The Washington herald., 1920-02-07
DEMOCRATSIN
HOUSESPLIT
Disorganized Over Univer.
sal Military Training.
Will Caucus Monday.

With the badly disorganized DEM
Ocrats in the Senate meeting today
IN caucus to iron out differences
within the party on the treaty res-
Crvations, House Democrats are
equally disorganized over the i'm
portant question of universal milf
tary training.
This. like the treaty. threatens TO
become an issue in the impending
Presidential campaign. Both parties
are anxious to eliminate these issues
from the campaigns the coming
autumn.
House Democrats will meet in eau
Gus Monday to thrash out the mat
ter.
In spite of ell efforts Of Demo-
cratic leaders in the House TO side
track universal training as a party
policy IL is deemed possible that
advocates of the plan may have
their way. but at a cost that such
! leaders as EX-Speaker Champ Clark
and Representative Claude Kitchin
predict will be dear to. the Demo-
cratic party.
Democratic House leaders de-
Clared yesterday that th.y will en-
deavor to commit the party against
compulsory training as a policy. In
/ this way they expect to meet t Q
attitude of Republican leades n
the House who are opposing expa J.
sion of the military forces on the
ground of economy.
Republicans More United.
Republicans in the House ale
more united on this question than
( the Democrats. So far the senti-
men of the Military Affairs COM
mittee. which has been considering
/ the matter. is evenly divided, no
I one having yet been picked t. fill
the vacancy created by the resigna-
tion Of Representative Herald. f
| Oklahoma. Herald was opposed to
compulsory training.
Secretary Baker in his testimony this
week furnished additional ammunition
for the guns of advocates of the plan.
thereby drawing much criticism upon
himself from those Democratic leaders
who feel that the party must not COM
nit itself in favor of compulsory train
ing as a party policy.
/ 1t is felt among Democrats and Re-
publicans alike that there is a we'll
| formulated sentiment throughout the
country against adoption of a policy
of universal military training, espe-
Cially of a compulsory chara cter. This
| is considered to be especially true of
the Middle and Northwestern sections,
This sentiment is reflected to a GER
tain extent. it is pointed out. by the
action of the Nonpartisan League.
Controls Over I,OOO,OOO Votes.
This farmers organization which is
spreading throughout the Northwest,
will control more than loo 600 votes In
the wheat belt territory. and, irrespec-
! tive of party lines, will cast a solid
/ vote against any party that has a
platform or policy endorsing universal
/ training.
| Republican leaders sense the danger
of injecting the Gnestion of compulsory
training. Majority Leader Mondell has
/ privately advised Republican members
i of the House and is understood to have
told Republican National Chairman
Hays that compulsory training would
prove dangerous as an issue and that
issues should be made from national
questions which cannot be deferred.
Mr.. Mondell points out that the for
mutation can be deferred for from one
to two years, for the reason that vet
erans of the great war will constitute
ample protection for this country until
opportunity has been had to make an
extensive study of the whole military
training question.