The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-11-05
Comes Out Strongly Against
Maintaining Large
Army ~
CRITCISES THE WAR
DEPARTMENT
Says Estimates Are Entirely
Too Large-Three Hundred
Thousand Enough

H.,
in many important respects from the
program recommended by the war
department and the general staff,
General Pershing told the military
committee of congress today. that 300,
600 men raised entirely by voluntary
! enlistment should be he OUTSIDE f:g-
ure considered for q standing army.
He favored universal nciiit.1i1 training
to provide an emergency rescrve .out
thought general educational work
should be combined with it and mill
tary discipline somewhat relaxed"
so that th<. system would be in COM
lplete harmony with democratic in
stitutions. He fixed six months as the
training period.
The department has recommended
an army of more than 100000 with q
system of universal training not en-
bracing the educational feature. Its
Recommendation for training period
was three months.
Departing again from expressed
views of the department the general
declared amy purchasing should be
treorganized in new bureau apart
from the quartermaster corps, and a
separate department Of the govern
,nent should be organized to cc.r,;i-
nate and supervise n.ilitary. naval al
commercial aeronauIics. lie ocpSld-
cred the departments request for 231
general staff officers excessive and
made clear his opposition to any eff
fort by the staff to extend its author
ity into the detailSsf the department
/ bureau and Of the line.
During his day Of testimony before
the two committees which opened
vlserns.of spect az, 3ofnt SESSIONS s1 Hear
! of the army the former commander of
the American eXpeditionary forces ex-
! pressed several times his unfamiliar
ity with the present makeup and poll
cy of the general staff and enphasiz-
cd that he was speaking directly
from his experience in the field But
! he did not hesitate to put into point
ed language his opinions on theSab-
stract questions presented by COM
mittee members.
When one representative asked
whether he approved an apparent ten
dcncy Of the staff to project its con-
troll into details of the line he brought
his fist down upon the table and
isnapped:
L certainly do not"
He was equally emphatic when a
senator asked whether the staff ought
not TO take the military committees
into its confidence about the general
situation in the army:
Il am quite sure of it, he quickly
replied.
Only once or twice did the question
ing lead him into discussion of the
activities of the American armies in
! France. though that is expected to
come IN for more detailed consia>r-
alton before he completes his testi-
mony. Fe will appear again tonor-
row and his statement. which is ex-
pected to be the last heard by the
committees before they begin framing
reorganization legislation may run IN
to next week.
The general said no American con-
bat planes at all had been received
up 70 the beginning Of this wear.
though on January l total of 1.443
American machines OF the obSeEEa-
ton type were on hand; together with
51S1 of various types made in Eu-.
rope. The only American guns which
got in action. he said. We're some
eight inch pieces About ITO Ameri-
can made Is m. m. guns reached
France. but they never were used.
He did not have the exact fisures4oaf
guns and planes at the time of the
armistice. ~
General Pershing also recommended
tilat rank up to and including second
lieutenant be given army nurses: that
students at West Point be required
serve a year in the army or go to- Il
training camp: that the pay of officers
and enlisted men be increased: that
reserve officers be classified and as
signed on paper to definite units; that.
the scope of army service schools. be,
broadened. and that the duties sof
bureau chiefs be prescribed by law.
ana the president empowered TO re-
move them.