South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-04
Representative AsSaiIS House
Military Committee, DeClaT-
ing it Has Checked Move to
Reveal preparedness" +"
SAYS AMMUNITION AND
ORDNANCE Is LACKING
Declares 634 Modern Field
Guns, Army'S Total Equip
ment, Are Only Enough for a
Force of 127,000 Men.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 4. - "Our
whole field army. militia. regulars and
all would just about garrison Paris.
You have Stunned a real inquiry into
the condition of our army. what
have YOU done what have you in
vesugated %
Rep. August p. Gardner of AIassa-
chusey,s in this fashion today COM
planned 20 the house military commit
tee that the administration had
checked his resolution for an inquiry
into the preparedness of the United
States for war. Turning his verbal
shrapnel upon the small army Mr.
Gardner continued:
There are 29.305 regular Onlteo
States soldiers available for field
army aceording 10 Sec'y Of War Gar
rison. If all OF them were ordered
into trenches they could man a single
line about IA miles long mere are
I1I9.0S1 militiamen or nauohat
a,lardsmen i'm the United States and
there are lust l6 men i'm the United
States reserve. In other words. unli
a new army could be organized, drill
ed and equipped we have just l46,SZu
men To summon TO take the field.
If every one of them answered the
summons they can man "A single llhe
OF tTenCneS ABOUT Do lilAlNH iR+l@f 49,
about two-thirds the circumference %
Greater New York 10y the way.
Have ONLY 631 Field Cans.
we have In our possession only
GA completed modern held suns ane 4
howitzers altogether. Ihat IS - say
we own "A little over hale the guns
which Russia had at the battle OF
Mukden. Yet any ordinary engaEe-
ment of this European war makes
the battle of Mukden look like peace
conference
Gen. Wotherspoon. chief-of-staG
Of the United States army tells us -
his recent report that european
armies average more than i've held
guns for each 900 men. So our 63A
guns would only equip "a modest lit
tie army of l27.00O. To be sure, we
have appropriated FOR more guns but
they are not ready.
Cen Wood tells MS tret 200
rounds of ammunition day lis a fair
expenditure for gun under battle
conditions. so YOU see that our 634
guns can next July be provided with
Just about four days ammunition
apiece. il Sec'y Garrison's hopes are
fulfilled
some weeks ago Mai Gen. Woth
erspoOn. chief-Of-staH. wrote 10 the
secretary OF war. informing him that
for the fun equipment OF an army OF
SOC. 600 men in case of war we are
short 100000, 900 rounds of rife am
munition and l1.O0O.0O00 rounds of
artillery ammunition. OF course, You
gentlemen with your ideas VIII laugh
TO scorn the idea that we might pos
sibly need 500. 900 men in case Of war.
Yet Prest Wilson intimates that
this committee can be trusted 10
make an adequate Investigation.
Complains OF Muzzlc.
you summoned Gen. CrOZler. who
has been chief OF the ordnance de-
partment for 12 years and YOU eX-
tracted from him the admission that
his own work was most commend
able. You did not drive home the
question which / would have driven
home If / had not been muzzled.
why did not YOU follow up the
question OF heavy field guns when you
had Gen. CrOZier on the stand Why
didn't YOU ask him 10 point out why
Germany uses 11-inch guns To batter
trenches If the three-inch guns 10
scatter shrapnel are all that IS need
ed? You know. Mr.. chairman, that
the biggest movable gun in the United
States army is "A six-inCh howitzer
and we have only 81 of them
Rep Gardner engaged i'm several
colloqmes with committee mem bers i
accusing the committee OF not bring
ing ont the whole truth about the
army"
To think that YOU can suppress an
inv estigatiOn of the subject OF nation
al defense is folly Gardner said.
Gardner was especially caustic he-
cause the committee had refused 90
question Maj. Gen. WOtherspOon aud
Chairman Hay rerorted that the COM
mitee was well acquainted wiL5'
WOtherspOOn' views
During a colloquv with Rep. An
thony Gardner stated that "only a
Ounce a few months ago would have
suggested that an Europe would he
al war"
The People Pay
When Gardner declared thar the
military committee should appro-
pirate more than is called Tor in the
estimates submitted by The war de-
partment Rep Quin Of Mississippi
houy retorted
we ought 20 go below the esti-
mates. The working people have got /
10 pay for an this damn fooushness@
That's what YOU think. Gardner
answered. 'but it viii cost the work
ing people great deal more a.hen
IA 81