The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-04-20
u. S. HAS 100000
RIFLES AVAILABLE
Six Hundred Field Guns Still
Needed, and Factories Are
Busy Making Shells.

Following tho ultimatum to Huerta
| an important conference was held be-
| tween General Wood. chief Of staff
Major General Wotherspoon, assistant
chief Of staff and Gen. Hugh Scott
who has just returned from the Rio
Grande. The conference was attend
ed from time to time by Secretary OF
War Garrison.
| take stock of the material on hand
in the army. and how it could be in
One of the generals at the confer
ence said afterward that as Mexico
was not to make war upon the
United States. but vice versa. there
would be no rush orders sent at once
but that, on the contrary, the War
Department should wait on the ac-
ton OF the President and Congress
today.
It is Understood that at the war
there should be combined resistance
to tho United States by Ca-ranza
villa, and Huerta, an army Of 5Ca,O0O
men would be needed within the first
six months OF the war.
United States Has Plenty of Arms.
To meet the exiEencies of sucn an
army the United States has $50 geo
rifles. with plenty Of ammunition for
that number OF guns for six months.
There will be needed for such an
army 1900 field guns, OF which there
are In stock only 80. with ammuni-
ton only for this numter. In order
to supply the deficiency in field guns
the manufactures of the United
states would have to be taxed to their
limit, together with. the Government
n rnVIa
factories for powder.
whether the United States could
buy powder abroad would depend up
ers.
The quartermaster department re-
OF an increased army would be horses,
mules and water transportation.
IL was stated by competent author
ity after Saturdays conference that the
guartermaster depots at New York.
Philadelphia, and generally along the
coast would be authorized, upon action
by Congress, ito hire an the merchant
vessels they could get and to run them
into the nearest shipyards for CONVEX
sion as transports"
ports on this coast and three on the
Pacific coast. The three on the Pacific
coast could be ready in a month.
Needs Money For Supplies,
The commissary department and the
quartermaster department will not
make any purchase of supplies until
they have the money in hand, because
1t is Illegal to exceed the present ap-
propriations.
The War and Navy Departments ex-
pect Congress to make an appropriation
of at least s25.OO0.0O0 as a beginning Of
the war fund.
The War Department expects to have
to make provision for a first draft of
not less than 10000 volunteers for i'm
mediate equipment. There are about
1900 national militia in the United
States. There are about 1900 Of the
Federal army. including the coast artil-
lery.
These. plus 100000 volunteers. make
total first call for the war OF 35s.0 900
troops.
There Is no question that the plan of
invasion of Mexico. IL ordered by Con-
gress, would be the launching of 100000
of the army from a point on the Rio
Grande, direct to Monterey, and thence
through to Mexico City.
On account Of the lack Of water sup
ply, the War College has decided that
no other route would be practical BILE.
This was decided when Major General
Wotherspoon was head Of the War Col
lege, at which the plans were made.