The Washington herald., 1918-06-27
1,227,359 TO BE ADDED
IN HALF YEAR, ASSURED
Provision for Heavier Trar
port Of Troops Part
of Project.
AGE LIMIT RAISE PROBABLY
ABANDONED FOR PRESEE
Chamberlain and Baker Asrc
Senator Defending Secretarys
Views Against Republicans.

New and enlarged plans for thc
American army were promised
. Congress yesterday by Secretary
Baker.
Within two or three months, he
told the Senate Military Affairs
Committee, the enlarged program
will be ready, for presentation to
the Legislative body.
A bigger army than heretofore
conceived, with greater provision
for the shipping necessary for its
transportation to Europe, is be-
lieved to be involved
Figures were given the commit
tee showing that I,227,35o men
will be added to the army by De-
cember, S77,359 by the regular
draft, 100000 by recombing de-
ferred classes, and 10000 by
treaties just now negotiated with
Great Britain.
Pending the submission of the
new plans, Secretary Baker per-
suadcd the committee to withdraw
It's support from the Fall amend
ment to the army appropriation
bill, changing the draft age limits
to 20 and 40 years. As a result
of the response of the committee
to Mr.. Bakers request, prospect
OF a change in the draft ages at
this session, at least, dwindled
considerably.
Class One Enough Now.
Following his appearance before the
Senate Committee, Secretary Baker
said:
Il presented to the committee state
ments that for the present there are
enough men in Glass 1 sufficient for
our prospective needs, and when the
enlarged program Of the United
States is ready for presentation to
Congress. we will at the same time
have complete data on which to base
any recommendations for change in
the age limits of the draft"
II Congress must change the age
limits, said Secretary Baker-and Pro-
vost Marshal General Crowder, who
appeared with him before the Com
mittee, agreed-the plan should be to
lower the age limit, to get men
younger than q. rather than men
older than 81. Better fighters, they
argued. would be got in this way, and
% years they discussed as a reason
able minimum limit
Announcement Of fha
decision to follow the Secretary's
recommendation for a postponement
was made on the Senate floor by
Chairman Chamberlain.
Chamberlain Consents.
Personally. said Senator Chamber
lain, he still favored raising the age
Emit, thought he would vote WITH
the committee at this time. With
Secretary Baker and Gen. Crowder
was also Gen. Peyton c. March, chief
OF STAN Of the army. All three gave
assurance that there were enough
men now In Glass to care for the
immediate needs Of the army.
During the Senate debate that fol-
lowed the announcement Of Senator
Chamberlain, Senator Hitchcock de-
clared that the figures presented the
committee showed that before Glass
ls exhausted there will be 145O 900
men in Europe and 100000 in the
United States. This Republican MEM
bers hotly disputed.
"On the most reliable authoritv'
said Senator Wadsworth, he had 1t
that Class l would be exhausted be-
fore September Is. He added:
I.227,sss More by December.
yet the War Department wants us
to wait until that time before calling
more men What's going to happen
in October. November and December?
Sixty or ninety days delay in calling
men may mean the loss Of the war,
1t VIII take that time to make the
prsnsr-'tnas for calling them"
To this Senator Chamberlain re-
piled that. after July 1, S77, $50 men
would be called from. Class /, and
that these would be exhausted by the
New Year. The call will be made as
follows:
August. 10000; September, 10000; !
October. 15O.oo; November, 1900; De-
reber. 12z,ssS; total, S7,3S9.
These figures were submitted in |
CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO.