The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-18

The Presidents veto of the bill is one of the developments of years of contest between the army and Chair man Hay. The downfall of the con- tinental army scheme and substitution of the national guard reorganization against the recommendation of army officers is attributed to him. Only the force of President Wilson's inter- ference put the regular army incfeass in the new reorganization bill through the House in the face of Hays op- position. Recently, President Will son appointed Hay to judgeship on the court of claims and he now is serving his last term in Congress.
 The war department contends that many features of the army bill were written into it in the conference and never debated, in House or Senate.
 President Wilson's veto message fol- lows:
 -"To the House of Representatives:
 q have carefully considered the bill entitled: An Act Making Appropria- tions for the Support of the Army for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1s17.' and now take the liberty of returning it with my objections to it's approval
 "The bill constitutes an essential part of the legislation providing for the military establishment of the coun- try and wisely and generously pro- vides for the reorganization of the agencies of our national defense, and 1t is with genuine reluctance that delay it's becoming law by suggesting the elimination of one of the provisions, which has been embodied in the very
 fvv,r onf the articles of war which has been added to 1t.
 .sThe existing articles of war are un- tdoubtedly archaic. They have not un- dergone comprehensive revision for more than 100 years. They do not al- i ways furnish the means of meetingt promptly and directly the needs of discipline under modern conditions and many contingencies now frequently arise in the government of the mii- tary forces which were not contem- plated when the present code was for mulated The relations of the gov- ernment of the United States have greatly broadened within the 100 years. We now have insular posses sions and naSional interests far away from our continental shores. Both ]
 
 of discipline have undergone many modern changes and a manifest need Tor such a revision of these articles as is here presented has long existed. I. therefore, the more keenly regret to find in the proposed revision of the articles of war a provision to which I cannot give my approval.
 "The original act establishing the
 es. the personnel therein included as only partially retired and provided ! that a retired officer should be en- titled to wear the uniform of his , grade, should be borne on army reg ister and should be subject to the rules and articles of war to trial by general court-martial for any breach of these articles. By the act of July 24, 1876, officers of the army on the retired list were specifically declared to constitute a part of the regular army, a provision which Is found re- : peated in subsequent acts affecting the organization of the army; and other statutes enacted during this period made retired officers of she army available for certain classes of active duty in time of peace with their consent and in time of war without their consent. By the recently ensct- ed national defense act. the authority of the President over retired officers has been further extended so as 10 make them subject to his call in timo of war for any kind of duty without any restriction whatever. Courts and attorneys general have in a long line of decisions held that officers of the list on the retired list hold public of- flee.
 ''It thus appears that both the leg islative and judicial branches have !
 (Continued on Pags Two.)