Evening star., 1948-06-18
House Passes Draft Bill $780,
DELAYS Inductions Until February;
Adjournment omorrow in Doubt
Wutered Version
Faces FiIibuster
Threat in Senate

The House today passed a
skeleton draft bill by a vote OF
2S3 to 1870.
Before sending the measure to the
Senate, where it faces a possible
filibuster, the House watered it down
with these changes:
Tied the Presidents hands sc
that he could not draft any one
before next February at the very
earliest.
Reduced the length of service of
draftees from the two years provided
In the Senate bill to one year.
Made many other changes in the
Senate bill.
Senate to Reject House Version.
The Senate is certain to reject
the House version and send the bill
to conference. There hackers OF
the original bill will make every
effort to bring it closer to the Senate
version, especially by knocking out
the amendment to postpone until
next year any decision on actual
inductions.
Final House action came imme-
diately after the House voted down,
283 to 1875, motion by Representa-
tive Philbin, Democrat. of Massa-
chusetts to send the bill back to its
Armed Services Committee. The
effect of the motion, had the House
approved it, would have been to kill
the bill
The House vote on passage came
with unexpected speed this morning
after Representative Marcantonio,
American Laborite, of New York,
abandoned further delaying tactics.
He withdrew his demand for reading
of the complete text of the bill.
AS soon as the bill had passed,
however, Mr.. Marcantonio made a
last desperate effort to slow down a
final agreement by attempting to
block a move by Representative
Andrews, Republican. of New York,
to get the bill to conference today.
Taft Replies to Taylor.
Mr.. Andrews, chairman of the
House Armed Services Committee,
cot the best of the American Labor
member by moving to suspend the
rules and send the bill direct to
conference. This required a two
thirds vote, which was given by a
voice vote.
Although the bill still faces a
threatened filibuster in the Senate,
acting Senate Majority Leader
Wherry declared Republican leaders
will keep the Senate in session all
night tonight eff that is necessary
to break a filibuster."
The threat of a filibuster came
from Senator Taylor, Democrat Of
Idaho. who is the running mate
with Henry A. Wallace on the third
party ticket,
The Idaho Senator made his first
move to thWart action shortly after
a House clerk formally told the
Senate at 1926 pm. that the House
had passed the bill and asked for q
conference. Chairman Gurney OF
the Senate Armed Services Com
mittee said he hoped for a confer
ence at 2 o'clock and he asked unan-
imous consent to have Senate con-
ferees appointed.
This brought an objection from
Senator Taylor, who few moments
earlisr had been conferring on the
Senate floor with Representative
Marcantonio.
Two-Part Filibuster Seen.
Senator Gurney then moved to
appoint conferees, motion Whlcn
can be carried by majority vote
but with unlimited debate. Senator
TAYLOR indicated he was ready to
speak at length and Senator Gurney
thereupon withdrew his motion un-
til the Senate completed the busi-
ness at hand, a calendar call on
minor measures.
1t was apparent that Senator
Taylor thus will make a tWo-part
filibuster, the first part on the mo-
ton to appoint conferees and the
second part on the conference re-
port itself when it reaches the
Senate.
Senator Taylor's promise OF a
flibuster had brought quick prom
ise from Senator Taft. Republican,
of Ohio. to bring Congress back this
summer to hammer out some sort
of draft law.
, Angry words on both sides of the
Capitol-punctuated by warning
from Secretary of State Marshall
that war might follow retreat from
this country's present line" of secur-
lSee DRAFT. Page A-4l