Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
1S-Year Draft Bill Due
For First Test Vote
In Senate Today
By GEORGE Beveridoe

BY George Beverage
The Senate today faced its first
test vote on new draft legislation,
with the issue revolving around
whether 18-year-olds should be
indicted.
Senators are slated to begin
voting this afternoon on al
amendment by Senator Morse. Re-
publican. Of Oregon. requiring that
1872 years be the minimum conf
pulsory draft age. The Senator
said he would change his amend
ment before the voting starts, to
require draft boards to exhaust
pools of eligible men before cali
ing those under 10, and to set up
a priority for calling the oldest
18l2-year-olds first.
Both these restrictions already
are in the draft bill before the
Senate, which would reduce the
draft age from 10 to 10. The
changes Senator Morse said he
will make in his amendment
would break down one of the
main arguments of his opponents.
Defeat Is Predicted.
Nevertheless, Senate leaders
supporting the 18-year proposal
predict the Morse amendment
will be defeated by a wide mar
gin. They have been lining up
votes in the hope that a strong
defeat would reduce chances of
approval for several other changes
Senator Morse wants to make in
the bill.
The Oregon Senator said he
next will call up an amendment
to keep draft service at 81 months.
The Senate measure would ex-
tend the service to 26 months
and authorize a permanent uni
versal military training program
for the future.
Meanwhile, the House Armed
Services Committee today began
hearing the first of more than
40 witnesses scheduled to oppose
a separate draft bill. Chairman
Vinson predicted committee ap-
proval this week. The measure
would draft men at the age of
1872.
Group Opposes Peacetime UNIT.
Testifying against provisions for
a permanent peacetime UNIT pro-
gram were Donald j. McQuade,
commander of the Catholic War
Veterans; j. T. Sanders. legislative
counsel of the National Grange;
John Swomley, director of the Ma
tional Council Against Conscrip-
ton, and Mrs. William L. Slagle.
of Dayton, Ohio, who testified as
IAN individual mother"
Mr.. McQuade insisted that the
peacetime training provisions be
stricken from the bill, contending
that the present draft act is sufi-
Gent to meet immediate needs.
Also Directing to the UNIT pro-
vision. Mr.. Sanders called for
drastic cuts in induction standards
to increase the draft pool, but
opposed extension of draft service
to 26 months. He also suggested
changes in deferments for farm
yoaths, proposing that, If possible,
they be called for training during
slack periods when their farm
jobs would suffer least. y
Mrs. Slagle strongly opposed the
draft of any one under 10 and
urged that if military service is
authorized for 18-year-olds it be
'co-ordinated with an educa-
tional program"
Taft Backs Time Limit.
Senator Taft, Republican, of
Ohio, said he will urge that
q time limit be imposed on the
draft expansion bill, particularly
in regard to the universal military
training provision. AS it stands,
the bill would not fix any termi-
nation date.
In line with this thought. the
CLIO also called for a two-year
limit on the universal training and
service expansion, in a statement
signed by James B. Carey and
Walter Reuther.
1--WE need not and we should not
adopt as permanent policy a sys-
TEN Of universal military training
and service that, in itself, would
be incompatible with programs of
disarmament and collective Sc
curity" the statement declared.
These appeals strike at the
heart of the Pentagon's demand
that, while the immediate need
is for expansion of the armed
forces, provision must be made for
future security through universal
training. The bills in both the
Senate and House seek to meet
both these goals.
In a television broadcast yes
terday. Representative Short of
Missouri, ranking Republican
member of the House committee,
said inclusion of the training pro-
vision in the draft bill is an at
tempt to force a shotgun we'd
ding"
Selective Service Director Lewis
B. Hershey, appearing on the same
broadcast, strongly Endorsed the
UNIT proposal.