Middletown transcript., 1917-05-05
THE DRAFT PLAN
WINS IN CONGRESS
Senate Vote Was 81 to 8; House
397 to ~.
NOW GOES TO CONFERENCE
Senate Fixes Age Limit At Fl To 27,
While House Defeats All Pro-
posaIs To Change Committee
Recommendation.


Senate voted for the selective draft
plan of raising an army for the war
against Germany, advocated by the
Administration by overwhelming ma
5orities, outcome having been indi-
Gated by signal defeats of amendments
designed to have the volunteer sys-
tenn substituted for the draft.
The House passed the bill by 397 to
~, and The Senate went on record by
81 to Tor the draft.
The final roll calls brought into line
behind the bill many Senators and
Representatives who had fought for
the volunteer system until routed by
decisive defeat of volunteer amend
ments earlier in the day in both
houses The Senate had voted down
the volunteer plan by SO to 18. In
the House the vote against the volun-
teer plan was 313 to 100.
Whether Congress finally would
accept the staff's recommendations
regarding the ages between which
conscription should apply appeared
more uncertain. In the Senate the
bills stipulation that men between 1S
and Is should be liable to the draft
was changed to make the minimum 21
and the maximum 27 The House
voted down all proposed changes in
the Military Committees recommends
tion that the limits be fixed at 21
and 40
These and a number of lesser
amendments will be considered as
speedily as possible in conference, In
the hope that the measure may be
sent to the President for his signature
by the middle of the week.
Gives President Discretion.
Among the more important amend
ments adopted in the House was one
empowering the President to exempt
from the draft, in his discretion, per
sons engaged in agricultural work.
Another would require each state to
according to population, and still an
other provides that "no bounty shall
be paid to induce any person to en-
list" and that no person liable TO
military service shall hereafter be per-
mitted or allowed to furnish sub
stitute for such service"
In the Senate there was a long de-
lbate~ over proposals to prohibit the
sale or possession of intoxicating
liquor during the w1r Several amend
ments were adopted, including one to
make it unlawful to sell Or give liquor
to officers or men in uniform or TO
members Of Congress or other Off
cials, and then the Senate reversed
itself and adopted & substitute simply
forbidding sale Of liquor to soldiers in
uniform and giving the President wide
discretionary authority 10 make other
prob, bition regulations. In the House
{, :.'lllar anAendpent was rejected on
a point Of order.
To Record Volunteers.
An amendment by Senator Curtis
etipu1ating that men subject 10 draft
who voluntarily present themselves
shall be recorded as volunteers was
accepted by Chairman Chamberlain
and went into the bill.
Another long debate was evoked
over amendments by Senator's Thomas
and La Toilette to exempt from con-
scription those having conscientious
objections" to military service. Both
were defeated without roll call, and
the bills exemption proposals left un-
changed.
Many of the more radical amend
ments adopted are expected to be
thrown out in conference, and Ad
ministration leaders hope to restore
virtually all of the important features
of the bill to their original form be-
fore 1t goes to the President The
question of ages probably will form
the biggest barrier to a quick confer
ence agreement