The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-02
MIR. DENT ACCUSES THE REPUBLICANS OF MISREPRESENTATION
Takes Exception to State ment Democratic Congress Would Be Composed of
 Rubber Stamps"

Washington, November 1.--Republic- l an leaders were accused today in a statement by Representative Dent of Alabama, chairman of fthe House mili- tary committee, with misrepresenting his war record. The statement of Chairman Hays of the republican na- tional committee, that a democratic Congress would be composed entirely of rubber stamps" is not substantiated by the Congressional Record. MT. Dent said, as also was not that of the re- publican leaders in Congress claiming republicans had more Loyalty supported the President thah had the democrats,
 DENTS STATEMENT
 MT. Dents statement in full follows:
 with no apology for the course I have pursued in the war programme it is only fair and just in the view of criticism that has been directed against me that my position should be cor rectly stated.
 "The draft was settled by Congress as the system by which the army in the present emergency should be raised I never opposed it as a necessary re- sort In fact, the bill I presented at the instance of majority of the mem- bers of the military committee, for of whom were republicans, contained both the volunteer and the draft meth od, thus giving the President the power to use either system or both as he deemed necessary. Contrary to the gen. erai impr ession, due to persistent his representation, the Kahn amendment did not insert the draft in lieu of the volunteer system, but simply struck from the bill the provision for a vol unteer army, thus depriving the Presi- dent of resorting to either or both methods as he saw fit, except insofar as voluntary enlistments were con- tinued in their regular army and na- tional guard as then organized. When the volunteer feature of the bill was stricken out I accepted the will of Con- gress and proceeded to help put it into force and effect.
 SUPPORTED HYBRID PLAN
 After the draft system had been adopted by Congress the so-called Roosevelt amendment was offered to the draft bill, by which the President was to be given power to organize four divisions of volunteers This amend ment it was proposed to give to one man the peculiar and exceptional priv- ilege of organizing about S0,000 vol unteers to be integrated into the draft forces or to disintegrate the same. The present acting leader of the republican minority in the House, MT. Gillett of Massachusetts, and the present chair man of the republican congressional committee, pr. Tess of Ohio, now boast of their loyalty to and applicacy of the draft system. Both supported this hybrid volunteer organization as shown by the Congressional Record of May 12. 1917.
 STATEMENTS UNTRUE
 "The statement issued in reply to the Presidents letter and signed by Senators Lodge and Shoot and Repre- sentatives Gillett and Fess single out the speaker of the House, the demo- cratic leader, Mir. Kitchin, and myself for lack of loyalty to policy of the ad- l in the conduct of the war, ! claiming that the republicans furnished the President better and more loyal support than the democrats. A few days later MT. Hays, the chairman of the republican national committee, is l sued statement criticizing the Presi- | dents letter, asserting that democratic | Congress was desired because it would l be composed entirely of rubber stamps. l This fact, as is shown by the record | discloses how little basis of truth there | is for this contention.
 Tt must also not be forgotten that Mir. Kahn, who is slated for the chair of the military committee of l the House, in the event of republican | success, supported the McLemore reso- lution involving our rights upon the | high seas. and which finally caused us |