The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-08-02
War Department Will Lay
It's Plans Before Congress
During Next Week
MILITARY CHAIRMEN
CALLED TO CAPITAL
Secretary of War Baker Predicts That
Revision Will Be both Upward and
Downward 100000 Troops Are Al
ready Overseas.

ready overseas.
WASHINGTON, Aug. War de-
partment recommendations for enlarg
ing the army and for the extension of
draft age limitations in order to pro-
vide new reservoirs of man-power to
back up the forces already at the front
will be laid before congress next week.
Members of the two military commit |
tees have been recalled to Washing |
ton by the chairmen in order to expe- |
dite the bill.
In announcing, following confer
ence with Chairman Dent of the house
committee, that his increased army prof.
ect was virtually ready Secretary Bak
err would not say what age limits had
been settled on, nor indicate in any
way the size of the army which he is
planning
q do not want to say what the ages
win be- he said, 'tbecause the con-
current action of the two houses is
necessary to secure assent to them.
had a conference with Mr.. Dent this
morning and went over with him the
full plan, involving the suggested ages.
IL am to have conference with Sen
! ator Chamberlain as soon as he gets
!, back.
"Any suggestion to extend the draft
ages is to produce in class l an ade-
quate number of men for the enlarged
2 military program If the ages are re-
D vised they will have to be either below
81 or above 81, or both. | think it will
I be both =
5 Chairman Dent was even more ret
= icent, but said he was willing to 90
r either up or down in extending age
3 limits of the draft to win the war.
"My personal preference is to go up
4 first, ?" he added.
The only specific information regard
r ing the new age limits to be drawn
from Mr. Baker was a statement that
e the limits of 10 to 40 had been among
e the suggestions canvassed, but rejected
In many quarters it is believed exten-
d sion to the ages of 10 and SO will be
i recommended.
e There are several features of the
s. draft discussion that stand out clearly
X In presenting the original selective scrv-
u ice bin Secretary Baker and his adj
7 visors fixed 10 as the proper minimum
le and Mr.. Baker has said repeatedly
u since then that he has seen no reason
to change his opinion in that regard
Congress ruled against taking men be
low the voting age of 81, however, anC
sought TO make no the deficit by in
creasing the war department s suggest
Y cd maximum from 26 to 81, where i
now stands.
The reluctance of many members o
t. congress to go lower than a 81 limit j
still apparent, though there is evidenc
of strong sentiment toward earryin,
the maximum up as high as 45. Their
a.. is no doubt, however, that the war de
IS partment would prefer to draw on tn
no classes of 10 and 90 year old youths t
nd fill the ranks, and see no decided mill
en- tary advantage to he gained from an
co. considerable extension upward.
to Secretary Baker has heretofore an
ice nounced that his policy in recommend
ing any change in draft ages would
les TO seek a sufficient number of men t
Ills meet the army 5 needs in such ages a
,ur would least disturb the economic sitna
is. tion at home. The bulk of the me-
tie forces. in his view. should be draw
OF from the youngest class of men phys
eli eallv able to stand the strain of moder
II. warfare
From the purely army standpoint
81 this has been a boys war from I'll
'ie start The quick recuperative powe1
~ OF youth have been vitallv neeessar
~ to the military machine under the strai
~, of modern warfare Older men al
:, slower TO recover and are, therefore, {
md more limited use to the army
,se On the other hand. however, the
are a great number of men who eou
be called out of the higher ages. eve
up to Is. A far greater proportion
men between 81 and 45 have indepen
10 ent incomes than is true with the m,
below 81, reducing the dependents ia
tor for exemption to the extent
Tod As to the size of the army for viii,
this increased class l is necessary,
official has dropped 2 hint. with the G
ception of General March, who in a
ronnein~ the creation of July sche
eau ule of six new divisions, followed
eau an August schedule for the same nu
an Der, has indicated the embarkati
PIC upon such n monthly PROGRAM.
III AZ this rate approximately go O
s 81, men month viii he sent overse:
' ~ their places in the home eantonmer
80 TO be taken by 100000 new men. T
der such schedule, with provision n,
~ existina for the housing and train
20. Of 1850 90 men in the United Stat
, no a full six months of training on II
! of side, both in divisional and rcpla
aft ment camps, before men were sent 0,
mt 70 complete their courses behind /
of lines would be possible.
ker. 1t is not certain that the departmt
,gri- is aiming at the creation of a force
rae any definite size There are now
wards Of 100000 American tros
either overseas or en- route. Secret:
lany Baker said today the shipment rate
the early mart Of July had been ma