Evening star., 1918-08-21
PLANS TOAMEND
MAN-POWER BILL
House Committee Favors
Separate Classification
for Men of 18 to 20.
|WILL REPORT TOMORROW

A favorable report was voted by the
House military committee today on
the administration man-power BILL
with an amendment providing that
youths from eighteen to twenty years
Of age shall be placed in separate
classificatiens 70 he called into mill
tary servics after n,sn from twenty
to forty-hve. ~rsw---~v~.~r,r--.,
Dent provides Hsf 4 s. ikszs q 6ss !
soldier has not reached twei b-one
shall not bar him from comniission.
A section added at the request Of
the War Department provides that
men OF draft age may be sent to col
| ieges for technical. ira ininE in uni
form. without changing their military
status. ~
No vote was taken by the committee
on the Thomas rwork or fight" amend
ment. approved by. the Senate. but it
was predicted the, subject win : be
brought before the House in debate Mt
Provides that workers exempted fronf
the draft on Industrial grounds shall re-
main at work 80 long as physically able
: Give Bill Right Of Way.
The House today at the; opening of
its session adopted a special rule max
ing the bill the order of business for
tomorrow, even to the exclusion of the
revenue bill.
Chairman Sims of the House COM
| mittee on interstate and foreign COM
merce. ,Stn. ..;.n who Is In charge Of the admin
| the setting aside Of the water-power
legislation for consideration of the
draft bin.
Representative Madden of Illinois,
republicaA. was responsible for giving
the draft bill right of way in prefer
ence to the revenue bill. He raised the
point that even the revenue bill should
not be allowed to impede in any way
the passage Of the draft act.
Will Go to House Tomorrow.
The bill will come before the House
for consideration tomorrow, according
to an agreememnt entered into with
the sponsors of the water-power de-
velopment bill. which has the right of
| way. The man-power bill will replace
the water-power bill on the House cal
endar tomorrow, and Chairman Dent
has expressed a; belief that the draft
| measure can be passed in a single day.
The man-power bill also will come
before the Senate tomorrow, when that
body resumes its regular sessions.
with the expectation that the measure
will be passed by Saturday
Vigorous contests, however are ex-
pected in both branches. In the Sem
ate sharp debate is expected on the
| 4work-or-fight' amendment while in
the House a controversy 10 brewing
over the committees amendment to
defer calling boys Of eighteen and
nineteen years a mandatory provision
which Secretary Baker. Gen. March,
chief Of staff and Provost Marshal
General Crowder have vigorously op-
posed. With both Senate and House
committees pledged to lowering the
minimum age to eighteen years If
! appeared the age limits will be fixed
as recommended by the War Depart
ment. s.
Holds a Stormy Session.
Sentiment in Congress against CALL
ing youths found expression in the
House committees mendment. After
a stormy session. in which Represent
ative Kahn Of California led a fight.
which he promised to renew ON the
House floor. to retain tho administra-
tion measures nrovision giving the
President discretiop- to M the order
of calls for all men within the new
draft limits. the COMMITTEES voted o to
to write In an amendment offered by
Representative McKenxie Of ulinois,
republican. providing that all men
twenty years and above shall be called
] before those Of nineteen and eighteen
years, with the eighteen-year-oId
youths to be called last. The amend
ment makes mandatory what Secre-
| tary Baker has Indicated will be the
policy of the War Department.
The Mckenzie amendment reads:
| provided, however, thtt registrants
of the age OF nineteen and not over
twenty shall be designated MS class
l1s and shall be drafted subsequent to
jreEistrants OF the age Of twenty and
over twenty years; and regfstrants of
this age OF eighteen years and not over
nineteen years shall be designated -
Class 49, and shall be called for eerv-
ice l6st: those registrants above this
lcontinued on Second Paee.)
~ Z