The sun., 1919-08-08

throughout a nine months period Of
each year TO the existing camp ioca-
tons for training.
College and technical school students
would 20 TO camp In the midsummer
months OF the calendar year in which
their nineteenth birthday occurred; the
draftees from the cotton States at such
a period as the south's great product
did not require their attention, and the
mon Of the wheat and corn belts at other
times no as not TO interfere with their
side these classes other groups would
go. 1t was planned to bring all into
camp in three periods Of three months
each which would least embarrass their
civilian employments and least inter-
fere with education.
Field Army OF Five Corps.
Gen. March then turned to the cues
ton Of general organisation of the field
army OF the United States as projected,
He said that twenty infantry divisions
and one cavalry division were proposed
as the combat basis OF the field army,
these units being aggregated in i've corps
of four infantry divisions each, with the
required cavalry contingent. The staff
organization of all units. both as to form
and numerical strength, would follow
lines indicated by field experiences In
France.
THE difference between the standing
army Of $4,000 men and the field army
on a war footing of 1.2b0,000 men Is ac-
complished by cutting off ut the bottom"
Gen. March said. He explained that the
company strength of the various units
would be exactly such as to permit of
the assimilation of the men from train
l...- tx.eo h. Eos
out disruption or without creation Of any
new organization in the first field force.
Eve had planned for the maximum
strength under the bill to furnish one full
field army" he said. :.
Under the proposed law the President
will have completely In his power the
whole scheme of assignments and de-
tails OF officers. non-commissloned officers
and men in the fighting, force. 1t was
found that the rigid statutes of the past
forbade Reorganization without Congress
sional sanction, a frequent cause Of de-
lay and embarrassment. The proposed
law made all this more elastic, Gen.
March said.
Frelinehuysen Has Doubts.
Senator Frelinghuysen IN. J.) ques-
toned Gen. March's views as to the
present state of the public mind in re-
gard to adoption OF universal military
training. He said he feared there was
serious opposition to such a plan just
now despite his own support and
acquiescence in the general the
ory of military service. Gen. March
thought the experience OF the country
with the selective draft law had been
sufficiently satisfactory to Justify 1t In
the minds of the people. 80
The substitution of promotion by selec-
ton in al grades except from second
lieutenant to first lieutenant. Gen.. March
told the committee. was an innovation
which he believed would benefit the SER
vice. He said that heretofore all OBJ
lection to the substitution of selection
for seniority had come from the army
itself, but that even in the face of 1t, the
justice OF such an organization and ths
value OF adopting this principle was un
deniabie. Gen. March said that Theo
dore Roosevelt had praised 1t A; that thu
navy already has 1t and that II is ever
now the law In the case Of advances
from field to general rank.
will It not AFFORD opportunity for tn
| exercise of favoritism and the intrusion
| of politics into army organization?
asked Senator Frelinghuysen.
IT think not" replied Gen. March
THE scheme starts from the grade o
second lieutenant. Men OF that grad
hardly can have been said to have foun
their status and seniority will COVER
the first promotion. A Anal board o
FIVE officers UP to whom all recommenda
lions must come will be the Judges o
the officers to be promoted. In tn