New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-17
And Even Then, He
Adds, Only at End
of Five Years.
CHAMBERLAIN SEES
FORCE OF 211,0O0
Difference in Opinion of
COnferrees AmuSeS
Capital.
From The Tribune Bureau. J

Washington, May 16.-The full weak
ness OF the compromise Army Bill was
exposed to-day by Chairman Hay Of
the House Military Affairs Committee in
a statement in which he expressed his
exultation in preventing real prepared
ness. The statement was issued after
Senator Chamberlain had attempted 10
put the best face possible on the bill
and had claimed that the full strength
Of the army was 2ll 900 men.
There will be 175,0Oo soldiers and
the rest will be non-combatants," said
Mr.. Hav. But il We ever have 10000
men il will be after FIVE years. In the
mean time there will be abundant op-
portunity for the country's mind to
become normal again"
The printed text of the compromise
bill became available to-day, and was
at once seized on by army officers and
others interested in preparedness. IL
will be subjected to careful scrutiny,
not so much with any remaining hope OF
correcting it's defects as with the idea
OF trying TO make the best possible
out Of il.
Training Unprovided For.
"To my mind its chief weakness is
that under il we shall never be able
to train an army" said one general.
"In the first place the provision Tor
the General staff is far too low. Only
20 officers are allowed for this, which,
in proportion to the size of the army
is less than half what modern practice
has shown TO be absolutely necessary
vhorever war does come our army
will be unprepared in big strategic re-
ouirements, in spite of the best these
few officers can do. This is an increase
Of 1s over our present stsff-and that
staff has not yet, working at top speed,
been able even to go through all the
-onorts which we are receiving from
the European war.
Equally important is the fact that
the military units, especially the in
fantrv. are not to be at full strength,
but third below it. That means that
M captain will ever handle full COM
many. that no colonel can ever see a
regiment AZ il would look in war time
and that we can never have for our
nractice and manpuvre work the full
brigades and divisions which the gen.
erals must learn TO handle, II we are
70 make even a passably decent show
inc IN real war. They have given US the
she'll Of an army-we can no more pre-
mare for war with 1t than man can
learn TO swim in two feet Of water"
Hay.Chamberlain Quarrel.
The quarrel between Senator Cham
berlain and Representative Hay as to
whether the bill really provides an
army or not afforded much amusement
10 the capital to-day. Chairman Hay
has been open in his opposition TO a
real army, and it was chiefly through
his exertions that the militia pork pro-
visions and the government manufact-
ure Of nitrates were retained. HIS
statement, showing his pride in the fact
that he has kept the army weak, fol-
lows in full:
Senator Chamberlain's statement
that there will be 100000 soldiers un-
der the terms of the bill agreed upon
bv the conferrees is misleading. There
will be l75,Oo0 soldiers, and the
remainder will be non-combatants-
medical corps, hucksters, unassigned
men and so forth.
But even this figure is maximum
Continued on page S. column