matters that it is almost i'm
possible to secure a quorum of the mill
tary committee. Now at the beginning
of the session when the other commit
tees are not busy Chairman Chamber
lain thinks that he can secure a full
attendance of the military committee and
he is anxious to have the problem con-
sidered by the whole committee.
One of the probable developments will
be the reporting out of a bill from the
Senate committee as soon as the meas
ure comes out Of the House commit
tee The senator thinks that much pro-
gress can be made If both houses were
to pass bills at the same time and the
differences between the two bodies be
thrashed but in the conference commit
tee. He realizes that there are so many
schemes for the increase in the strength
Of our national defenses that Congress
will be busily engaged for several months
In working out the details of the legis-
lation and insists that the Senate COM
mittee should take up army legislation
Immediately.
1t is understood that Senator Chamber
lain will ask the Secretary of War to
appear first, after which he will submit
list of witnesses from the army to the
Secretary. National Guard officers and
prominent advocates of national defense
will also be requested to appear before
the Senate committee.
With splendid prospects OF reporting
out a building program of two battle
ships and two battle cruisers the House
Committee on Naval Affairs held its first
meeting on January 4. A poll of the
committee indicates that not over six
and possibly not more than five will vote
against the administrators building pro-
gram. There is fighting chance for
even bigger increase than is recon-
mended by the administration.
Those who have expressed themselves
as opposed to the administrations pro-
Of Missouri; Gray, of Indiana: Buchanan,
of Illinois, and Conelly, of Kansas. Last
session Mr.. Connolly voted for one bat
tleship, and it is possible that he may
support a two-battleship program this
session. Oliver, of Alabama, who sue
ceeds Capt. Hobson, has not yet commit
ted himself, but hopes are entertained
that he will support the administration.
All of the Republicans, 1t is understood,
will Ieac CT he ipis fra oy's
program and will make a fight for a
,, larger increase in the strength of the
navy.
The great interest that is taken In the
Legislation that will be before the COM
mittee was shown by the fact that nine
| teen members attended the first meeting.
First Lieut.. John N. Greedy, Field Ar
| tillery, who is now on duty in the Office of
the chief signal officer, was on January
| 3 elected editor of the Field Artillery
| Journal and secretary-treasurer of the
| Field Artillery Association. He succeeds
Capt. Marlbourgh Churchill, who will
shortly be assigned to duty as military
observer with the French army.
|
| The Eighth Company of Marines has
| been ordered detached from the Kear-
sarge to resume duty at the Marine
| Barracks. New Orleans. The Kearsarge
| is on its way to Now Orleans and will
| probably arrive there about January is.
The marines now on duty, on the Buffalo
| and the San Diego In Mexican waters
| will be stationed at San Diego. Cal,
| when they return from expeditionary
duty.
Col c. G. Long, u. S. M. c., who has
been acting Chief of Staff of the force
of marines on duty in Haiti, is in Wash
| ington on short leave. While in WASH
ington he is acting As the Navy Depart