Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1921-01-18
PRESIDENT WILSON
LIKELY SIGN B ILI
LEADERS DECLARE
RECRUITING WILL BE DIscON.
TINUED UNTIL ARMy RH.
DICED TO MINIMUM
BAKER WANTS MORE MEN
General pershlng of Opinion That
Army of 100000 Enlisted Men
Would Constitute Safety
Margin
ey Associated rrss..

~ Associated Pres.
WASHINGTON. Jan. if.--Congress
voted today 10 limit the size ot the
regular army 10 i7k.oo0 enlisted men.
The senate by a vote Of u 10 80 set
aside It's decision 81 last week tc reduce
the army TO 10000 and then. without
record vote adopted the original joint
resolution ~ Senator New. republican.
Indiana. directing the secretary of war
10 stop recruiting until the army is cut
TO i7s.OOO men.
The house. ten minutes later. adopt.
cd joint resolution sponsored W
Chairman Kahn ~ its mility commit.
tee. also directing the secretary % war
10 cease enlistment until there were
not moro than 1880 enlisted men In
the regular establishment. The hnuss
vote was ?ss Ia 4. only representatives
Rec. Texns. Islackmon. ALaiama. and
Coady. Maryland democratic members.
and cram,on. Michigan. republican,
standing out against the reduction.
The resolution adopted by the two
houses arc almost identical In their
provisions each providing that the
iT5.oo0 limit shall not precent the ~.
enlistment of men who have served one
Or more enilAtIncnts In the military
service. The language of the two
measures. however. differs somewhat
and either the senate OF the house viii
send its resolution 10 conference for
reafranRcment "a.
r Action iB tho Joint conferences conn
mittee Of the two houses 10 expected
% be taken speedily and tho resultant
Measure sent to the president.
The action of the two houses was
taken against the recommendation of
war department heads and General
Pcrshing. Secretary Baker IN appear.
Ing before the senate military afsairs
Committee advised against an army IL
lsss than 100000 men after thes.presrnt
necessity of economy had been reliev.
ed" General Pershins told the SINE
committee that an army Of 20O.Dog
men constituted a safety margin.
The vote In the senate showed that
several senator's. who Inst week went on
record az favoring an army Of iso.o0o
had changed about. placing their sup.
port behpd the i7s,OOO figure. No
reason Tor the change was Announced
but som. senators said privately that
they believed President Wilson would
sign n resolution placing the future
army nj 10000 men hut would not ap.
prove a smaller number.
llcre was no party division In the
senate on the question and the final
votes were taken after an all day hattie
over the question of army size. This
debate was enlivened by a clash be-
tween Senator Phelan. democrat. Cali-
fornia. aud Williams. democrat. Missls.
sippi. over the question of Japaness
aggros-ion. senator Phelan urged
stronger Enrrisoning of Pacifhrf psrts
AMI Senator Williams declared that
JaIan had neither power nor desire
20 fight this country over what may
be- done In California" reeardlns 'shs
JaIEtnese question. fillHlii H
Referring to "a suggestion by Senator
Phclan that disposition Of the island
u zap with It's cable communicated
was delicate problem remaining fnr
adjustment. Senator Williams declared
that I, WAS not a question which wouii
involve America In war
Three fourths Of the senator's don't
knaw where Zap is." said Senator
Williams. "Yc, we're going TO Tap for
a ag army, and zap against tho
Japanese and zap against an army VI
i5O.000."
Chairman Kahn told the house
that while the army reorganization hil
provided Tor 2So.0oO as a maximum.
the army app opriation measure pro:
vided for only i7b.OoO for the current
tiscal year Heavy enlis,ments. he
added. meant largs dcflrit.