The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-04-26
JOFFRE MAY
ASK FOR ARMY
Famous French Leader May
Make Known His Wishes
to Congress
CONSCRIPTION DE-
BATE IS CONTINUED
Passage of the Measure
Seems to Be Well
Assured

Washington, April 26.-Strong domant
that TIE government speed up the army
preparations and get troops on the fight
ing line in France is reflected in the de-
bates in Senate and House over the con.
scription bill which continued yesterday
| This demand is heard both among the
| friends of CONSUMPTION and the friends OF
volunteering. At the same time Congress
as whole is slow in passing the needed
army legislation, both as regards the bill
for the new army and appropriations.
One of the chief arguments of the sup
porters of volunteering is that it would
make possible the early sending of an
expeditionary force to Europe. They
charge that if the CONSUMPTION plan is
followed the new 100000 army under the
selective draft will not be modified un-
til September or October, instead of Aug.
/, as the war department asserts. On
the other hand the hackers of conscrip-
ton assert that while it win take from
eight to ten months of training to get
the new army in shape to fight after it is
modified, the regular army and the Ma
tional Guard can be made ready to send
abroad in much less time.
The fact that the French commission,
especially Marshal Joffre, believe the
sending of an American expeditionary
force to France advisable both for its
moral effect and for other reasons, and
that this subject will be discussed in the
coming conferences with the French and
British ENJOYS, is likely to have most
important bearing on the military situa-
tion here.
II is not unlikely Marshal Joffre viii
be invited to appear before the Senate
or House military committee or both.
Such an invitation is contemplated by
the Senate committee to Gen. Bridges of
tho British commission. If it becomes
definitely known here that Marshal Joffre
desires strongly that American troops be
sent to the lines early there is likely to
be a speeding up OF plans in this respect.
While it is true, as the general staff in
sists, that the trained forces of this coun-
try are needed here to help train the re-
cruits, there is no doubt that under ex-
peditious management one or more di-
visions could be sent abroad the coming
summer.
The prospects for the CONSUMPTION bill
good, in the face of not only
bitter opposition, but some support which
is of reluctant sort. The House Is ex-
pected to vote by Friday, but the Senate
debate, according to indications now will
last until Saturday. After that the CON
ference report will have to be threshed
out and differences adjusted.
Members on the floor and visitors in
the galleries broke into cheers at the out
set of debate on the army bill in the
House yesterday when Representative
of Alabama, who opposes the
selective draft, read list OF names of
men who he said, favored it. Among
them were Henry P. Dawson, Frank A. |
Vanderbilt, Frank A. Munsey, Theodore !,
Y. Vail, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Elihu /
Root and j. p Morgan. Huddleston |
also declared that most of the pleas for |
war and CONSUMPTION came from members |
IF such organizations as the Harvard, |
Yale and Union league clubs, and not |
rom the working people of the country. !
Everybody who is familiar with in. |
iustrial oppression and reaction in its
most vicious form" he said, will recog-
lize the men named. They and their as