Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-04-23
BACKERS OF ENFORCED
SERVICE LAW SEE
VICTORY
IN BOTH HOUSES

EkT WEEk-MAY HIT SOME
sNAGs IN LOWER BRANCH OF
CONGRESS.
Washington, D. c., April 23-The
fight to empower the President to
raise an army thru selective conscrip.
ton engages the attention of both
Senate and House today. Altho long
hours of debate are ahead, the forces
supporting the presidents measure
forecast victory for the White House
as soon as the speechmaking can give
way to a vote. They claim that n
Count of Noses" has shown a major
ity OF both houses for the plan.
Tie order of the fight in Senate and
House is reversed The Senate has
before it from the military committee
the army bill in substantially the
form 1t was drafted by the army gen.
eral staff and approved by the Presi-
dent. 1t provides for the increase of
the present regular army and national
guard thru the volunteer system and
then for the raising of the first incre.
ment of the new army of 100000 men
thru selective conscription of men be-
tween 10 and rs years old.
Senator McKellar of Tennessee, is
leading the forces which are working
to overthrow the presidents plan by
authorizing the raising Of the army
by calling first for volunteers and
later resorting to conscription, II the
volunteer system fails. In the House
the enemies Of the presidents selec-
tive conscription plan won out in COM
mittee, so the House draft advocates
hope to restore on the floor the pro-
visions which the Senate maintained
In committee.
In the Senate the debate. which
opened Saturday, was renewed i'm.
mediately after the morning hours. In
the House the army bill has the right
OF way as soon as the conference re.
port on the $1,000 000,0C0 bond issue
Dill is acted upon. 1t Is expected that
the general debate IN the House win
be extended, eighteen hours being the
time agreed so tentatively, before the
measure is thrown open to amendment
and debate under the five minute ruIe.
IN the Senate the greater part of to-
day was expected to be devoted to set
speeches on the measure.
Administration leaders declare that
by the middle or last of the week the
measure will have been enacted into
law in the form the President desires
Washington, D. c., April 2S-r"To
serve and an1wer questions; not to
make suggestions or requests"
That is the attitude of the British
high war commissions now in Wash
lngton. It's members made this very
plain today. Great Britain accepts
the presence of the United States in
the war against Germany as the final
weight to throw the balance on the
side of victory. But it has no desire
to assume to dictate what this coun-
try will do That is for President
Wilson and the officials of the govern
ment to decide, the officials of the
British mission say. They are here
to placed at the disposal of the United
States the results OF three years OF
war thru which England has gone In
the hope that some of the mistakes
made can be avoided
The commission will not get down
to actual act until the arrival in this
city of the French high commission
headed by Former Premier Viyiani
and Field Marshal Joffre. The date
Of the arrival Of the French represen-
tatives is withheld by the State De-
paitment for motives of coution.
a good part Of the present week
is to be devoted by ;he British visi-
tors TO getting acquainted. Former
Premier Arthur j. Balieur, the chief
Of the delegation had lively pro-
gram mapped ont which carried him
thru today and well into tonight,
Roughly speaking among the ques-
tions which the mission will advise
with the United States on are about
as follows:
First, the complete measure Of par
ticipation by the United States navy
in clearing the seas of the German
submarine menace and IN patrollng
certain sections of the ocean against
German commerce raiders.
Second, the manner of the distribn-
tion of the three billion dollar loan
which Congress has set aside for the
benefit OF the enemies OF Germany.
Third the best plan for combating
the German effort to starye Great
Pritain and France and the establish
mpnt of safe sea lanes which will lie