The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-11
The Senate Must Not Surrender.

1.S wv
The Senate passed the Chamber
lain army bill on April Is with an
amendment making the strength of
the regular army 2jO,OOO, the pro>i-
sion for u volunteer force of 2Go.0OU
being retained. Nineteen days later
the House of Representatives rejected
the provision for n volunteer army
and refused to consent Ia an increase
Of the regular army To 2l0.oN men,
its W figures being 10000. Back
to conference 20 the conflicting g
sures, the Hay bill passed by the
House some time ago and the Cham
berlain bill Endorsed by the General
Stan. and 1t is now intimatcd that the
President will have "Nirtunlly Il new
bill, the result of II compromise" on
his desk mex week.
Time was evidently lot made for
the gentlemen in Washington who
are dealing with the vital question
of preparedness. The gathering crisis
on the Mexican frontier. not to speak
OF the standing controversy with Ger
many, has not FASTENED their deliber-
atlons u hour or one minute. No
one can read the debate in the House
on Monday without receiving the i'm
preston that the Democratic majority
cares more about pleasing the Ma
tiona' Guard than about giving the
country n scientific army plan. in
Guiding n volunteer force such as the
Chamberlain bill proposes. Mark this
threat Of Chairman HAY: IF the
House to-day votes in favor Of the
volunteer army l shall consider it as
an instruction not tn insist upon a
provision in the bill for the National
Guard"
New York Democrats who voted for
volunteer army section &c Of the
Chamberlain bill were incontinently
damned. "I for one" said Mr.. HAY.
do not propose To put upon the
country both the National Gunrd and
the volunteer army" Yet Mr.. MANN
Of Illinois had previously said Of Soc
tion So:
1T only authorizes the President to
carry into effect an act which We passed
on April IS. 1914. two years ago-re-
ported unanimously from the Committee
on Military Affairs and passed unani-
mously in the House, in contemplation
Of raising a volunteer army when emer-
gency arose
Was there any member of the House
more enthusiastic about the law of
April 81, 1914, than Mr.. JAMES HAyi
Not one. Why does he o want 10
see section 10 become a law now!
The answer is that he and his friends,
~sO-called leaders of the Democrati,
party. consider 1t good politics" to
keep out of the Presidents hands the
power to organize a volunteer army
lat any time" under the provisions
Of the law which Mr.. HAY himself
fathered two years ago /: and this Is the
reason, because the National Guard
will tolerate no competition from any
other force but the regular army. The
promise OF Mr.. HAY that the NationaI
Guard will be raised 10 n strength OF
100000 men he knows could not be
kept. Let recruiting take care Of It.
self II section 90 can he eliminated
Does the Chamberlain bin treat the
National Guard literally? 1t does
for 1t proposes both liberalization and
pay. The only tangible grievance the
organized militia has against the Sen
ate measure Is that 1t contains the
hated provision for a volunteer arm!
In addition to the greater National
Guard.
Why can the country not have, IL
the emergencies confronting 1t, pro
vision for a volunteer army rs wei
as an improved National Guard? II
would need both as well as n much
larger regular army IN the event al
armed intervention In Mexico; nnc
we undertake to say that if Mexico
IN a mad frenzy were TO declare wal
upon the United States tomorrow
the politicians would all run In cover
and the House would lose ne time ir
agreeing to give the country II rcgu
lar army of from 10000 to oJO.OOt
men and n volunteer force IN addi
ton to "fedcralized' Nationa'
Guard. Why in the name Of com
mon sense does the House persist II
playing politics with n powder maya
zine? The Senate confcrecs Shout,
hold out and stand Ia their guns,
The River and HarbOr RiIl.