The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-05
Recess Is Taken After an All Day Session in Senate
 Chamber
TO FEDERALIZE
 NATIONAL GUARD
Senator Vardaman Sees Grave Fossil bilities in Plan for Federal Volun- teer Army-To Receive Pay
 Only for Actual Service

Washington, April 1.-The fate of ! the federal volunteer plan of the Sem ate army increase bill was in doubt tonight when the Senate recessed aft CT an all-day debate over an amend nient by Senator Lee of Maryland to strike cut the provision At the last that the vote be deferred until tomor- row OF account of the absence of q number of senators.
 Throughout the day conferences were held by both the advocates and op poneDts of the section, seeking to en- list support of senators who had not finally decided on their stand. Sena tor Lee was aided in his fight by Sen ator Lewis of Illinois, while Chairman Chamberlain and his entire committee worked actively for their bill and con- fsrrct frequently With republican sen ators It is understood several sem ators changed their positions during tic day
 The only vote taken was that which defeated an amendment offered by Senator Sterling of South Dakota pro- viding that the National Guard should , be first called on for service by the federal government in the event of war. coming first after the regular army in order of precedence. There was no roll call Senator Chamberlain pointed out that existing law upon which the volunteer army proposal is founded already contained this stipu- lation.
 ATTACK THE SCHEME
 In the course of the debate Senator Borah of Idaho attacked the scheme to federalize the National Guard as proposed in both the House and Senate army bills He called attention to the West Virginia coal strike situation, declaring that the constitutions of the state and of the United States had been set aside by the order then is sued under which military commis- sions tried those accused of crime. To place the guard on the federal pay roll, he said, was extending danger ous encoura cement to it's use by state officials for purposes outside of the civil law. He insisted that the effect of the proposal was to federalize the police force of the state so far as pay ment went, without assuming federal control of it's uses.
 Senator Thomas of Colorado defend ed the federal volunteer provision He said he was confident there would have been little discussion of the pro- posal if it had not been for the oppo- sition from members of the National Guard Officials of the guard, he said, had declared to him that the federal volunteer force would deprive the guard of the federal support it might otherwise receive.
 Senator Reed of Missouri assailed the federal volunteer provision, as did Senator Cummins of Iowa, Senator Vardaman of Mississippi and Senator Curtis of Kansas Senator Cummins said he wanted it understood that he opposed the plan only because he thought it would not make for ade- quate preparedness. It would be far better, he said to concentrate effort and expenditures upon the existing force of National Guard. Senator Reed said he was convinced the men to Ill the volunteer regiments would never come forward after the present war eX itement. had subsided
 VARDAMAN OPPOSES
 Senator Vardaman said if the Balti- more platform had contained prom ise of the present bill the present oc- cupant of the White House would not have been there. I do not know who is going to succeed him." said the Mis- sissippi senator, but if we have man who is color blind on the race question we could have organized un- der this volunteer section regiment composed entirely of negroes" lie was not willing to let the Senate adopt such proposal without calling at tention to that possibility, he said.
 Senators Lodge and Weeks or Mas sachusetts vigorously supported the provision The latter called attention to the bill now pending in the Mas sachusetts legislature providing that any organization of the state troops which voted to do so might transfer
 into the federal force to be organ ized, and that the state armories ana other military property be loaned to the government for training purposes. He said every state should handle It's police protection with constabulary system and not call upon the National Guard for that duty.
 An amendment to the section, sug- gested by Senator Clapp of Minnesota, was accepted by Senator Chamberlain. If provides that the federal volunteers shall receive pay only for the actual service in training.