Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-26
Court Ruling Necessary, Judge
Advocate General Tells the
House Committee.
AMEND CONSTITUTION
BEST PLAN, HE THINKS
Gen. Darlington and Gen. Gorgas
Also Discuss Plans Of Making the
Military Force Efficient.

The House military committee took
up today the legal aspects of the vari-
Gus bills for increasing the army which
are before it. Brig. Gen. Crowder, judge
advocate general of the army. being
under examination. The witness said
he believed Congress had the legal
power to legislate SO as to provide that
members of the organized militia may
be drafted into the federal service in
time of war, as proposed by Chairman
Hay of the committee. but that many
questions certainly would arise which
the courts would have to settle.
He did not believe that a dual enlist
ment system for guardsmen could be
given legal status or that complete
liberalization of the guard could be
accomplished without amendment of
legislated on the theory of law. he
said, that its powers were very closely
limited in dealing with state soldiers.
Fault in the Draft Plan.
A deficiency of the proposed draft
plan, Gen. Crowder said, was that it
would only apply in war time, and gave
the War Department no disciplinary
He pointed out that there was now no
law under which state troops assem-
bled out of their states for maneuvers
could be disciplined. and instanced the
case of guard officer who had become
dissatisfied and left such a camp with
out mourning any penalty.
Neither Gen. Crowder nor Brig. Gen.
Darlington. who followed him, could
give any explanation of the high per-
centage of desertion in the American
ar VIZ I'M n q
natural spirit of restlessness inherent
in all American youths.
Time for Training Troops.
Gen. Darlington believed it would
take year to make an efficient soldier.
but that under intensive training vol
unteers could be made valuable troops
in six months time. He thought no
attempt to provide for universal mill
tary training should be made until
every effort to construct volunteer
army in peace times had been exhaust
ed. But 1 think We will have to come
to it in the end" he added.
The witness repelled any suggestion
that army life tended to create a spirit
of militarism.
Il think there is no class of men to-
day. he said, who are more averse
to any useless or unnecessary war than
are army men,"
Surgeon General Gorgas told the COM
mittee of the work of the Army Medi-
cal Corps, particularly of the curbing
of yellow and typhoid fever through
the efforts of army doctors. He urged
that the commissioned personnel of the
corps be increased by 400 doctors.
Store of Medical Supplies.
Gen. Gorgas said he liked to think"
that the work of the army Medical
Corps had made possible the building
Of the Panama canal. Under the old
French Canal Company, he said, ap-
proximately 25 per cent Of the work
ing force died annually and under the
American government this had been
reduced to six per 1000 or less
The witness said the army now had
on hand reserve medical supplies to
last a force of 100000 men six months.
In case an army of 100000 men was
called out and the country absolutely
cut off from foreign markets, he said,
only quinine and opium could not be
produced in the country, although the
amount of other supplies quickly avail
able would be far from sufficient.
With the exception of the two drugs
named. he added. all necessary articles
could be produced in the United States
"in time"
Gen. Gorgas approved a suggestion
that the government foster manufac-
ture in the United States of drugs now
produced only abroad.