The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-18
March Explains War De-
partment Plan to House
Military Committee
$500, 900 WILL
BE AT THE FRONT
Gigantic Appropriations Asked for Will
Support 80 Divisions Abroad and 10
in This Country-Maximum Amount
of instruction on This Side.

Va 1AotA uSIlOn Ol L L1S oloC.
WASHINGTON, Oct lS-The United
States will have an army of 4,s5O,OOO,
with 100000 in France, the remainder
at home, Gen March told the house APP
preparations committee on Sept. Is, as
revealed in testimony now made public.
During the hearing on the deficiency
bill, he confirmed his statement of last
summer that there would be so divisions
in France and Is in this country. He
also said that the present officer per-
sonnet of approximately $4,000 must be
doubled Enormous sums had been
asked for by the army to pay for its ex-
penditures. Gen. March was heartily in
favor of these He said when Germany
realized that America was throwing
such great sums into the war il would
have great moral effect in the Teutonic
empires.
1T is the best propaganda in the
world" he said, for Germany, because
she cannot keep her people from know
ing that the United States is putting
these billions of dollars into this war.
1t is a concrete, tangible thing, and is
very complete from that standpoint.
They know they are becoming impover-
ished. They know they are getting
down to bedrock. and here is this nation
throwing its whole strength into it.
which Is very fine thing"
I'VE propose" said Gen March, ito
have 4,S5O,00 men involving so divisions
in France, and Is divisions at home. The
estimated status of the army on Sept.
II shows that there are in the United
States l422,76S men; there are in France
or on the high seas, en- route to France
/ los, 431 men; there are in Siberia, ON
island possessions and elsewhere. includ-
ing the Panama garrison and Alas gar
rison, 69.95S men, This gives us for the
entire American army, as well as it can
be estimated today, 3,20l l62 men, That
does not include marines. but the number
of marines turned over TO the army in
France or embarked for there is 1891
I'm drawing up the military program
we have determined, first, the maximum
number of troops we propose to uss
abroad and then the number of troops
necessary to hold in the United State,
to feed into those divisions We hay,
determined the number abroad at 81
The scheme that has been worked
out for the whole fiscal year. of tht
number OF divisions per month that viii
| have to be obtained in order to keeI
the machine going, corresponds quit,
clearly to the number of troops that ",
are sending abroad each month.
! For instance, in July we shipped
abroad six divisions As those division
went, carrying 100000 men, we got from
Gen. Crowder 100000 more men to TAX
their places. In August the same thin,
happened. We were able to ship 81,
divisions abroad in August, and six ney
divisions were organized here. In Sep
TENDER We sent very largely s O
troops. We are shipping or expect t
ship, three divisions of combatan
troops, plus the necessary S o S troop,
and we will form three new divisions a
home
We have already. in entering upo
the program, organized IL new division,
and the scheme is worked out 50 as t
arrive by June 80 TO our estimate of S
divisions. Our estimate of so division
provides for five divisions in Octobe
four in November, four in December, fou