The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-30
TT IS CONSIDERED HE WOULD NOT HAVE ACTED ON PROVISION
Many Congressmen, Among Them Members from Ala bama, Ch nged Their Minds Before Final Vote
By HUGH ". ROBERTS


 cial. Feeling as he does re garding the necessity of con scripting an army for use in the European trenches, it is reason able to presume that had the Dent military bill been enacted, President Wilson would not have made use of the delegated authority to call for volunteers,
 It has previously been printed in The Age-Herald, but studiously ig- nored by those who consistently clam ored for conscription, that the volun- teer provision of the bill did not in- struct the President to take any cer- tain course of procedure; on the con trary, it simply gave him authority, in the event he desired to use that authority, to call for volunteers pent- ing the registration of those whom subsequently, he would conscript.
 The argument of the House military committee in support of the volunteer provision was to the effect that pending the registration, which would require at least three months an army of volun- teers could hastily be raised for service It is regarded as unusual that the Pres- ident, in order that sharp differences might have been avoided, did not accept the volunteer provision and then ignore it. In all other matters he has appar- ently been willing to assume eg4tire re- sponsibility.
 CHANGES OF A DAY
 In the beginning of the discussion re- garding the respective merits of the two proposed plans, the 10 Alabamians who represent the state in the House stood as unit against conscription Tn emula- tion of President Wilson regarding .'pre- paredness, number Of them, in the psychological moment, changed their minds
 The correspondent of The Age Herald, from the beginning of the debate until it's conclusion, attempted to keep resfcents of Alabama posted as to the attitude of their representatives, This duty necess- tated a change in copy each succeeding morning. In the beginning, Mr. Heflin, according to a prepared statement printed in The Age-Herald and the New York World, boldly advocated conscription in foy,- -rrith tho his argument he referred to the ever present negro question In the south. Mr. Oliver, in the beginning, was inclined to favor conscription after 30-day trial Of the volunteer system. Mr. Gray, in the beginning, was staunch adherent of the volunteer system, and had not fully made up his mind to support conscription until a short time before the vote was de- manded. Mir Bankhead. in the beginning though he did not positively announce how he would cast his ballot.
 MT Blackmon declarec that he would follow the lead of the committee on mil itary affairs, which had made, or at that time was making. an analytical study of the situation. MT. steagall absent from his office on account of an unhealed wound sustain6d in an automobile accl- dent, did not Formally suggest his posi- ton, although it was generally known that he stood for the volunteer idea.
 OvERPOWERING PRESSURE
 MT Huddleston was known to oppose conscription in it's every form, The same was true regarding MT. Almon and MT Burnett. MT. Dents position was the mos, trying. He was at the head of the mill tary committee and as such, the spokes- man of the administration. At heart, he opposed the idea of conscription just as practically every other southern man opposed it. At the same time. it was his hope that middle ground could be reached on which the majority of the members of his committee and the ad- ministration might stand. As a result, he made countless visits to the President. and finally agreed. if such action would be necessary for harmony. to yield his convictions Had his vote in committee been the deciding vote, he would have given it to the President.
 The above expresses the attitude of the delegation at the beginning of the fight. How the members voted is now recorded history. Those who changed their minds did mott do so under pressure President wilson, when charged with inconsistency, declared that he hoped he would live no day without learning. something. The Ala
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