The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-03-07
GENERAL STAFF ENCOURAGES WAR Senator Hale Takes This Atti-
 tude on Floor OPPOSES ARMY INCREASE Question of Enlarsine the Medical De- partment of the Army Occupies
 Greater Part of the Day
 In the Senate.
OPPOSES ARMY INCREASE

Washington, March 6.-The question of the enlargement of the medical depart ment of the army occupied the major DOT tion of the time of the Senate today. The question arose in connection with the con sideration of q bill for the displacement of contract surgeons by physicians who shall be given the rank of army officers ana the reorganization of the medical corps. Mr. Hale criticised the bill as an enter ing wedge for q general increase Of the army, and said that 1t was part or a general plan of the general staff, which he charged with advancing or enhancing the army's importance In the course or his remarks, the senator from Maine said that the general staff was disposed 10 en- courage an invasion of China.
 Messrs. Carter and Gallinger spoke in the same strain of objection as did MT. Hale, while the bill was defended by Messrs. Warren, Blackburn, Pettus and other senators. The bill was not dis lposed of.
 The only speech of the day on the state 1 hood bill was made by Mir. Long who advocated the passage of the bill as re 1 ported by the committee on territories l Secretary Taft occupied a seat on the floor of the Senate while the army bill was under consideration.
 Joint Conference on Indian Bill. When the Senate convened today Messrs. Clapp, MeCumber and Dubois were appointed as committee to con fer with a like committee from the House or, A bill providing for the settlement or the five ciilized tribes of Indians. The bill providing for the increase or the efficiency of the medical department of inc army was called up by MT. War l ren. and MT. Hale spoke in opposition to | it. He said the bill was one Of many prepared by the general staff or the army intended to accomplish the increase or the army. He did not believe that in view of the present conditions such move ment was desirable, and called special at tention to the state of the treasury as reason why the plan of enlargement should not be entered on. He added a 1 word expressing his conviction that the plan was that of the general staff and not the secretary of war.
 "All of these bills have their root there
 he said q find that this staff dealing with an army of GO,00O men is deporting itself as the general staffs in Europe do,
 whereas in Germany, for instance. there 1 is an army of 100000 or S00,0OO men. While the plans pursued were proper i there, where each country was surrounded 1 by powerful neighbors. il was not proper | here where there was no danger i In this connection Mir. Hale said that
 the general staff had prepared plans for
 the invasion of China by an American army. but he added he did not mean to
 go into the subject, for. with the secre- i tary of state sitting on the lid. do not l believe we are likely to have war
 Brings Tilman to His Feet. ! The last statement brought Mir. Tillman ! to his feet with the suggestion that If ] the secretary of state is sitting on the l lid and the secretary of war is trying
 to pry him off, it will go off, because of ] the greater avoirdupois of the head of ] the war department"
 Without entering into the jest Mir ] Hale replied he was willing to trust the l secretary of war in this matter, notwith- l standing he had transmitted the recom- nendatlons Of the staff. He added the i statement that the staff was taking on i itself the responsibility for the conduct of the war department Ii was' he said,