Connecticut western news., 1917-05-17
REVENUE BILL
 FACES STRUGGLE
Congress Will Devote All Week
 to Debating Ii.
ROOSEVELT ARMY DOUBTFUL

President to Appoint Him to Even
 Minor Command In France or This Country-Senate Kills Press Censor
 ship Gag and Rejects Plan For War Prohibition of Grain In Manufacture
 of Intoxicating Liquors.
 The war bill will be the business be- fore the house of representatives throughout this week. A hot fight is in store for it.
 Regardless of the nonpartisan char acter of the measure the absence Of partisanship in its framing does not of necessity convey the thought that the measure is popular. Tn fact, there are a score or more groups of legislators who will voice strenuous and ardent opposition to certain of it's principal features.
 l Efforts vii! be made to amend in one respect and another. Sectionalism will | be displayed i'll the course of the de, bate. The proponents of the bill have | their work cut out for them from the start of the general fight in committee | of the whole house on the state of the | Union, which will follow the present season of general debate, until the last | item has been voted upon.
 The needfulness of war revenue leg | islation and the admission of the fact that in the general imposition of taxes every industry and every interest must contribute It's bit furnishes the only two points of agreement among the members of the house.
 Senate Kills Censorship.
 The senate furnished two surprises Monday, one by passing the admins tration's espionage bill by a 77 to 6 vote after five weeks of stormy debate, the other being that 1t eliminated en- tirely the censorship section of the bill and reversed itself on the amendment prohibiting the use of grain or other cereals in the manufacture of intoxicat- ing liquors. The vote was 47 to 37. The senate last week had adopted the amendment by strong majority. | The house taxation experts have not yet had opportunity to calculate exact | ly what amount of revenue this will curtail. But that 1t will exceed $10O,- 100000 In the first fiscal year of the war and a considerably greater sum l thereafter is assured.
 By reason of this curtailment two courses are laid open for the house in framing this revenue legislation. They may increase taxes along other lines, boost the income tax rates, advance the tariff charges or horizontally elevate | some of the other schedules of taxation or they may agree that having framed | bill that is to meet expenses and pay expenses by taxation and permit the bonds to run for longer periods
 Draft Bill This Week.
 Neither course is in line with the wishes of the administration, as un- derstood by the leaders. Nevertheless the amendment to the espionage bill is regarded by men conversant with the temper of the house and the general prohibition sentiment therein as likely to meet with favorable consideration. When the house sends the official copy of the revenue bill to the senate, probably by the last of the week, the | work upon the measure.
 The house having settled the question of the enlistment of volunteer force of four divisions for foreign service, reversing itself and accepting the sen ate's provisions on this point exactly as passed by that body, leaves the fu- ture course of that measure through succeeding conferences and up to final passage much clearer.
 The senate and house conferees in~ serted the original amendment for the volunteer force in the cOnScription bill and reported 1t back to their respective branches The amendment gives the president authority, but does not direct him to call for a volunteer force.
 May Ignore Amendment.
 Thus far no expression of opinion as to the administration attitude on the bill in it's present form has come from the White House. The president, how ever, it is believed, will promptly sign the bill and settle the question of the personnel of the volunteer army's com manders at later date.
 There is nothing in the phrase of the bill, even with the complete acquies- cence of the house in the so called Roosevelt amendment, to compel the army authorities to appoint Colonel Theodore Roosevelt to any military command in the four division force. There is nothing in the bill which can be taken to mean that Colonel Roose- welt has anything to do with the organ iZation