Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-07
WAR AND NAVY SECRETARIES TO
SUBMIT REPORTS TO PRES.
IDENT SOON.
CAN'T IGNORE QUESTION
AND RETAIN PRESTIGE
perienes Of Republican Party-Quss.
ton Of Finance One Of Big Prob.
iems-consress Becoming Suspicious
Especial Correspondence


Washington Sept. 1T is now a
:practical certainty that the admins
tration will place first before the
country and next before congress a
moderate program of national defense
So far has the administration gone
within the short space of year Be-
fore the next two or three weeks are
up the secretary of war and the secre-
tary of the navy will have placed In
the presidents hands their completed
reports and suggestions. Enough OF
the nature of these reports has already
| become known. however. to warrant
! the statement that a fairly progress
sive middle Of the road" course will
be pursued-a course which will at
nor the miltarsts but which will be so
carefully planned as to be capable OF
congressional enactment.
| 1t is evident to close observers OF
| the situation that the administration
| has completely learned the lesson
taught it by the republicans. among
others, who have been for the past
several months calling attention to our
unpreparedness and general lack of a
military policy. For time 1t seemed
possible that the administration would
SO far ignore the Importance of this
question as TO allow its opponents TO
make capital out of democratic inabil
| ity to appreciate a national need; but
that time has passed and President
Wilson has now on his hands the
somewhat delicate task of adjusting,
compromising, alisning and justifying
differences of opinion within the ranks
of his own crowd. This is the kind
of work with which he is very familiar
and in the confirmation Of which he
has been usually successful. Those
who are looking long way ahead say
that with the Presidents mind made
up and as 1t were modified on this
single track" there can be no doubt
whatever OF the result Both the army
and navy will be materially strength
ened by the congress which is due to
begin its sessions in December The
only questions remaining are questions
Of detail.
Congress Grows Suspicious.
1t is OF course too early to discuss
the question of details of the army
and navy appropriation bills, and they
are matters of the highest Importance.
There has always been an unfortunate
~ large amount of friction between the
permanent military and naval estab-
lishments and the transitory members
of congress who receive recommended
tons from the executive departments.
In both house and senate there is a
strong element that is Enthusiastically
very suspicious of the opinions of army
and navy officials. To certain extent
| it is unquestionably true that the
European war has tended to quiet this
suspicion and to force from congress
a greater amount of respect than usual
for the trained men whose duty it is
to maintain the national defenses. The
little navy men, the big navy men, the
advocates OF abolishing the army posts
| in the navy yard, the pork barrel pol
| iticians, the congressman and senators
who more or less directly represent
makers of munitions of war-all these
elements will meet and clash and fur
nish life and color to the debates of
the winter session. Unless the adj
ministration shall receive imperative
popular support for the essential de-
tails of its program of national de-
fense there is very grave danger that
the conflicting interests in congress
Will materially damage the program.
| Money a Critical Question.
! How TO raise money for the increased
defenses Of the nation is of course q
critical matter One cabinet officer
who has pronounced views upon the
| hy,f al
name to be used in connection there
with, is of the opinion that the nee
essary millions can be raised by eco
nomics within the federal service. In
conversation this morning this cabinet
member declared that in his opinion
s150,0O0,00O could be saved by admin
istrative economists-a sum exactly
half that calculated by the late Sen
ator Aldrich, Of Rhode Island. In or
der to assist congress to economic
| this member Of the presidents official
family suggests the elimination from
! the public buildings committee, the
rivers and harbors committee, the ma
val affairs committee, and the military
affairs committee of those members
whose districts are directly affected by
appropriations. Place the control of
these committees, was his argument,
in the hands of men whose political
existence is not at all affected by what
the committees do. and each commit
tee would turn out legislation free
from the waste of graft and pork.
Such reform, however, is not ia
be effected mediately, so that Presi-
dent Wilson and his advisers still have
before them the question of raising
money to foot the bills for arming the
jcountry by land and by sea- This
pressing need OF funds is Of course no.
emphasized by the administration anG
for obvious reasons The difficulty
thus presented is nevertheless a very