The Washington times., 1919-02-12
c. 0. P. PLANS FIGHT
AGAINST ARMY BILL

Impending Republican warfare on
the S1.117.2 400 Army appropriation
bill which the House was to take up
today may again force the Demo-
cratic leaders to resort to the House
Rules Committee to overcome the
point Of order the Republicans
threatened to raise against legisla-
tive features of the measure.
Apparently undeterred by their
failure to eliminate by similar tactlcs
Daniels bigger American program
from the Navy appropriation olll
passed by the House last night some
Republican leaders declared they serl-
Ously contemplated raising a point
Of order against legislation embodied
in the army bill which affects the
temporary reorganization Of the army
on a peace basis.
To CritIcise War Dept.
While admitting that they had not
yet finally decided a. to what course
they would pursue regarding the
legislative provision for a temporary
army Of 27,57e officers and 5O9.9O9
men for the rehabilitation period-as
such a provision would probably tend
to release from the service thousands
Of officers and men overseas who are
reported to be clamoring for their
discharge-these Republican leaders
strongly intimated that they proposed
TO use the measure as a vehicle for
fresh criticisms of the conduct Of the
War Department and the Army.
Democratic leaders charged that
the Republicans were simply pur-
suing a policy OF delay decided upon
at their recent caucus and that fur
ther efforts Of the Republicans to cp-
pose the Democratic legislative pro-
gram for the less than three weeks
remaining TO the present Congress
would prove as unsuccessful as their
attempt to hold up the Navy bill.
. The Democrats added that both the
army and fortifications appropriation
bills would be passed by the House
during the next few days, irrespec-
tive of any additional attacks their
opponents made on the Administra-
tion, and then the 81, ,OOO, ,OO0, 900 wheat
guaranty and the mineral land leas-
ing measures would be disposed Of.
Two other appropriation bills re-
main for the House to get out OF its
way after Il has disposed Of the army
and fortidcations measures. They are
the General Deficiency and the Sun
dry Civil bills II these can be sue
cesfully disposed OF, Democratic
leaders explained, they will be salts
fed to also pass the Senate bill
amending the Federal Reserve Act
and the House bill relating to the vo-
cational education Of disabled SOL
diers.
Beyond passage Of these bills, the
Democratic leaders admit, they do not
expect much relief from the existing
legislative Jam before the present
Congress ends, especially as new
Liberty Loan legislation asked for by
Secretary Glass is certain to be made
the object of Republican attacks-as
foreshadowed by criticisms Of the
Glass proposal already voiced by Re
publican leaders.
The introduction OF the Liberty
Loan bill proposed by Glass may
hamper the efforts of the Democratic
leaders to carry their legislative pro-
gram through, but several of them
emphaticaIly declared that they re-
garded one accomplishment as GER
tain, that the House would have
passed every appropriation or supply
bill before the present Congress ends
no matter whether the Senate, whose
Republican members are now threat
ening a filibuster against the pend
ing revenue bill, was able to do so by
that time.