New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-10-31
WHY A BIG ARMY?

niBuS-LSdutlt iuOtihS INT DOudit
Times-Record, does the secretary o.
var ask for an appropriation OF +;
billion dollars a year for military
purposes and a standing army o.
over half a million?: This is a qtes,
ton which is rising to the lips o
Americans all over the republic, an,
which so far has not been satisfac
torily answered" Also commentinl
upon the Administrations efforts tc
increase the armed forces. the Man
kato (Min) Daily Free Press says
Secretary of War Newton ID. Baker
has again urged upon the house com
mittee on military affairs that it i.
vitality necessary to the protect OF
of the country that a permanent
peace army OF 100000 men be es-
tablished.
THE secretary did mot go into any
arguments as to why any army should
be needed if the League OF Nations
put forward by the president As the
one means of preventing al future
wars, were adopted"
Indicating that reliance i, not tC
be placed solely upon a great army
the St. Cloud (Minn.) Daily Journal
Press links the sea force into the
argument by pointing out the efforts
Of Secretary Daniels to increase his
branch of the military. The Journal
says:
"President Wilson. in his eloquen.
If not convincing, arguments for the
ratification of the League OF Nations
covenant, holds out the promise that
the treaty will stop wars. and per-
NIT nations to reduce their fighting
machinery, the army and navy.
"Josephus Daniels, his secretary
of the navy. evidently does not take
the Wilson promises seriously He
is advocating a greater navy, the
most powerful in all the world. Then
there is Secretary Baker who wants
a standing army of half 7 million
men, while Gen. Leonard Wood, who
knows more about military affairs
in a minute than Baker will eve
know, says an army half that SIZE
is sufficient, if this country adopts
the military training of its boys.
"If Wilson believes that the league
viii stop wars. what must he think
of his secretaries of war and navy
who are appealing to Congress for
the biggest navy in the world and a
great standing army? What Jos.
ephus and Baker really think Of the
presidents assertions, is answered by
their recommendations in direct con-
flict with Woodrow's contentious
The Washington Cd. C) Pos IN a
eng editorial on Mai, Gen, W'h';m
l. ,'bert, |. ! A.. who is oppo"tltp
tie Admin'''r on's great army "rp-
gram, says:
Gen. Sibert's accommodations
may be summarized thus A stand
irg army of $4,000, universal mill
tary training, creation of a large re-
serve of civilian officers.
The army suggested by him is
just half the size Of that recon-
mended by the War Department, but
it conforms to the ideas OF Gen.
Leonard Wood and other w~ell-known
officers who have been summoned
before the committee. 1t also con-
forms to the very prevalent belief
that If the system of universal mill
tary training is to be adopted there
is no necessity for maintaining so
large a standing army as would be
required otherwise. In fact, it is
pretty generally believed that with a
policy of universal training the
strength of the regular army need
not be as great by half as it should
be without training
Contrasting our old standing army
mi Al. -aV ln,,,. ,,,t
forward by the Secretary of War
and the militaristic General Staff,
the Moline (Ill.) Daily Dispatch
condemns Mr.. Bakers big army
threat" in the following terms:
Secretary of War Newton ID.
Baker has again urged upon the
house committee on military affairs
that it is vitality necessary to the
protection of the country that a per-
mament peace army of $4,000 men
be established, in spite of the fact
that Major General Leonard Wood
gave it as his opinion that 225,0O
men would be ample. And Baker has
also urged that the league of nations
be adopted AS 1T is NOW, in order
that the size of the army may not
to be much larger than he ask
ed. An army of 100000 men in this
country would be a mere plaything
if the proposed league of nations
fails he told the committee. He
did not explain how the United States
got along before the war with Ger.
many with a force of but $1,000 men
and with no league. With the Ger
menace gone and four millions
Of trained Americans at hand. the
members Of the committee seem to
that such a large army is not
NECESSARY. If the German menace
should occur, it will not be much of
a trick for the United States to get
into action in behalf of civilization
without waiting three years to make
decision. as President Wilson waited
l9l4 to 1917"
IN fact, the general tone of COM
mcnt by the American press upon
the present attempt to foist a great
sanding army upon the taxpayers is
decidedly adverse to the adniinistra-
ion project.