The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-03-20
DEFENSE BILLS
WEERSPROGRAM
Senate and House Will Take
Up Question of Prepared
ness Today.
IDEAS ARE Divergent
Conference Committees Probably Will
Decide Size of and Enlistment in
New u. S. Army.

Proceeding along divergent lines. both
the Senate and House of Representatives
will give their undivided attention to the
problem of preparedness during the forth
coming legislative week.
The House will resume consideration of
sthe Hay bill, section by section, and
wrestle with the details of the measure
designed to provide adequate land forces
for the national defense. The Senate, at
the same time, will begin the considera-
ton of the Chamberlain bill, framed for
the, same purpose but differing in many
respects from the Hay bill, which has
the backing OF the President.
COnferees to settle Differences.
Steadily the two houses are approach
ing the dividing point The Hay bill pro-
lides for regular army in time Of peace
of 10000 men. The Chamberlain bill pro-
vides for an army of $4,000 men. The Hay
bill retains the long term enlistment The
Chamberlain bill provides for a short
enlistment.
In many other respects, the two meas
ures differ. 1t Is doubtful that they will
be any less different after they have
eCeiyed the final approval of the respect
i've houses. 1t is taken for granted that
in the end, members of the conference
committee representing the two branches
will have most to do with deciding what
measure of preparation shall be under
taken by the United States.
The absorbing question Of the moment
in Congress is how large the regular
army shall be. The Hay bill although
it obviously meets with the approval
of majority of the members Of the
House, will not go on its way to final
passage without meeting obstacles. Rep
resentative Kahn. of California, the rank
ing Republican member of the Military
Affairs Committee, will bring I'D the
question of size by his amendment to
raise the limit of the Hay bill from
10000 to 10000 men. Amendments will
also be offered in the Senate to increase
the regular army beyond the $4,000 pro-
Vided by the Chamberlain bill
Senate FavOrs Bigger Army.
1t is probable that the Kahn amend
mcnt viii be defeated. The sentiment in
the House in favor Of the militia or vol
unteer system is much too strong to per-
nit large increase in the standing
army. There are many degrees Of pre-
Paredness represented by the opinions of
members of the House from the pacifist
or peace-at- any-price idea and the anti
militaristic notions of the Socialist men,
Der. Meyer London, of New York, to the
ideas of Representative Gardner, OF Mas
saChusetts. foremost of preparedness ad-
vOcates. But there is no doubt that the
House does not like the notion of a large
standing army.
The indications are that the hope for a
more adequate degree of preparation
than that which the Hay bill provides
lies with the Senate. There the demand
for national defense IS stronger and the
sOliCitude for the militia less keen.
Much significance is attached TO the
Capitalization OF sentiment in both
houses in favor Of a system of military
training which will give the country a
citizen sOldiery of the sort the President
seemed to have in mind when he deIiv-
cred his message to Congress. The
Plattsburg idea has been incorporated in
both the Senate and the House bill