The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-10-15
PROGRAM OF ARMY

CONTINUED from Page One1
exact amount allowed to depend
largely upon the advice of experts now
engaged in discriminating what is
needed.
Reserve Ammunitions.
F'ifth-The laying in of vast supplies
of reserve ammunition.
Sixth-A standing army whose
strength will be a compromise be-
tween the figures of the small army
advocates, who are opposed to any
increase, and the big army forces
that decire army of 200,O 900 to $780,
600 men. The addition of ten infantry
regiments and 46 companies of coast
artillery is now the plan of the admin
istration-
The fact that Chairman Hay is in
substantial accord with the admins
tration program is evidence that there
standing army. Mr.. Hay has con-
sistently opposed such legislation
since he became chairman of the mill
itary affairs committee
His position has been that with an
adequate navy and its isolated posi-
ton the United States did not require
a large army and it is doubted that
his support could be enlisted for such
a program or the original $3.50, 000,-
600 estimate of Secretary Garrison.
Big Citizen Reserve.
Practically all of the increased ap-
preparation is to be apportioned
among four branches of the service
the artillery, the ammunition supply,
the expense of the citizen reserve"
and the added upkeep of a bigger
regular army.
Secretary Garrison is said to esti-
mate the annual cost of the citizen
reserve at s15,OOO.OCO. Chairman
HAYS figures are at least 100000, 900.
Representative Hay is understood
to have told the president today that
he feared it would be impossible to get
$4,000 men each year to forsake their
regular VOcatiOnS and engage in army
training at small pay. He is willing,
however, to give the plan a tryout.
The chairman Of the house commit
tee is expected to insist that the pro-
gram shall include appropriation for
about a score of armored automobiles
which are now being used successfully
in Europe. Certain experts of the
war department are said to he still
unconvinced that such vehicles could
be used successfully in this country
but the bill is likely to contain an
appropriation for them, nevertheless.
Period of Enlistment.
There will be no attempt made in
the forthcoming army bill to change
the period of enlistment in the regu-
lar army.
Secretary Garrison has previously
advocated enlistment shorter than the
four year period but the house COM
mittee has never taken favorably to
Although the subjects had no bear
ing on the conference regarding the
army appropriation bill it is learned
that Representative Hay will advo-
cate at the next session a plan for
abandoning what he believes to be
useless seacoast defenses of the Unit
ed States. Chairman Hay favors the
concentration of seacoast defenses
about the large cities most likely to
be attacked in the event of war
such as New York, Philadelphia, Bos-
ton, Washington, Baltimore, San Fran
cisco and Los Angeles.
Sea Coast Defenses.
The military affairs committee
tanning Qualifications in Maine, South
Carolina, Texas or other states re-
mote from the probable scenes of for
eign attack
The seacoast defense appropriations
which are handled by the appropria-
lions committee is a part of the gen.
eral national defense program which
with Mr.. Hay and other comunittee
chairmen and the secretaries of war
and navy.
No statement was Forthcoming from the
White House OF Chairman Hay today re-
garding the details of the important con-
to be in substantial accord with the nation
al defense program of the administration,
leaving to the future conference the work
ing out of such difference as may now ex-
with an army bill estimated at $1S2 600,
900 and naval appropriation bill of $240,-
of the next session now promise to approx
innate about $420,0O0O00 An effort prob
ably will be made in congress to keep the
amount within $4O0,OOO,OOO.