Meade County news., 1917-03-08
LATE CONGRESS NOTABLE FOR ITS
ACTS FOR NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS
Provided for Great Increases Navy and for Enlargement and
Reorganization of Army-Shp Purchase, Child Labor and
Other MomentouS Laws Also Passed

h1AAAS -AOul III NOb6lCSot hOW
enacted number of very important
economic laws, it was notable chiefly
for its response to the popular demand
for national preparedness, inspired by
the European war and the danger of
conflict with Germany.
Although ample provision has been
made for Notifications, and authority
has been granted by congress to more
than double the standing army of the
country, the metamorphosis of the
United States from a commercial to
q fighting nation has been wrought
by the naval increases authorized.
The congress now expired has au-
thOrized naval armaments destined to
make Uncle Sam eventually the peer
Of any nation on earth in sea power,
excepting, perhaps, Great Britain.
In the two sessions comprising the
Sixty-fOurth congress there have
been authorized and appropriated for
no less than 118 war craft. Nor is
this all. The first session adopted a
three-year-building program, the con-
struction of which should be under
taken prior to July 1, 1918. This pro-
gram included this allotment of fight
ing ships: Ten battleships, six battle
cruisers, ten scout cruisers, so torpedo
boat destrOyers, nine fleet submarines,
SO coast submarines, one experimental
submarine (Neff system), three fuel
ships, one repair ship, one transport,
one hospital ship, two destroyer ten
ders, one fleet submarine tender, two
ammunition ships, two gunboats.
Naval Vessels Appropriated For.
BY the act which adopted this build
ing program congress appropriated
for four battleships, four battle cruis-
ers, four scout cruisers, 20 destroyers,
30 submarines, and one each Of these
craft: Experimental submarine, fuel
ship, hospital ship, ammunition ship
and gunbOat During the second ses-
sion provision was made for three bat
tleShips, one battle cruiser, three scout
cruisers, Is destrOyers, one destroyer
tender, one submarine tender and IS
submarines.
If the SiXty-fifth congress adopts the
three-year program the remainder of
the units for the reOrganized battle
fleet will be appropriated for next
year. Staggering sums have been re-
quired to meet these demands, the ma
val appropriation for the second ses-
sion of the expired congress alone
amounting to almost a round half-bil-
lion dollars.
So great have been these eXpendi-
lures that the ordinary sources of rev.
enue are not sufficient and a special
revenue measure had to be passed.
Representative Kitchin, majority lead
er and chairman of the house ways
and means committee, a small-navy
man, in drafting the revenue measure
and pressing it to passage through the
house charged full responsibility for
the measure to the advocates of pre-
paredness.
Increase of the Army.
Increases of the regular army and its
reOrganiZations under the national de-
fense act were less striking than the
naval increases. But the regular army
was increased from an authorized
peace strength of 100000 to an author
ized peace strength of 216,000, capable
of expansion in war time to 256,000.
After prolonged agitation for prepared
ness both on land and sea, the consen-
sus of the military experts was that the
United States with its enormous length
of coast line must rely on its fleet to
defend its shores.
In the discussions that preparedness
agitation in congress provoked it was
again and again demonstrated that the
temper of the American people is alb
solutely against big standing army.
Former Secretary Garrison formulated
and laid before congress with Presi-
dent Wilson's approval scheme for a
Continental army to be recruited and
trained under the universal military
training principle. Representative Hay
of Virginia, then chairman of the pow
erful house military committee, Op-
posed the Continental army idea and
substituted for it in the national de-
fense act, the liberalization of the Ma
tional Guard. Mr.. Hay won President
Wilson over to his way Of thinking-the
Federalized National Guard became the
second line of the land defenses and
Secretary Garrison resigned from the
cabinet.
Other Notable Acts.
Although preparedness was the key
note of legislation, the SiXty-fOurth
congress found time also to enact a
ship purchase bill, the AdamsOn eight
hour railroad law, child labor law, a
measure to forbid the immigration of
illiterate aliens, rural credits bill, a
vocational educational bill and an act
reurganIzing the government Of Porto
Rico and extending citizenship to the
islanders.
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