New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-21
The President and the Hay Bill.

bill had the full approval OF fresiuehI
Wilson. With a modesty and magnarimity
rare on the part Of statesman guiding a
pet project through Congress, Mr.. Hay
went even further in emphasizing the
Presidents personal attachment to this
particular measure Speaking of the Hay
bill or House bill, as it had hitherto been
called. he said: 1T is his President vii
son'sl bill. 1t carries out the recommends
tons he made to Congress in his message
This latest apparently inspired) state
ment Of Mr. Wilson's position deserves
analysis. 1t was undoubtedly made for the
purpose Of smoothing the passage Of the
HAY bill through the House. 1t is subject
TO some discount on that account. Yet 1t
may represent a present state of mind on
the Presidents part, differing from past
states Of mind and likely to differ also
from states Of mind to come.
On one essential point Mr.. Hay and
Mr.. Wilson are absolutely in harmony
Mr.. Gardner hit off the real purpose of
the Hay bill when he said the other day
that it makes a noise like preparedness
Not thunderous noise, but a prudently
smothered noise which will not throw the
racifsts Of the Bryan school into Mysteries.
Like Bottom, Mr.. Hay and Mr. Wilson
want the lion of military preparedness to
roar discreetly and gently. The President
is at heart for the Hay bill because, what
ever else it does, it sticks to the main point
in offering the country an imitation army,
not real army.
Mr.. Hays measure increases the
strength of the mobile army in continental
United States from about 10000 to about
10000. The President was against that
in December, 1914. He was for it in De-
cember, 1915, and he is for it to-day be-
cause it is the smallest increase suggested
IN any Of the propositions for army reor-
ganization now before the country. Mr..
Hay stood with the President year ago
in opposing an enlargement of the army
by a single man or single officer. He
yielded to popular pressure last December
so far as to stand for minute increase IN
the mobile army at home 500 men each
year for four years. But he would not
stand for the continental army favored by
Secretary Garrison and indorsed by Presi-
dent Wilson in the latter's last annual
message to Congress.
The chairman Of the House Committee
on Military Affairs locked horns with the
Administration on the continental army
scheme. Secretary Garrison would not
weaken; but the President soon found it
polite to weaken. Mr. Garrison suddenly
discovered that Mr.. Hay had displaced
him as the Presidents chief adviser on
military affairs. lie had TO choose between
FORGETTING his self-respect and leaving Of
fee. So he resigned. The President was
thus enabled 20 become joint author of the
Hay bill by reversing himself on the CONT
mental army plan and sacrificing the only
man in his Cabinet who had mastered in
any degree the principles in accordance
with which a reorganization Of the army
& accomplish anything be con-
Quoted
The President had TO qualify further for
sponsorship Of the Hay bill by conserving
10 a liberalization" Of the state militia
organizations. This he had not favored in
1914 nor in 1915. Mr.. Garrison, with his
approval, had repeatedly denounced as
chmercial the idea Of depending for ma
tional defence on forty-eight separate state
armies, with officers appointed by forty
eight separate Governors. 1t would, in
deed, be fantastic TO depend upon such
material for first line army, or even for
a second line army. Yet that would be far
less fantastic than 70 depend for military
protection (as the President told Congress
in December, 1914, that the country ought
always 10 depend) on "citizenry" accus-
toned % the use Of arns-what Speaker
Clark, with more hUmor than respect for
high party authority, recently called an
amateur army Of squirrel shooters"
After reviewing these facts, it is possible
70 put just estimate on Mr.. Hays claim
that the Hay bill sis his 1.-THE Presidents
end carries out the recommendations he
made 20 Congress in his message" Except
30 far as it restricts 10 a negligible figure
the increase allowed 20 the regular army,
the Hay bill is still Mr.. Hays. 1t con-
forms rigidly % the theory Of a toy army.
in It's details it is more reactionary even
han the President has been in his recent
speeches or was in his message Of Deem
Der last, when he was still, though perhaps
reluctantly, giving assent 70 views formu-
lated by Mr.. Garrison.
The one thing which stands out in all
Mr. Wilson'S wrestlings with the problem
Of military preparedness is that he has