The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-01-10
"SmaIl Army and Navy" Men
Only Faction With Plans
Made for Fight.
WILL HIT THROUGH REVENUE
nti-MlIitaristic Party Can
Count on G. 0. P. Votes
Against Taxes.

Congress enters this week upon the
second month Of the session and FINDS
itself utterly without a definite idea OF
what II is going to do about national
defense and revenue legislation.
Only one faction on Capitol Hill APP
pears to have IT'S program In shape
that Is the small navy" and small
army" Democrats, who are now about
to make a flank movement on the de-
Tense bills and attempt to defeat them
in a roundabout way even IL they can
not be beaten by direct attack.
This faction, II is learned. has been
holding quite a number of confabs
during the last few days. The small
army and navy men are quietly working
out the strategy OF the situation about
as followA:
Expect Bills To Pass.
I'VE will have n hard time voting
down these army and navy bills because
! the Republicans will vote almost solidly
/ for them. So they'll probably pass. ex-
cept for that continental army plan
of Secretary Garrison.
However, the Republicans will aot
support a Democratic tax measure, and
you've got to have more taxes IL you
thirty of the small navy Democrats
vote against the revenue bills It will put
these defense measures in bad way"
The ant-preparedness Democrats can
count on Republican votes against more
taxes. He Republicans could not well
afford 20 vote otherwise. They will
justify such opposition on the ground
that IL a protective tariff were in effect
F., It would be unnecessary to impose direct
< taxation burdens.
1 The astute small navy Democrats in
/ the House have accordingly to defeat
Indirectly the defense movement by
/ voting against the accompanying reye-
nue. bills. If a score of Democrats join
with the Republicans in opposing the
tax measures. the majority party will
be in the position of voting large appro-
/ prietions for the army and navy t. be
paid out OF an empty treasury. The
/ possible situation is one that Is giving
/ great worry to Administration sup
/ porters.
{ Much OJckeying For Place.
/ Meanwhile there is legislative jockey
I ing for place. When members of the
( Ways and Means Committee are asked
I. when the question of revenue will b..
taken up they reply that the commit
money will be needed by the ApproprIn-
tons committees, including those AN
ding the army and navy bills.
The committee in charge of these
measures are making practically no
progress, and they contend privately
that the defense program lis somewhat
contingent upon the question OF reve-
nnes. Valuable time is being wasted,
and Chairman Padgett. of the House
Naval Committee, rather disugstediy
asserts that lit will be several months
before we close the hearings on our bill,
according to present PROSPECTS,"
Mr.. Padgett's pessimism evidently Is
predlcated upon the filibustering tactics
adopted by the small navy members OF
his committee who retarded the hear
ings last week by asking numerous ques-
tons of trivial nature when Admiral
Stanford was before the Naval Com
mittee.
The situation is further complicated
by the increasing activities of the So
called pork barrer' committees of the
House The Roads Committee has re-
ported good roads bill calling for an
appropriation of SOS, 900 900, and the
Committees on Public Buildings and
Grounds and Rivers and Harbors are
threatening to bring In pork barrels
aggregatng anywhere from $50 200, 900 to
t75,OOO,00O.
Z General Row Coming.
general row among the defense ad-
vOcates. the pork barrel defenders,
and the "smalI navy and army" faction
is forthcoming, and Republican aid may
be expected when the latter group Of
Democrats seek to embarrass defense
legislation by voting against the reve-
nue. bills.
Little Roadway is being made with the
defense program itself. Secretary Gar
rison's appearance before the House
Committee on Military Affairs has not
removed the proposed army bill 1om
the zone of Congressional chaos No
member of the House or the Military
Affairs Committee appears to have a
definite idea of what the army bill will
contain, except there is continued an
tagonism to the continental army plan
OfsSPcretary Garrison.
Even the statement OF Secretary Gar
Ttson that compulsory military training
may follow in. this country ii the
continental army plan fails has not
STIRRED the House membership. One OF
the Democratic leaders Of the House
says Mr.. GaTrisons leaning toward
unproductive of results tecause TIE
United States will never accept the
principle OF such training.
No Militarism Approved.
Nothing that smacks Of militarlsm,"
said this leader, can receive the APP
oroval of the Congress ur the people OF
the United States. No system of mill
tary training could be put through Com
gress with public sentiment ON this
question as IL now is
This Congressional authority " ono
OF the most inildentia, members OF the
Military Affairs Committee and reflects
the present sentiment not only in that
committee but the House.
There is small liiNlihOod OF the ap-
prOVal of the continental army plan AMI
the substitute program adopted prob
ably will be liberal Federal contrihu-
lions for the maintenance of the ma
tiOnaI guard. There Is likewise little
prospect that the special taxes .nen-
be included i'm the revenue bii. The
suggested levies OF gasclene. DRnk
! checks. pig iron, and fabricated steel
are unpopular n, Congress, Indications
now pointing 10 q revision OF the M
| come tax or the sale OF Panama BOMBS
4 ss the basis of supplementary revenue