Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-03-08
OO|NGs Of THE
LATE CONGRESS
Notable for Response to the De.
mand for Preparedness.
AUTHORIZED A GREAT NAVY
Provided Also for Increase and Reor-
ganization Of Army-Some Of the
Momentous Economic Statutes
That Were Passed.

tUdS VCTG TdSeSO. |
Washington, March 5.-The Sixty
fourth congress. which has passed INTO
the annals of things that were, will be
Ion" remembered as the congress
which responded 10 the demand for
national preparedness. While eco
monte statutes Of pi,h and moment
have been written into the law Of the
land, preparedness measures. inspired
by the European war. out-top all other
legislation.
Although ample provision has been
made for Notifications. and authority
has been granted by congress to more
than double the standing arIny of the
country. the metamorpliosis of the
United States from Il commercial to
Il fighting nation has been wrought
by the naval increases authorized.
The congress now expired has au.
thorlzed 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 us war craft. Nor Is
this all. The first session adopted n
three-ycnr-building program, the con-
StructiOn OF which should be under
taken prior to July l. 1913. This pro-
r,o ~, k,,nl,,JnJ 4I;e .31,t,,S oF Nr,1k
Ing ships: Ten battleships, six battle
cruisers. ten scout cruisers, 30 torpedo-
boat destroyers, nine fleet submarines,
IS coast submarines, n experimental
submarine (Nen SYSTEM, three fuel
ships, M repair ship, one transport,
one hospital ship, two destroyer TEN
ders. II fleet submarine tender, two
ammunition ships. two %gunboats.
Naval Vessels Appropriated For.
BY the act which adopted this build
Ing program congress appropriated
for fonr hattieships. -four battle cruis-
ers, four scout cruisers, 20 t~estroyers.
30 submarines, and one each of these
craft. Experimental submarine, fuel
ship, hospital ship. ammunition ship
and gunboa1. During the second ses-
sion provision was made FOR three bat
tlesllips, one battle cruiser, three scout
cruisers, IL d~estroyers. one destroyer
tender. one submarine tender and is
submarines.
If the SiXty-tifth congress adopts the
~threc-yenr program the remainder of
the units for the ~reorganiZed battle
fleet will lie appropriated for next
year. Staggering sums have been re-
uuired to meet these demands. the ma
val appropriation for the secand ses-
sion Of the expired congress alone
amounting to almost Il round llail-bii-
: lion dollars.
So great have been these expendi-
lures that the ordinary sources Of rev.
I cnue are not sufficient and II special
revenue measure had to be passed.
[ Representative Kitchin. majority lead
7 er and chairman OF the house ways
aud means committee. 81 s~mal'-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-.
parcdneSs.
Increase Of the Army.
Increases of the regular army and It's
' congratulations under the national de.
1 Tense act were less striking than tht
: naval increases. But the regular army
u was increased from an authorized
. peace strength of . 10000 Ia an author
u lied peace strength of 216,Vhl, capable
of expansion in var time In $4,000
After prolonged agitation for prepared
ness both on land and sea-, the consen
Sls of the military experts was that thu
! United States with its enormous length
of coast line must rely on its fleet Il
defend its shores.
!. In the discussions that preparedness
. agitation in congress provoked it wa
again and again demonstrated that tn,
temper Of the American people is nh
solutely against n big standing arm!
,re Former Secretary Garrison formulate
Is and laid before congress with Pres
lie dent Wilson'S approval a scheme for
a Continental army to be recruited an
os trained under the universal militar
n, N training principle. Representative Ha
4, Of Virginia, then chairman Of the pow
" erful house military committee, or
!, posed the Continental army idea an
. substituted for II IN the national dc
Tense act, the liberalization of the M
tional Guard. Mr.. Hay o Presiden
70 Wilson Over to his way Of thinking--th
Fcdernlized National Guard became til
second line Of the land defenscs an
N Secretary Garrison resigned from til
cabinet.
IN Other Notable Acts.
Although preparedness was the Ike!
= note Of legislation, the Sixty-fourt
congress found time also to enact
ship purchase bill, the Adamson cigh
hour railroad law, a child labor law.
Y measure to forbid the immigration
lliterate aliens, n rural credits bill.
|, vocational educational bill and IN az
: recognizing the government Of Por,
: !. Rico and extending citizenship to III
, islanders.
The ship purchase bill establishe
a government shipping hoard to q
pervisc shipping matters generally.
appropriated S5O,OOO,0W to be ol
tsinod from tho milo Of Panama Cnnj