The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-03-24
Are Being Formulated by
the United States
Government
NO MERE PROTECTION
OF MERCHANTMEN
An Aggressive Policy May
Mean Sending Of an
Army Abroad

Washington, ID. c., March 24,-Th,
United States government is getting
ready to put into effect measures of tn,
most far-reaching and aggressive char
1t will not be satisfied with mere at
tempts to protect American merchant
vessels. The preparations will be nc
halfway measures. The program decid
ed upon includes military, naval, indus
trial and financial measures. The ques,
tion of sending an army abroad will be
left for future consideration.
The council of national defense met
to-day to take an inventory of what has
been done in the way of industrial pre-
paredness and to decide if further meas.
ures are necessary.
Broad questions involved were dis
cussed yesterday at long cabinet meet
ing, to which heads of departments car
ried reports on preparations already
made and Others contemplated. Details
are being taken up between President
Wilson and the individual cabinet mem
bers.
Regretfully. the government apparent
ly has decided that since Germany IL
making war upon the United States
through ruthless killing of Americans
and destruction of their ships, the issue
must be met with steps much more far
reaching than mere attempts to protect
individual merchant craft.
III anything is ahead to prevent this it
Ii not now foreseen. Once state of
war is declared to exist, aggressive meas
ures are expected to be taken.
As outlined after Yesterdays cabinet
meeting, the preparations Of the govern
ment are not to be for a short war, or a
war marked by halfway measures.
Nothing il to be taken for granted. A
program has been prepared so
that everything done will be carried out
IN systematic and orderly manner.
The exact measure Of American parti-
cipation In the war is not expected to be
revealed until after the president ad
dresses Congress. and until public senti-
ment crvstallizes. So far as is known
no political alliance with the entente
allies is contemplated, although military
as we'll as naval cooperation ia possible, |
and the government will be unsparing in |
both money and supplies for the allies. |
Whether an army will be sent abroad |
q one of the questions to be left to the /
'utiire. II would take many months to |
rain an army for such service and many
.hings may happen in that period But |
his possibility is being taken into con
liberation, and the government proposes
o be ready for it as soon as practicable.
Detailed plans requiring congressional
ction are expected to be complete when
congress meets April 2. Prior to that
ime the Democratic and Republican
eaders Of the Senate and House will be
ere, and will hold conferences with the
resident and members of his cabinet
'peaker Clark and Representative kitch-
a returned to Washington yesterday.
Conferences on the legislative program
rill begin at the capitol early next week.
ecretary McAdoo, Representative Kitch-
, and, Representative Hull are expected
D talk over the fiscal situation before
ext Wednesday, the tentative date set
Or meeting of the Democratic members
the ways and means committee the ]
avenue raising body of the House. Va ]
ous measures for providing additional
venue are being considered, including '
ne possibility of resort to additional 7
axes on whiskey, tobacco and other spe- I
fic articles. A mass of data relating
} income tax has been prepared by ex-
arts, showing the effect of various pos
bic extensions of the law.
Suggestions placed before the president
ssterday included the possibility of ,
lating loan of s5,000,0oo,0 900 for the
ltente nations. The proposal made by
ov. Harding of the federal reserve board
a recent speech at New York that the d
,vernment lend the allies 81 600, ,000, 900, T.
as thought to be inadequate by some of S
e presidents advisers. b