Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-21
'|L|T|A IMPROVEMENT
IS ADVOCATED'BY HAY
tairman OF House Military Affairs
Committee Says Pay Ma
tional GuardSmen.
POSES COMPULSORY SERVICE
|ould Encourage Enlistment Of
JState Volunteers by Giving 20 Per
Cent of Pay Allowed Regular
|Army-Field Artillery to Front.
Especial to Tho Timos Dispatch. ]

w <nSthl.>' io4N, september su.-Sug-
sting that one way to improve
tional defense conditions Is to pay
cry National GGardsinan Mt least $50
year out OF the Federal Treasury.
d intlmating that the field artillery
'ce ought to be doubled. Reprcsen-
I've Hay, chairman of the House
mmlttcc on Military Affairs. makes
ne Interesting statements In an In
view made public by the National
'urity League. The interview was
-alned by representative Of the
que. and is the first expression of
Hay for publication since the CT
Us to secure adequate preparedness
8 first begun.
hr. Hay. who has seen eighteen
irs' service as member OF the
mmtttee on Military Affairs. has
IN averse to making any statement,
;auee the plans submitted by Score
y Garrison have not yet been con-
cred and made public by the Presi-
8lt' and also BECAUSE the personnel
the now Committee on Military AZ
rs Will not be selected until after
hsress assemblies. In addition 10
:. there will be no less than $40
't-term members in the next House,
1t Is impossible to know a, tho
8ssent time what views they will hold
Hay believes that national defense
!! be one of tho most important sub
IS to be considered by Congress, but
IS that there Will be many views
harmonize before results can be
aimed. While nc does not go into
ais on this point, there is no doub,
~ he refers to the declared posi-
n OF Representative kitch:n, OF
'tn Carolina. the successor Of SEN
-.
mocranc majority. antagon!stic 10
Increase IN tho appropriations for
army and navy. Another point
interest in this connection is the
Il that " Representative F!zcoraid
bEooHlyn. the present chairman OF
Committee on Appropriations. is
cted 10 the tudgcshir, for which
mas been nominated. his successor
II be Representative SwaEar Shcr-
o.; Kentucky, whose views agree
tn those OF Mr.. kitchln.
-EsENT ARMY Is 1000
MEN SHORT OF LIMIT
5r;ehy stated, M.. Hay does not be-
re that Congress vii! tavorahly CON
eF any legislation looking to com
'so-y military service. He points
that there IS n l!nni, to the size
The regular army owing TO the diff
NY OF securing enl!strnents. being
'urcd By recruiting officers that I45.-
!s the highest possible a-urc. and
ing the TACT that the present army
st!!! 5000 men short % the number
owed by law. He regards tho de-
opHent OF the National Guard into
effective reserve force as the w!se.;
p. and would encourage enlistment
giving suardsmcn % per cent OF
pay allowed for the regular army
is particularly impressed with the
portancc ot tho work done by the
q artillery. but does not mention
tst artillery because that feature 81
ense is under the iur.sdic,t o: the
tidcat!ons committee His state
mt In full is as follows:
As the President will have his
Concentrations 10 submit 10 Con
.ss after full conference with The
IDS OF the Army and Navy DEPART
nj. and as tho question OF acting
IN these recommendations will have
be decided by the entire Congress.
have retra!ned from making any
2olic statement as TO my Individual
VS. on tho national defense shall
guided In large measure by the
.sidcnts views. because believe
Is broad enough 10 consider the in
ests OF the entire people ana wise
)ugh 10 submit plans which viii be
cient without adding too largely TO
burden OF taxation. In Congress
there Will be many different views
len must be harmonizcd. because the
mocTat!c majority Is only thirty. 1t
Il be necessary, therefore, to wait
8til Congress can give full consid-
.tlon 10 all matters connected with
8ional defense after II assemblies, in
ad Of predicting now VIVA, ought
ne or what Will be done.
MY OF 100000 MEN
WOULD COST $500, 0OO, 600
81 may say. however, that our pres
standing army is allowed
ength OF 100000 men. About 1900
actually enlisted, The army now
IL us sl?0.oo0,ooo year. The full!
length Of army at i9o, 0a0, in adds
In 10 pay given the National Guard,
uld cost us $4,000, 900. /! we had
900 men. which is said To be as
ny AS can be enlisted. owing 10 the
lands for industrial service. we
8Ud have to spend sl66.o0o,O0 If
had an army OF 50o,0 men
- len some people advocate. II would
: us s7oo.oo0.o00. l do not believe
the people would want that
den. or that they would expect
Sress to impose It upon them.
Their do believe that the American
'Pie want compulsory military SER
heartily agree with the Presi-
It that our citizen sold!ery should
given more attention.
IT might be proper. for instance. TO
courage enlistment in the National
ard by paying its members IS per
Il OF the amount paid to regular
oilers. which would be $50 a year.
which would probably cost us
100000 additional TO the present
ny cost for the first year. 1t may
wise also to increase the field ar
cry. now consisting of six regi-
nts. to twice that number, as the
r in Europe has demonstrated that
is n most potent arm OF the SER
C. 1t should be known, however,
In the past four years more money
been appropriated for field artil-
y and field artillery ammunition
= n In the previous ten years, and
artillery and ammunition are In
crve. AS for officers. 1t should be
20 own that there arc l73 military
ools In this country. which are
ming out 10000 students each wear.
ny or whom would make good Of
RS.
ESiDENT AND CONGREsSMEN
MUST SOLVE QUESTION
do not care to go further into
all at this time. l feel that the
.stion is too important to assume
individual attitude, because my own