The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1916-05-10
NOT WAR HORSES
ENOUGH FOR ARMY
Six Months Would Exhaust the
Supply Of Suitable Mounts.
BETTER BREEDING NEEDED.
Claim Made That Farmers as Well as
the Government Would Be Greatly
Benefitcd-Federal Aid Is Extended
In Some Instances to Those Who
Improve Their Stock.

In Some Instances to Those Who
Improve Their Stock.
If the United States should become
involved In war with first class pow
err less than six months after the com
mencement of hostilities we would
have to commence mounting cavalry
and horse artillery on draft horses
similar to those used for large express
wagons and brewery wagons or else on
a type of smaller horse so inferior to
the mounts of our enemy that the dis
advantage would be marked.
! This is the judgment of army heads
after a careful canvass of the entire
country, in which the two most promi-
nent bankers I'm every rural county in
| the country were asked to send list of
the number of horses available for the
mounting of cavalry and field artillery,
the type and conformation of the horse
being carefully specified in the inquiry.
Training Would Be Futile.
If the country should go to war to-
morrow the spectacular horsemanship
and superior training of her cavalry
and light artillery would avail her moth
| ing. She hasn't the horses. Accord
ing to General Aleshire, quartermaster
general of tie army. there are less than
22J,O00 horses available for military
service in the country. This number
would a little more than offer first
mounts to a war strength army. In the
civil war the federal government in
one year-1SGi-purchased and cap
tured nearly 100000 horses, and during
| eight months of that year remounted
the Army Of the Potomac twice. Sheri-
dams troops were supplied throughout
the war at the rate of three remOunts
per annum.
Friction between the war department
and the department of agriculture now
threatens to stop the only effort which
has been made in this country to cor
rect this condition. While known as
the army remount service. the real OBJ
ject is to improve the breeding of car
rage, light harness and saddle horses
types that make the best all round
horse for farm and city-by Offering
tuc ldl htlS Tic llCC use vi thoiouSh-
bred stations belonging to the govern
ment and directed by the department
of agriculture.
In Operation Three Years.
This system. in a most abbreviated
form, has been in practice now for
three years and with every possible
success. Such foals as the United
States requires for remOunt purposes
have been purchased, netting a profit
to the farmer plus the amount usually
collected by the middleman buying
horses for the army under contract, and
offering the United States better
horse at less expense for cavalry or
other mounted military work.
Calling for an initial appropriation
Of 5000, 900 and an annual expenditure
thereafter Of 100000 for a period Of
years. bill for the extension of this
system. introduced by Representative
Thomas j. Scully of New Jersey, Is
now awaiting action by the house COM
mittee ON agriculture. The figures in
the bill represent the estimates made
by experts Of the agriculture and war
departments as to the amount neces-
sary to give adequate force to the plan.
Representative Scully, after cOnsulta-
ton with civilian and military experts.
also has introduced a resolution call
ing upon the house military affairs
committee for an investigation to de-
termine whether the present plan
should be supplemented in any other
way.
Better Horses Only Object.
THE department Of agriculture has
taken the position that the object Of
the remount system is to raise horses
for purely military purposes and that
therefore the system should be direct
ed by the war department" said Mr..
Scully.
1.-THE fact of the matter is that the
war department is asking only the
breeding of horses be encouraged.
which every user Of a horse for any
thing except heavy draft work de-
mands; that the scrub stock of this
country be welded out by the offering
Of pure bred stations to the farmers.
AhC wal department hoPco W pChShI
only incidentally in time of peace, as
the peace requirements in horsetlesh
can very easily be taken care Of. and
in time Of war, when the need of the
war department is the need of the en-
tire country, where will the line be
drawn between the duty of One depart
ment and another?
"The United States, next to Russia.
leads the world in the production of
horsefesh. And yet our horses are now
Of such poor type the foreign buyers
coming over here are able. despite the
desperate need of their country. to pur-
chase horses for military purposes at
about 500 head.
The government stations have been
of four different breeds. selected by n