The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-16
HARDING' LETTER SWINGS TIDE FOR
 'BIG ARMY BILL
Amendment Increasing Enlist ed Force From 67,000 to 86,000 Put Through.
 Votes to Spare
By Associated Presn

Washington, April 15.-With nearly 50 votes to spare, 'big navy" men put through the House today. by vote of TIT to 130, an amend ment to the 1923 naval bill, increas- ing the enlisted force from 67,0o0 to 86,000.
 Shot at from all sides, the bill. as framed by the appropriations con- mitte and opposed by President Hard ing, wabbled at times like a fraiI eraft--then went down by the head. There are other sections, of course. 10 be taken up next week, but the DIS light was on the enlisted provt- sion.
 The vote today was in committees or the whole. When the measure reaches the House proper demand VIII De Tn order for recorded vote, but the wide margin by which the amendment won, means, according to most leaders. that the result win stand.
 some administration leaders assert ed tonight that the letter presented yesterday from the President urging that the force be not reduced below s6.000 swung the tide in favor of the amendment which was offered jointly by Representative Macarthur, oregon and Ware, Pennsylvania, both repub- | licans.
 Takes Defeat With Smile
 Fighting to the last, holding his ground through four solid hours Of debate, Representative Kelley of Michigan, in charge of the pill. took the defeat with a smile when a roar, rising and growing. swept the cham Der as the march of members down l the aisle for man n-to-man count showed that the amendment had won. l When the moment came for vote on the s6,o00 amendment the question was put and there was a loud shout of ayes and even louder shout Of noes. No presiding officer could have decided which sIde was stronger in numbers. So great was the below of the noes" that Representative Ware, on the winning side, jumped to his feet with a demand for a rising vote. Before this could be called, the whole House shouted for tellers and in moment members were damned at the head of the center aisle waiting for chance to crowd through and be counted.
 Galleries Join TumuIt
 Every seat filled, the galleries join- cd in the tumult. Guards who had v day, let them. shout as they pleased 1 Just before the vote was announced the House halted a moment to permit | Representative Mansfield, democrat, Texas, who has been i'll. to be counted without going through the ordeal of coming down the aisle in the wheel chair in which he has been attending House sessions.
 | Representative Kelley. as chairman of the subcommittee which framed the bill with it's provision for a navy and enlisted strength of 67,Ooo men less than a navy under the arms con- ference treaty,--had the last word in the long debate Half of the House stood as he started to speak. | As the gavel tapped the warning that his time was up. the chairman. swaying away from the point he was seeking to drive home, namely. that | the demand for the increase cana from navy yard sections, exclaimed;
 Let me say this We must not per- init any group of individuals or any combination of localities to throw themselves across the path of the world in the goal of world progress 1 and peace as set by the armament conference"
 Warns Republicans ! Breaking into the debate towards l tile close, Chairman Madden, of the appropriations committee, said fre wanted to warn republicans that if the right verdict did not come today on the vote 1t would come in Novem- her. when they would be forced to explain why they had failed to bring about economy, one of the objects hoped to be obtained by the arms conference. Mir. Madden asserted me Amendment as adopted would add ssO 900 900 in one lump sum to the total of s2s3. 100000 carried In the bill.
 Representative Padgett of Tennes- see, the former democratic Chairman of the naval affairs committee. which formerly prepared the naval bills, made one of the principal arguments for the increase, asserting the efft- ciency of the navy could not be main tained without it. The movement for the increase on the republican side was in the hands or Mir. MacArthur, MT. Ware and Representative Rogers of Massach chusetts.
 After adopting the Ware amend- ment the House, without dissension, adopted one offered by Representa- tive McArthur, increasing from $s3.- 900, 900 to s107 900 900 the amount car- ried for pay of officers and enlisted