New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-22
Troops Couldn't Defend
Thirty-Mile Trench,
Says Former.
MONROE DOCTRINE
AND JAPAN CITED
Military Committee Chairman
Contends United States Is
Safe from Attack.
From IT,, Tribune Bureau

Washington. Jan. n. The House to-
day staged spirited debate on the
army appropriation bill, the hcadliners
being Chairman Hay Of the Military
Affairs Committee and Representative
Gardner. Of massachusetts,. They eN-
pressed widely divergent views over the
preparedness Of this country for war.
Mr.. Hay declared that "the / 1'ted
States is safer from attack tlan sha
has ever been in her history He con
tended, also. that b., manufactures Of
war munitions have a capacity now Of
one million rounds Of rife ammunition
a day, and that Mr.. Gardeners alarm
over the shortage OF men ana ammunl -
ton was totally uniustided.
Representative Gardner ~arne IN
fcrentially against the danger OF
trouble with Japan, aging:
Suppose that Japan wake up some
fine mornin, ana finds that ner poop
ore murmur,ng louder and der tnat
America must treat them rs equals or
they will know the reason why. "u
say the japanese will never be so IN
reasonable. But who knows ! don |
think the wisest Of IA can look very
far into the future nowadays. But "
they do demand equal treatment, what
are you going to do? Admit them y
naturalization; let them swarm hlther
as if they we're Europeans? Never :
my vote. ! hopel Ask some OF the "a
cidc Coast members what they think
about it,"
Must Back Up Monro, Doctrine.
Mr.. Gardner said that the Monroe
Doctrine was useless unless the cOun-
try had the power TO support It. -
the nations Of Central Europe" he sa. l.
"the ..lonroe Doctrine appears like a
flaming sword guarding against their
entrance into the terrestrial Paradise
Of South America. is it TO be supposed
that impoverished nations, teemlng
with population, will respect the Mon
roe Doctrine unless we have the po"t
/ to defend it? You might just as wei
expect hungry hyena to respect IN
defencelessness Of an unprotecte
bone"
Mr.. Hay intimated that pork bar
rel bills had far more attraction 10
him than measures building up IN
army, and declared himself emphati
cally against practically all OF IN
recommendations for army increase
by Secretary Garrison.
Nobody wants war;" he said. Nv
are not going TO do anything 10 brinj
about war, and all this talk of on
not being prepared for war and o
conditions having arisen IN Europ
, which make il necessary for US TO &
into large military expenditures at IN
expense of building up the peaceful
arts in this country, al the expense o
our harbors. of our public buildings. o
our roads and Of all the other actlyi
ties which ought to engage our atten
ton. is to my mind a most unfortunat
position for gentlemen to take.
81 have always been in favor OF
reasonable and prudent course IN get
ting ready for any emergency whicl
may possibly arise. But ! am utterl'
opposed to a large standing army.
am utterly opposed TO adding a singh
man to the standing army as 1t nov
exists. am not in sympathy Will
those who want to add $4,000 men ant
900 officers to the regular army now
What would that cost? 1t would cos
s27 5000 alone, just that, an
would add 10 our military expenditure
s27 .000. 900 a year. There are ways 70
building up the national defence othe
than by increasing the regular army.
The House attendance was large dur
ing the speeches OF Mr.. Hay and MI
Gardner. Cardinal Gibbons sat in tn
gallery, accompanied by Senator Rams
dell and Representative Lazaro, 70
more than an hour during the neat o
the debate.