The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-18

Congressman Lonergan of the First l District, called today at the State De- partment and discussed with officials there the status of the negotiations in regard to including in the draft the citizens of alien countries. Lon- ergan has been one of the pioneers in endeavoring to have an alien stacker bill passed, as except for Arizona, Connecticut has the largest alien reg istration in the United States, accord ing to government figures. Declar- ation of war on Austria has tended to bring the whole subject again to the fore.
 The situation, as the Congressman found it, may be stated as follows as authentic from the State depart ment:
 f"At the instance of some of the belligerents of the United States in Europe who have a large number of their citizens or subjects in the Unit ed States, the State Department took under consideration the advisability Of entering into agreements with the Allied countries for the purpose of subjecting the citizens or subjects of the Allied countries to compulsory military service in the country of their residence. Early in September the State Department prepared pro- posal to be made to the co-bel1iger- ents on this subject, and after inform al discussion submitted It to the governments of each of the Allies for their consideration. Congress had under consideration at the same time certain bills for the conscription of non-declarant aliens in the United States, declarant aliens being covered by the Selective Draft Act of May IS, 1917. Hearings were had on these 1 bills by the Committee on Military Affairs of the House, at which the 1 Secretary of State and the Counselor | oe the State Department appeared. It was pointed out by the Secretary of tate that agreements more satisfac- tory to the Allies which would take irto consideration their individual views and desires, might be negotiat- | ed to attain the same object as the i bills pending in Congress- Conse- l quently the committee deemed it ad- visable to postpone consideration of the bills for the present, pending the result of negotiation with the co-bel- ligerent countries
 These negotiations have been pro-
 ceeding with all possible speed, but as it is likely in time. of war; unfor-
 seen incidents have retarded nesE Eotia- tions with some countries. Fol ex- ample, the revolution in Russia made it necessary to postpone all negotia- tions in regard to conscription agreement with that country; in the second place the cabinet crisis in Italy and subsequent military operations of the enemy have so pre-occupied that
 country that negotiations have been greatly retarded. In other quarters,
 however negotiations have been pro-
 gressing favorably. On account of
 the Act e Parliament passed in July,
 the American proposal to Great Bri-
 tain had to be modified to conform
 in certain respects to that Act A
 draft agreement in harmony with that
 act is now receiving consideration of
 that the agreement will be concluded
 during the present week. With a
 signed agreement between the United
 States and Great Britain as a model, it
 is expected no difficulty will be had in reaching a similar agreement with
 France and probably with Italy.
 4 While these negctiatioRs have bees