The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-06-01
House Unanimous for Great.
est Military Budget in
History Of u. S..
EARLY ACTION DY
SENATE EXPECTED

ASonSwoitu CIlt1ClSeS Lewis speech
In Chicago as Being an Exaggeration
Blow to the Cost Plus Form of
Army Contract.
| WASHINGTON, June Without a
dissenting vote the house passed yester-
day the $l2,O42, 6S2, 900 army appropria-
ton bill, the largest sum ever voted for
the military establishment. The bill now
goes to the senate. The measure went
through on rising vote, and when
Speaker Clark called for the noes he
looked all over the chamber and an
nounced amid loud applause:
Not soul has arisen in the mega
tive"
just before passage of the nation s
greatest army budget Representative
Garrett (Texas), Democrat, a member
of the military affairs committee.
praised the comparison spirit shown in
committee and in the house during con-
sideration of the bill, and added:
by taking this action tonight we
serve notice on the kaiser that this
country is united to a man and that
we re going to get his scalp.'
| Aside from its vast appropriations
the outstanding feature of the army bill
is the grant of unlimited power to the
| President to call out the man power of
the nation within the limitations of the
selective act draft as rapidly as men
can be trained and shipped to France.
Under this authority the President
may raise an army of any size, and
the strength of the army is limited
only by training and transportation
facilities. Secretary Baker urged this
legislation, saying it would have a bet
| ter psychological effect than even an
authorization for an army of five mil
lion men, which was suggested as a sub
stitute plan.
Debate on the bill was expedited on
promise of the house leaders that after
the passage of the measure the house
would adjourn until Monday
During discussion of the bill Repre-
sentative Longworth (Ohio), Republi
can, criticized Senator j. Hamilton
Lewis because of his Chicago speech
| tasserting that a lnillion America ns are
in France Mr.. Longworth said this
was "gross exaggeration. The Ohio
representative did not mention Senator
Lewis by name.
"a member of another body sait
Mr.. Longworth, "is quoted as saying il
q public address that there are now {
million Americans in France, and tha
the American army is as large as tn.
British army.
- trust he has been misquoted, fol
statements like that tend to make tn,
American people believe that we are no
in as dangerous situation as we really
are in. Nothing is worse than that
els not the statement made by tn,
war department last year that thou
sands of our airplanes would be il
France by July of this year responsible
for this tendency to exaggerated sug
gested Representative Kahn (Cal.) Re
publican.
"Precisely,' replied Mr.. Longworth
"and for that reason l am now critics
, ing this continual tendency toward ex
aggeration.'
Representative Caldwell New York
, of the military committee interjecte,
that some Republicans of congress wer
, too free with criticisms.
81 am satisfied that by July A. sal
, Mr.. Caldwell, ave will have 1,000,0
men in France, and that they will be tn
best fighters and the best equippe
fighters in the world. Thank God
, am an optimist.
/, The house adopted an amendment t
the army bill which forbids the use o
stop watch systems on government wor
: paid for from the army budget. Sim
liar legislation has been written int
army and navy bills for the last fou
lyears.
In adopting another amendment t
. the bill the house dealt what is believe
: to be death blow to the cost plus forI
! of army contract. The amendment,
enacted, means that all future army col
: tracts shall be for definite sum.
The army bill carries So, $50, 600, 900
round figures, and additional authorize
e tions for the expenditure of $2,45s,OOe