Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-04-26
HOUSE WILL VOTE
ON BILL TOMORROW
SENATE SATURDAY
Both Houses Debating Army
Bill and COnscriptiOn
Feature
LATTER SEEMS CERTAIN
OF HAVING MAJORITY
Senator's Mason and Hale
Want Roosevelt TO Raise
Division
By j. =. Yoder


Washington, April 26.-The house
The senate will vote late Saturday.
.Conscription seems certain to win.
The long drawn out debate on the
question of raising two million men by
draft or volunteering will end tonight.
This was decided today by unanimous
consent, Immediately the house con-
vened.
BY agreement, the house is to contin-
ne to talk as long as it can stand it
today and this evening. Then tomor-
row Chairman Dent of the military
committee, who opposes the president s
draft plan, and Representative Kahn,
California, ranking republican member
of the same committee, who is leading
the presidents s fight, will make con
cluding arguments.
The house action speeded the senate.
Shortly after the unanimous consent
| agreement was reached in the house,
the senate acted similarly, agreeing to
vote some time before midnight Satur-
iday.
Fireworks Started Early
Pvrotechnics started early in the
house. Representative Mason, Illinois,
demanding that Colonel Roosevelt be
permitted to raise an army for imme'
ldiate service in France, declared the
man in the white house has not the
courage or political sagacity to permit
Colonel Roosevelt to enlist for fear he
will profit politically"
From floor and galleries instantly
came almost deafening Kissing, which
continued for several moments.
Mason bitterly attacked the general
staff S selective draft plan. He said
nothing would please the kaiser more
than to- sac an army of conscripts 60
to Europe to fight.
tEThev call it the bill of the general
staff, I" he said, "before they get
through they will call it General De-
bility and General Red Tape. The gen
eral staff does not want Roosevelt to
enlist. He applied at the white house.
f'The president, l suppose, stamped
his application with red ink and refer
red it to the secretary of war. The sec
Iretary referred it to the assistant sec
retary and he referred it to the gen
eral staff, -
Mason is Bitter
Mason charged that keeping Roose
welt out of the army is part of the plan
OIL opposition to the volunteer system
ri used to oppose the colonel, but
support him now, Mason said. "They
don't intend to let the colonel enlist
for fear it will hurt the draft plan
:, They don t want him to make here
of himself, for, while he is spreading
democracy in the old country, he may
be raising hell with democracy in thi
! country.
Half the people of this countr,
want to see Roosevelt go to Europe an'
some of them want to see him stay fo
long, long time
Representative Frear of Wiscon dc
lnounced the selective draft plan as un
; democratic and as giving autocrati
powers to the army heads.
; Senator Chamberlain Offered tn
unanimous consent resolution at tn
beginning of the fifth day of senat
debate
Under the agreement night session
: will be held if senators desire to speak
( Rule in Effect Saturday
! At one clock Saturday rule Wi
e 90 into effect limiting speeches on tn
: bin to ten minutes and to five minute
G on amendments.
Senator Overman attempted to brin
up the "spy bill' and sidetrack tn
army bill by consent. He said the a.
G torney generals office requested it
k immediate passage. He was allowed pc
] Imission to ask consent later
). nth a plea for sending an exped
s tionary force to France, Senator Hall
e Maine, just returned from the Frene
front, spoke in favor Of the conscriI
: tion bill
e The idea Of an American legio
: marching down the Champs Elysees o
their way to the trenches led by Roos'
Q welt created enormous enthusiasm
l France. Hale said.