Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-05-18
SENATE AND HOUSE
CONFEREES AGREE
ON NEW ARMY BILL
Provides War Strength of 679,.
OOO-Regular Army in Peace
Time Will Be $4,000
Strong.

Washington. May 1.-THE conferees on
the army reorganization bill Saturday
agreed on all their points of difference.
The result of the long conference is a bill
providing for a force of $1,000 men at war
strength, counting the regulars the ma
tional guard, the Philippine scouts, the
signal corps, medical corps. quartermaster
corps, and unassigned enlisted men. The
maximum peace fighting strength of the
regular army alone, excluding these aux
iiaries, would be $4,000 men. and this
could be increased under executive order
Wy an additional p per cent, or $3.50 men,
III time of national emergency.
The final result, though involving inn
portant concessions to the pacihst senti-
ments of the House, is regarded as sub
stantial victory for the advocates of pre-
paredneSs. Senator Chamberlain of Ore.
Eon, chairman of the Senate committee
on military affairs, who has been work.
ing on tho bill for nearly a year, is highly
Eratitied at the outcome 1t is not doubt
cd that both houses will accept the con-
ference report, and the way will then he
clear for the army appropriation bill,
which will make the reorganization eff
fective. The measure agreed on to-day
provides that the increases shall come in
five yearly increments, about the limit
possible under voluntary cnistments,
10000 FIGHTING REGULARS.
The present law provides a maximum
FOR the army, which is rarely attained,
and no minimum. Saturdays confer
cnce agreement fixes II minimum of
100000 fighting regulars, below which
1t will be the duty of the war depart
ment to see that the army never falls.
This may be increased to a peace maxi
mum of $4,000. Besides this in peace
there will be 5.133 Philippine scouts,
G,i09 of the quartermaster corps, 1929
of the medical corps, 1887 of the sig
nal corps and $3.50 unassigned enlisted
men, a total of 206,169 men in peace
The important Senate organization plan
Is retained that this force may be
increased by executive order without
conErc ional action to about 254,O00
men.
The enlistment term is fixed at
seven years, three to be served with
the colors and four in the reserves with
a further provision that men with a
rating of excellent" may be trans
fcrred to the reserves at the end of one
year. This system of enlistment, when
in full operation. would provide a re-
serve of one and one-third the color
strength of the army, that if the
color strength of the fighting force
was $4,000, the reserves would be
233,000 trained men.
The organization of the regular
army under the conference plan would
consist of sixty-five regiments of in
fantry, an increase of thirty five reGi-
JnentS; twenty-five regiments of cav
airy. an increase of ten regiments;
twcnty-one regiments Of field artillery
AN increase of fifteen regiments; 10000
men in the coast artillery; seven regi-
ncnts of engineers, an increase OF five
regiments, with an additional two bat
talions of mounted engineers. The
regular army is about doubled. with
particular emphasis laid on increasing
the field artillery and engineers,
technical branches difficult to increase
in a hurry
NATIONAL GUARD 425,TO
The strength of the National Guard is
fixed at $1,000 men, with the House
provisions for federalizing this force
The National Guard will be apportioned.
500 men to each senator and representa-
tive from II state. Tho Senate amend
Incnt proposed by Mr., Wadsworth Of
New York. requiring Il double oath %
allegiance to the State and the nation,
is retained.
Though the volunteer army of the SEN
ate bill is eliminated in concession to the
House, a provision is made in substitu-
tion to extend greatly the scope of tho
Pattsburgh provision, So as to put its
training within reach of comparatively
poor men. 1t is porvded that the gov
'nment, while not paying salaries Ia
men in training under this system, will
gay all necessary eXpcnses-transporta-
ton, uniforms. subsistence. and medical
attention. 1t is expected that training
camps Will be organized all over the
country under this provision.