The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-30
PRESIDENT COULD
GET 100000 MEN
That Number Available Without Congress Aid-Senator
Chamberlain Urges That President Back
Compulsory Military Training.

Washington. March o3.-Plans to
| forward further preparedness meas
| ures for the army today began to as :
sumo definite form.
How an increased armed force may
be promptly secured for the present
emergency as well as universal train
| ing as national policy were discussed
by the president with Senator Cham
berlain of Oregon. chairman of the
senate military committee At the same
time Secretary Baker and isdministra-
ton leaders in congress considered
legislation needed Immediately for the
military establishment.
Senator Chamberlain told the prcsi-
dent that he believed the executive
now has authority without further ac-
ton by congress to raise at once an
army Of more than 100000 men by in
crcasinS the regular army to war
strength and calling out all of the ma
cooperation of state executives.
No Immediate Step.
There was nosintimation that the
president was considering such a step
Immediately. but the whole field of
measures necessary to secure Il larger
force was discussed.
For present needs the war depart
mcnt. Secretary Baker said, has de-
cidcd to submit TO congress n budget
containing virtually the same proyi-
sions as the regular army appropria-
ton bill which failed at the last ses-
sion. This decision comedies with the
house plan to re- enact the appropria-
ton bill without cnaugc and sends it
at once to the senate.
Senator Chamberlain also agreed to
expedite the bill in the senate. To
this end he said he would not again
offer his universal training bill as q
rider if it would delay prompt action
on the supply measure.
Asks Endorsement.
The conference between the presi
dent and Senator Chamberlain, at the
latter's request, was primarily to dis
cuss the senator's universal ira lining
plan. He asked the president to en-
/ dorsc the general principle of conpul
! sorry training in his forthcoming mes
sage to congress The president, 1t
was said, gave no intimation of his
probable course. He was said to IA
vor some plan for providing military
| training, but was non-co mmittal re-
! garding the Chamberlain plan. to
which he is understood to have some
| objections.
| After leaving the White House the
senator said he was still hopeful of
| administrations endorsement of his
| measure and also expressed increased
optimism over prospects of passage by
the senate of some form of a universal
| training measure. Several senators, he
said, who formerly opposed the plan
| now favor it.
To Amend Bill
| AS a result Of his talk with the
president, Senator Chamberlain en-
poets to make several important
amendments to his bill. particularly
with the idea of increasing the number
of trained soldiers it would produce In
IA short period. To this end. he pro-
poses to raise the age limit of youths
subject to training from 10 to 20 years
to secure more mature men and to be.
gin the training periods sooner than
provided in the tentative bill, which
proposes that about 100000 youths bt
trained annually with six months con
tinuous service.
| Another amendment Senator Cham
berlain said, would be to create SO di
visions in the country for the segrega
ton of the training work, with facili.
ties for training an army division OF
firm 1900 TO $1,000 men in each divi.
sion camp. While some of the di,i.
sons, Senator Chamberlain thought