Evening star., 1941-08-13

Uelt had joined Army heads IN
urging ertenSion to preUent dis
integration" OF nelU Army in face
~ dangers he described as much
more grare noU than When Sc
lectiUe Service Act UdS passed
last year. As House nedred DOts
this peek. Secretary OF State Hun
said failure to ertend service
Mould hare "ertremely bad"
psychological effects in tnterna-
ttonal relations.
b. the Associated Press.
Seeking to hurry Army service
extension legislation to President
Roosevelt, Ma jority Leader Barkley
said today he hoped the Senate
would accept tomorrow the House,
approved version of the measure,
which was passed last night by the
hair-line margin of single vote.
Senator Barkley said he was cam
vassing the Senate in an effort to
have a ma jority present tomorrow
for action on the legislation, which
would provide an additional lS
months of service for selectees, Ma
tional Gusrdsmen, Reservists and
enlisted men.
House action came at the end Of
a tumultuous day.
Tempers frayed by the rough-and
tumble debate of l0-hour session,
the Representatives burst into a
roar when Speaker Rayburn ended
the dramatic suspense of the final
roll call with the announcement that
the legislation had been approved by
a record vote Of 203 to 202.
A shouted demand was made-and
granted-for a formal recheck of
the vote 1t disclosed that the first
result was correct.
The vote stands" declared Mr..
Rayburn, "and the bill is passed"
There was more manufacturers.
rebel yells. boos and catcalls. Ad-
ministration forces had won. but
it was breath-t -takingly close thing.
Close Vote Raises Questions
Thus the House Joined the Sem
ate in approving the War Depart
ments insistent requests that Con-
gress authorize selectees. National
Guardsmen and Reserve Army COM
ponents to be kept in training for
total OF 80 months instead of II. and
that it remove the 100000 maximum
on the number of selectees that may
be in service at one time.
Final congressional action bv the
week end on compromise between
the almost Identical Senate and
House bills was expected on all
sides-but the unusually close House
vote raised several questions of pro-
cedure.
The normal course would send the
measures to conference with each
chamber being required to vote on
the compromise version. That would
mean that the administration would
have to run the risk of being de-
feated in the House. but Senator
Barkley expressed the hope that the
Senate might accept the minor
House changes in its original bill,
thereby permitting it to go to the
President without any further House
consideration.
Both bills declare that. since "the
national interest is imperiled." the
President shall have power TO extend
the training periods: that in hard
ship cases" men may be discharged
from service when their release is
not incompatible with the national
defense, and that a $40 monthly
bonus be paid service men in addi-
ton to their regular salary after
they have served their first year.
Dozens of recently indicted young
men were scattered through the
packed galleries during the day-long
House debate. Scores of women
called members off the floor when
the amendment stage was reached
and besought them to vote this way
or that.
The members arguments quickly
fixed on the question of whether the
United States was in such a danger
GUS position defensively that the
extension of service was necessary.
Republicans, leading the opposi-
ton in which a sizable group of
Democrats joined, hammered away
verbally for their contentions-the
Army already was large enough to
meet emergencies, and selectees had
been promised that they would be
kept in training only year.
,ictr H.
answer by pointing to newspaper
headlines.
The Vichy government at this
moment is aligning itself with Hit
ler," shouted Representative John
son. Democrat, of Texas during one
exchange.
And in obviously partisan spirit.
Majority Leader Mccormack chided
the minority party for its 20 months
~ 1i,7f1tIfl1ad bo