Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-15
So Congress is Denied
Report From Secretary
of War.
TAFT GIVES ORDERS
Is an Official Admission of the
Weakness of Our National
OefenSeS.

Washington, Dec. 15--President Taft
today directed Secretary Dickinson to
withhold from congress entirely MS
report on national defense made in an
swer to a resolution passed by the
house. The refusal by the house to
receive the report in confidence was
the cause of the presidents action.
Is Sent Back.
Washington, d. c.. Dec. IA SEN
sational report from the war depart
ment showing that the country is made
quately protected against invasion from
foreign governments was sent 10 the
house yesterday a secret document
and, after a number of conferences
and hurried telephone messages, was
returned to the war department on the
ground the house could not receive a
secret report.
With 391 members of that body the
contents Of thc report would stand a
chance of leaking ont to the public
Immediately ii. the opinion of those
who conferred on the subject when the
remote contingency Of secret session
of the house was mentioned.
Woods Confidential Report.
Members Of congress who saw the
documeut before its Withdrawal! say
the report Of Secretary Dickinson
points out thar the country is wholly
unprepared: that there is a wocful in
adequacy Of men. of guns and Of am
munition; that the army should be re
organized and that a council of nation
al defense, withNa secretary of war at
its head, should be created by con
gress.
The report of General Wood, which
was marked confidential" dealt with
these matters and gave official admis-
sion to matter that are more or less
common knowledge among army and
navy experts in this country and
abroad. In sact, the real significance
of the document is that it make official
admissions of conditions already well
known among army and navy officers
in this country and abroad.
Cannon Rules Report Out.
After looking into the preCedents
the speaker concluded that there was
no warrant for the reception of the re-
port as confidential communication.
Therefore he returned it 10 Secretary
Dickinson, with a polite letter, calling
attention to the rules of the house
which require all ordinary executive
communications TO be printed.
A recognition of the force of the
word "confidential' marked upon the
document would involve its reference
to a secret session which, the speaker
said, would be a procedure unprece- I
dented for nearly a century and would |,
probably result at once in bringing
about a greater degree Of publicity for
the matter than were it handled in the ,
ordinary course. Therefore he return |
ed the matter to the secretary for such |
disposition as he saw fit to make Of it, !
having in mind the language of the |
original resolution calling for the in |
formation
Wood starfIes Hearers.
General Wood in his testimony be-
fore the house military committee yes
terday furnished some of the most in
teresting information ever given be-
fore that body. He discussed the
whole subject of national defenses,
told where the weak points lay and
laid particular emphasis on the pOssi-
bility of attack from the orient He cid
|
as to danger of immediate invasion,
but talked confdentially of the need,
as prudent and effective act, to take
immediate action to guard against any
possible trouble from Japan or China
Could Take Coast states.
Representative McLachlan of Cali
fornia, the author of the resolution
which brought about the official expo
sition Of the weakness of the military
defenses, said:
"A foreign country could land 200.-
900 troops on the Pacific coast in 80
days, and the only intimation of trou-
BILE would be their blowing up of the
passes, thus preventing Sny
communication with the cast. In the
three states west of the Rocky noun
tains-California, Oregon and Wash
ington-we have 5000 regular troops
and 900 state militiamen. The best
authorities say it would take
years to dislodge foreign troops if they
ever secured a tpothOld Under these
conditions and that it would cost the
United States billion dollars