Evening star., 1917-04-28
VOLUNTEER SYSTEM
DEFEATED IN HOUSE
BYAB|G MAJORITY
Amendments Struck From the
Army Bill on First Vote
by 279 to SO.
ACT ASSURES PASSAGE
OF "SELECTIVE DRAFT"
Thunderous Applause From Floor
and Crowded Galleries When
Result Is Announced.

Administration forces overthrew
opponents of the administration
selective conscription bill in the
House on the first vote today, and
struck the volunteer amendments
from the measure.
The vote came on the amend
ment by Representative Kahn,
who has led the fight for the ad-
ninistration bill, moving to strike
out the volunteer amendments in
serted by majority of the mill
tary committee against the pro-
tests of the President and the
Army War College. 1t assured
the passage of the bill as drawn
by army experts.
Volunteer Sponsors Astounded.
The volunteer sponsors we're astound-
ed at the tremendous strength devel-
oped by the administration forces.
When the members lined up to pass the
tellers 1t looked almost as if the whole
House was about to vote for conscrip-
tion. Chairman Dent of the military
committee, heading the volunteer forces.
finally gave up counting the votes Miss
Rankin. the Montana member. voted for
the volunteer amendments, as did
Speaker Clark and Chairman Padgett
of the naval committee. Republican
Leader Mann voted for conscription.
Democratic Leader Kitchen. busy with
revenue legislation. did not vote.
When Representative Saunders of vir-
amendment had carried. 27s to SS. there
was thunderous applause from the floor
and the crowded galleries.
Loath to Give Up Struggle.
While MT. Dent took his defeat with
good grace, Representatives Sears of
Florida and Mason of Illinois were
loath to give up the struggle. Mr..
Sears, by parliamentary fencing, talked
five minutes against the draft plan.
and Mr.. Mason made short but en-
phatic address of a similar character.
Take off the sugar coat and let US
swallow the bitter pill of servitude,"
Mr. Mason said. Lincoln was a volun-
Jesus of Nazareth was a volunteer on
the cross and those on the two sides
of him were conscripts."
The defeated factions cheered Mr..
Mason's remark loudly and long.
Representative Dent told the House
there was bound to be favoritism un-
der the selective draft system.
Representative Shallenberger. Ne
braska. said that military experts had
advised the committee that AZ per cent
of the names drawn from the box for
drafting would be exempted.
Representative Mondell, Wyoming, said
that when the bill became law and
there has been fastened upon the re-
the monarchies of the old world. there
should be a monument to the man who
invented the phrase selective conscrip-
tion, as hateful phrase as the Eng
lish language contains
Col. Roosevelt's Proposition Rejected
After an interesting skirmish. the
House refused to accept the PROPOSE
ton to allow Col. Roosevelt to raise an
army DIVISION ana lead II TO france
The amendment to this effect was in
troduced by Representative Austin of
Tennessee and backed principally by
Representative Gardner of Massachu-
setts, whose speech on the subject will
long be remembered by those who
heard it, He pictured the army of ad-
venturers'' who would be attracted to
fight under Roosevelt, and in answer to
a question. Why should the colonel
stay at home and help train the army
OF a million men 10 be raised? he re-
nIied heatedly: Roosevelt is a fight
ter. not a schoolmaster.
Representative Mann of Illinois. whose
posftion on the conscription clause was
not known until last night, made a
speech which stands among the classics
of the House. He favorS "smiting the
enemy" and believes in adopting mill
tary system by which all men are liable
. 10 service on the same plane. Repre-
sentative Fitzgerald of New York, an
other House leader, said the selective
conscription plan is more efficient and
less disturbing to business and eco
nomic arrangements. Representative
Cannon supported the volunteer plan,
saying that 100000 men cannot be
equipped within six months, and that
volunteers could be equipped as they
came forward.
Senators Urue Permission