Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-03-25
SENATE FINDS FUN
Continued from Page One)

discussion there has not been particu-
larly enlightening. House debating
served chiefly to demonstrate sentiment
Of the Representatives. 1t brought out
very little Of value about the merits
Of the various plans. Advocates of a
much larger army have in the main re-
iterated arguments with which the
country Is quite familiar. The divers
defense leagues. and also divers indi-
viduals, have had their own lines Of
reasoning. Similarly, the assertions
that a regular army Of 10000 should
be ample, that the state militias should
be strengthened and federalized and
that preparedness in moderation only Is
demanded by the country are not new.
The Hay Bill
While the Hay bill was brought for
ward as a non-partisan measure and
was. It has been a rallying standard
for Democrts rather than Republicans.
It represents what the Democrats
think the country should have. rath-
err than what the Republicans think,
or outwardly claim, there should be.
1t has been thought that the passage
the Hay act, would still agitation for
army preparedness. Probably 1t will.
But the net result of deliberations In
the House has been to differentiate the
attitudes of Democrats and Republic
cans on this point. Whether Republi-
cas- will regard it good politics to go
into the presidential campaign de-
handing even a larger army remains
to be demonstrated. Certainly it would
not be a strong issue for the interior
states.
Senate and Army Bill
Senate discussion on the army bill
should bring out much information
that is worth while The Senate goes
about matters more leisurely Senators
are apt to study such problems more
closely They also have a freedom of
debate that enables them to contribute
ideas Then the Senate is mailer in
numbers and it is more practicable to
perfect legislation on the floor
AS the proportions Of army legisla-
ton become known in general way
and these proportions can not be es-
timated with tolerable accuracy-con-
gressional interest and probably the
country's interest centers more upon
the navy bill. The Senate will change
| the plans for the army some but many
of these will be changes of technical
Importance which the man in the street
will care little about When it comes to
a clash between Senate and House on
army and navy matters, precedents
show the Senate usually wins a major
portion of it's contentious. Neverthe-
less there will be compromises and ii
is safe to predict that the Senate
bill. which more nearly represents the
| ideas of arm officers as to what the
new army should be. will not entirely
prevail over the Hay bill, which. per-
maps, is more Of an embodiment of
what representatives think the new
army should be.
Army the "Third Line"
But 1t has been voiced much in de.
bate that, after all, the army is only
the third line of national defense. The
navy is the first line; the coast for
tlfcations. with the seacoast artillery
which is part of the army, is the
second line. The navy. for certain rea
sons, Is the more popular military arm
and, presumably, Congress will au-
thorize expenditures therefor less
grudgingly. No one knows yet, in a
very concrete way, what the navy ap-
preparation bill will be but some con-
crete ideas about the forthcoming bill
should develop within the next fort
night For the House committee, after
very thorough hearings that have ex-
tended over three months, is now
ready to formulate
| Navy Indications
| Predictions are made by some older
members Of the Navy committee that
the navy bill will not provide specif-
ically for the half billion construction
program during the next five years
which was so much talked about in
the late autumn. Indications seem to
be that the House. on the whole will
be rather conservative about the navy
It will increase the construction pro-
gram measurably but 1t will make Q
special effort toward equipping the
present battlefield as an up-to-the-
minute fighting unit. Auxiliaries OF
various kinds will be provided. More
enlistments will be authorized. Battle
cruisers will probably be voted. Many
submarines of the most approved type
will be included in the program. When
all these necessities are taken care OF
the additional expense will be mount
ing into many millions Of appropria-
lions and the Democracy, as represent
ed in Congress, will hesitate in the
face Of greater appropriations to cover
five years Of construction work.
The issue, politically, over the navy
will be sharper and more intense. II
Republicans should decide to appeal to
the country that preparedness has
been meager and inadequate, there is
every likelihood that this will be done
chiefly on the claim that there should
be a larger navy.
Weeks q Different Candidate
'Twere better for the Senate In thesI
piping days and, perhaps. also for thu
country Of the upper legislative branch
had fewer presidential candidates. Thi,
does not apply particularly to the East
because there IL only one eastern senator