Evening star., 1935-07-31
ARMY PROMOTION |
BILL IS APPROVED
Bill, After Passing House
and Senate, Is Sent to
President.
BY WILL r. KENNEDY.

RAoAh8SA0h ~ NtoAO "a sAAS AStNOS PAO-
motion list Army officers was on its
way to the White House this after
noon for the Presidents signature.
The Senate today concurred In one
small amendment added by the HouSs,
which passed the bill late yesterday
by o vote of 220 to 90.
The measure provides for regular
and systematic promotion Of Army
officers In the future as well as the
immediate wholesale promotion.
The amendment concurred in by
the Senate changes the effective date
of the act from the first day of the
first month following its enactment.
This amendment represents the sum
total Of achievement by Representative
Hoeppel, Democrat, Of California
who says he served 20 years as an
enlisted man and 20 months as an
ofiicer"-in his attempts to emascu-
late the measure. He called 1t a
grab" bill and an attempt to put it
through by gag" rule.
Laughter Greets Charges.
He called his colleagues ''cowardly," {"
charged they were being driven by an
Officers lobby" and under the whip"
Of the War Department. He tried to
show them that 1t was raid on the
Treasury and discriminatory to the
enlisted man. His fellow members
laughed at him, alternately endeavor-
ing to shout him down.
Representative Thomas L. Blanton.
Democrat. of Texas joined Hoeppel in
opposing the bill and it was he who
forced the roll-call vote, when a
standing vote showed the bill passed
81 to ~. The Hoeppel amendment
regarding the effective date was
adopted, II to a. A series of other
amendments by Hoeppel were howled
down.
This legislation was urged by the
War Department 10 eliminate q
hump" caused by commissioning
thousands of service officers immedi-
ately after the war. an act which
prevented promotions.
Army Members Stress Need.
Members of the House who hold
commissions made earnest speeches
explaining the need for such legisla-
ton. They included Representative
Lister Hill, Democrat, Of Alabama, in
charge of the bill, who was one Of
the provisional officers who first went
overseas: Representative Faddis, Dem
ocrat, Of Pennsylvania, who was q
colonel of Infantry; Representative
Melvin Mas. Republican. OF Mime
sofa, who is Reserve lieutenant
colonel; Representative Plumley. Re-
publican, Of Vermont. who is colonel
in the Reserve and formerly head OF
a military college. and Representa-
tive Hamilton Fish. Republican, OF
New York, who was a major OF In
fantry.
Representative Truax, Democrat, of
Ohio, answered the reference 10 him
self as a chocolate soldier" by saying
that during the war he was raising
hogs and quoting President Hoover as
saying "a hog can win the war"
With Representative Pat Boland, the
Democratic whip, in the chair, and
mittee circulating to keep the wheels
moving smoothly, the crowded CALLER
les enjoyed a good show.
Phillipson Defended.
Spirited response was made to Rep
resentative Hoeppel's charge that Lieut.
Col. Irving L. Phillipson had been
lobbying" the bill through. Repre-
sentative John w. Mccormack, Dem
ocrat. of Massachusetts,, representing
the Democratic majority; Representa-
tive Bertrand H. Smell, Republican. OF
New York. the minority leader; Repre-
sentative Lamar Jeffers, Democrat, OF
Louisiana, acting chairman Of the
Military Affairs Committee and other,
/ praised the helpfulness of Col Phillip
son as an agent of the War De-
partment in supplying them with in
formation they sought.
| There was another fiare-up wher
Representative Dewey Short, Republic.
an. Of Missouri; Representative Pau
Kvale, Farmer-Labor, Of Minnesota
and others resented q statement BY
Hoeppel that members of the Military
Affairs Committee had been assured
o substantial campaign fund in theil
district If the bill passed.
Representative Jeffers. in answering
statement by Representative Hoeppel
that passage of the bill will saddle
$4,000, 900 q year on the taxpayers
pointed out that the promotion plan
really increases expenditures only
100000 the first year, 5000 900 the
second year, $5oo.ooo the third year
and so on. He declared it the best
possible investment for adequate ma
tional defense.
He explained that the bill increases
the number of colonels by 158. the
number Of lieutenant colonies by 364,
and the number Of majors by $50.
Second lieutenants will be carried to
the grade Of first lieutenant after
three years commissioned service and
first lieutenantS will be advanced to
captains after seven more years Of
| commissioned service, or 10 years in
all. The number Of second heutenants
who will be advanced Immediately to
FIRST lieutenant Is 1.057 and the num-
Der Of first lieutenants who will be
advanced to captain is 1,76s. All
officers below the grade of colonel will
be advanced on the promotion list with
an acceleration of from two to six years
and in some instances seven and eight
years to their next higher grades, the
greatest relief being to officers in the
hump" and those following the
hump" As stated by the chief Of
staff, .the heart of the bill is to pro-
vide automatic promotion for junior
officers"