Arizona republican., 1916-09-29
4 Hidden Provision

The congress in its last session appropriated more than s2OOO0OOOOO for the conduct of the government during the year. Many persons not yet very old can well remember when democratic statesmen and newspapers were mortified the proceedings of republican billion dollar congress- The gigantic ap- propriatons of the late session have been excused on the ground of the great and unusual provisions that have made for the national defense These provisions amount to about s7OOOOOOOO leaving sl 300 900 900 yet for the ordinary conduct of the government
 Yet it will not be forgotten that other adminstra- tions have included in their much smaller appropria- tions something for the national defense It appears therefore that it has cost this administration for the ordinary current expenses of government much more than any of it's predecessors
 The foregoing observations though, only lminary to statement that considerable part of expensive defense legislation has been already proved to be foolshy inadequate The army exten- sion bill. for instance. creates only army on paper and a very large army, either. Yet it is so large that the administration is not able to fill it. Under the provisions of the Hay bill it has been found necessary the payment to postmasters of S5 head for recruits Within the last week two postmasters have claimed this reward for their vices. In most quarters the telegraphic announce ment last week that the government had been forced to avail itself of provision of the army bill received conclusive evidence of the breakdown of the volunteer system which had just failed mserably in Great Britain
 The democratic administration and congress must have been aware that the system would stand the stress they caused inserted in the Hay bill standing authority the president conscrpt That authority conferred in the following language:
 If for any reason there shall not be enough voun- enstments to keep the reserve batalions at the prescribed strength, sufficient number of the ganized militia shall be called into the service of the United States to maintain each of such battalions at the proper strength"
 The N'unorganized militia" it should be under stood. all male citizens with certain exemp- tions between the ages of IS and 45.
 The foregoing clause has been described as a joker" At any rate, in the long discussion of the bill in congress- it escaped general attention. It seemed fit in and harmonze with it's surroundings and did not appear to be in any way more significant than the enacng clause. We who have favored compulsory military training and service entirely of sympathy with the object sought by the clause. We complain only of the stealthy of it's in serton It would have been much to the credit of the administration and congress they had been honest if they had admitted their recognition of the failure of the volunteer system and had courageousy provided for universal compulsory military training and service.
 
 try would hesitate to this obscure purposey concealed provision and f last he should be driven do so. should find after all had filled the skeleton of very small army with untrained It is certain that president will avail himself of this provision in time of peace. If he should do in time war we should face the enemy with ridicuously small army plus the scripts from the "unorganized militia" who had had previous traning-raw recruits