Evening star., 1918-08-15
With 4,oooyo 900, U. S. Can
Break German Line, Gen.
March Believes.
TO USE 18 TO 45 DRAFT
TO RUSH ISSUE, POLICY
Purpose Of War Department Is to
Concentrate Nations Entire
Strength to Shorten Wat.

N renorting the administration man
bower bnl, extending the draft ages
to tho Senate today Chairman Cum
berfain disclosed that Gen. March had
told tho military committee 1t was mp
to the United States to pot enough
men In France to win the war on the
~est front and had expressed the
belief that 4.ooo.ooo Americans under
ono commander could go through the
German lines whenever they pleased.
5000, 600 in France Next June.
The report also revealed that the
new American war program calls for
eighty divisions. or something over
5000, 900 men, in France by June 80
next year, with eighteen more divi-
.sions in training at home then
All Of the men called for active
service under the proposed new draft
ages-eighteen to forty-hve-Gen.
March told the committee, wouId pc
IN France by next June, accofoins ~
the program. 80.
Immediate extension Of the draft
ages was declared by the Army rep
resentatives to be imperative IN Or
der that the United States may throw
its full strength in the struggle ana
win.
To Force Issue on West Front.
Secretary Baker Informed the COM
mittee, the report said. that the
Presidents policy called for coneen-
tration of American forces on the
that "the theory of the fighting IN tne
future is that we must force tns !,
issue and win on the western front
II the draft ages are fixed at from
eighteen to forty-five, Gen Marcn
said. the system Of volunteer ennst-
In his report Chairman Chamber
lain quoted snteusiaelx from test-
Inony before the eonnmittee 5y ySost secaet
tary Baker. Gem March ana FroVost
! Marshal General Crowder.
Providing Men Is Task.
.The United States government,
Cen. March is quoted as saying, mas
been asked by her allies to embark
upon a program so large that IL was
necessary very carefully TO ascertaih
il or not, and one Of the features OF
this enlarged program was provid1ng
men, The desire of the administra-
tion is to establish limits, both maxi
mum. and minimum, whicn viii &C. &C.
complish this program and at tne
same time disorganize the industries
Of the country as little as possible.
"The policy of the War Department
Ia to put the maximum number OF
men IN France with the idea of short
ening the war We found from fg-
ures furnished by the provost marsnai
general that we could embark on a
program of eighty divisions in France
by June 80. 1913. with eighteen divi-
sist roughly Of 10000 men to a divi-
sion. After prolonged study Of the
available man power OF the United
States the provost marshal general
showed that it was necessary to drop
to eighteen years of age and go TO
forty-five in order to get the men to
carry it through All the men OBJ
tanned under the proposed change In
draft law-approximately 2,300.o00-
we expect to have in France by June
so. 1919.'
Young Men Are Preferred.
Gen. March told the committee that
he was unqualifedly In favor Oh nav
ing the Army composed Of as many
young men as possible Young men
between eighteen and twenty. he said,
not only do not have as many in
cumbrances. but they are better fit
physically.
The President said Gen. March.
resuming his statement, has finally
announced that the American mill
tary policy from this time on Is cen. IN.
have declined to be diverted from
that one thing. The War Department
has now adopted this as a policy, and
it is the policy of the United states
that the military program be centered
in France
THE purpose of America is to fur
nish enough man power to whip the
Germans from now on. The only way
that Germany can be whipped is by
America going into this thing with
her whole strength"
Then America has got to put
enough men over there to whip Ger
many?" asked Senator Kirby.
That Is it in q nutshell" Gen.
March replied
ct Is up to us to win the war and
we can win it. How long it win take
. will depend exactly upon what we do
II we drag along with this thing and
put a small force over there we will
be playing Germany's gamo. It is
my belief that with an American
Army of 100000 men in French un-
der one commander-in-chief we, can
go through the German line wherever
we please" ~
This law" the general added, win
let US lean on clas one until June 80
of next year. We reached the con-
clusion that the enlarged program
/ was necessary on July S0.''
Steps Leading to Decision.
Secretary Baker explained the steps
that led Up to the change in the mill
Z kary program
AFTER the recess of Congress- the
Secretary said, the study of the
situation went on and o few DAYS
ago 1t became clear to us that the
eighty division program was perhaps
) the maximum which we could pcs
: sibly hope to accomplish, and that to
accomplish that 1t would be necessary
TO change age limits from the present
Q limits to eighteen to forty-five."
Secretary Baker said he asked the
surgeon general for a formal opinion
as to what changes he would recom-
mend, to which the surgeon general sug-
gested the ages eighteensto forty-flve
The bill as II Is written meets with
my entire approval" declared Secre-
fary Baker. Asked by Senator John
son Of California, IL he believed the
pending bill was essential to carry out
the purposes for which the United
States entered the war, Secretary
Baker replied:
IT believe that to be the fact. Ny
scwn Judgment about 1t originally was
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