The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-08
SENATOR HALE WARNSCOUNTRY Congress is Headed To-
 wards a Deficit. cRITIcIsEs SECRETARY TAFT Much Money for War, But Noae
 for Peace. After Taking Fling at Party Associates, Motion of Venerable ststesmsn to
 Reconsider Army Apprepria- tIon Bin Is withdrawn.
cRITIcIsEs SECRETARY TAFT

 against increasing expenditures for the military establishment of the United States was sounded in the Senate to- day by Senator Hale of Maine. chair- man of the Committee on Naval Af- fairs. and his alarm was taken up and repeated by other Senators.
 The discussion was based on a signed article printed in The Washington Post today, saying, in effect that Sec- retary Taft favored a Reorganization and an enlargement of the army that would bring it up to 125.o00 men.
 The immediate occasion for Senator Hales speech was the passage yeeter- day of the army appropriation bill, car rying nearly s10o.000.o0o, and he used 1t as showing the tendency of the times.
 Moving to reconsider the vote by which the army bill was passed. Mir. Hale said Senators did not realize that 10 per cent of the revenues of the Gov ernment were today expended for what has been termed the needs of past pres- ent and future wars.
 What Is going on," continued Mir. Hale, without Senators of the country being aware of 1t. are the enormous increases of the military estabifsh- ment to the prejudice of all other ap- propriations and claims. We cannot get consideration of other bills be- cause, as everybody knows, the reve- nues are waning and we are likely t5 be confronted with a deficit, and ir not many more months ahead we shall be found spending more money than comes into the treasuary from the ex- isting and ordinary sources.
 'fWe cannot pass the omnibus appFo- priation bill which has thousands of items that ought to be paid as much as a note at hand; VIC are to have no river and harbor bill. because tw IS peace bill; we can have no public building bill because the military ex- penses are mounting so rapidly that we cannot afford these Items that ars for peace.r
 For Army and Navy.
 Mr Hale recapitula4ed appxopria- tions for military purposes and said every item represented great approprin- tions for the future There had. he said, been an increase of S20.oo0.0o0 " the appropriations for the army and about the same increase for the navy. This. he said, did not represent tue enormous increase" for the navy, as only two instead of four battleships are provided for
 When you build up a navy he de- cIared. you only begin to spend money. You commit the country to repairs and maintenance, making necessary an in- creasing appropriation, and if you go on, we are going to have q naval ap- propriation fin three or four years tnat will amount to s15o.00o,000 annually.
 Senator Gallinger sad the article n The Post today seemed to be inspired.
 Senator Warren, chairman. or the Committee on Military Affairs, said he did did believe that the published plan referred to was inspired.
 MT. Aldrsch suggested that is MAA important In the Senate. and elsewhere among the people who VII oecios aa,as snas question ultimately, that there snould be statement that no such army is contemplated"
 This is the first have heard of the Secretary of War having any such i0e& about increasing the army sald 4t. Warren. This is probably mAtter under consideration in the department. and if has arrived at point where it has been heard of by q newspaper .T hone" said Mir. Hale. resumings "that this enormous, unreasonable and wicked program is not the judgment of the Secretary of War.
 It Is not the judgment or the secre- tary of war"
 MT. Hale declared that any one who talks with the general stan Of the army as senators have done within few days. will be told that the army has got to be doubled.
 Absence of War Secretary.
 That he said, lis the opinion of the chief of the general stan, wno IS inc head of the operating part of Inc army with authority during the pro- longed frequent and necessary abs sences of the secretary of war.
 If this program Is carried out we will hay an army costing S200,000s 900 and nothing short of that will satisfy the army. I hope wherever the secre- tary of war shall be. we shall not ne called upon to make this enormous eNr penditure.s I still have on my mind restdium of hope that the alleged pro- gram for army enlargement is not 70 ha carried out and that the secretary of war has not a program for such sx-' penditures of funds drawn from all the people. .. .,. ttnctive feature of the enormous tn- crsases of the military establishments of inc government to the prejudice and hurt of appropriations that are peacs- ful and which deal not with soldiers and dollars. armies and navies ranks and grades, epaulets and parapher- nalia." .,, islands as a "pestilence' which had contributed to the policy of military exnansion, He said the general stan would not abandon any ''rickty post because of this proposed military eN- nansion The army. he said, looked upon the governments revenues as great reservoir for appropriations and ina naval officers with a few excep- tions, he declared, had the same idea. The navy today. he said. was the sec ond navy of the world, and yet the na- val men wanted 1t doubled
 The navy, he sal~, was now ana would continue to be useless
 MT. Hale said the reason given Tor this enlargement of the army and navy was that the country might have "big war
 MT. Aldrich expressed the hope that the ntterances by the Senator from Maine would have the careful atten- ton of members of the majority who ha said were responsible for legisla- tion
 we have" he said. expenditures this year of s3s.000,o0o in excess of