Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-12
Army and Navy News

manent. with troops constantly pass
ing through 1t on their passage to
other quarters. These matters appear
to have been somewhat exaggerated,
but what about the conditions that
Gen: Hartford referred to as very
bad?
This is the camp which was used as
collection point for the debarking
soldiers-that is. the camp to which
the sick and afflicted men who had
been brought over in the transports
were taken or were compelled to
march, This is the camp to which
the men attacked by the influenza
were taken on their arrival; and
some day the officers responsible for
conditions in it then will be held
responsible.
THE House committee on appropria-
tions has completed it's task of
examining officers and officials from
the Army and the Navy in regard to
the unexpended balances on hand of
the huge war appropriations author
lied by Congress and as to the
amounts needed to close up the
war business and support the military
services for the ensuing year. The
committee, its investigation finished,
Is now shaping its report to Congress.
me frank purpose of this action is
10 repeal the war appropriations and
IN their stead to provide such sums
as may be needed for the Army and
the Navy after proper determination
by Congress, In other words, Con-
greSS desires to have O voice in the
armament which the United States is
to maintain; it intends to have it's
say concerning the national policy,
and to prevent the War and Navy
Departments from applying war funds
to the development of military peace
projects which have not received the
approval of the legislative branch of
tho government.
There is no desire expressed to de-
priye the Army or the Navy of any
thing that it really needs for its
maintenance or for the obligations
they Incurred under the belief that
the war was likely to continue. This
conclusion on the part of Congress
may prove somewhat disconccrting TO
some officers who had formed great
plans of military development; but
the facts must be recognized as they
were by Secretary of War Baker
when he told a committee that he had
the money which ne might use for
the purchase of certain cantonments
but he felt that he ought not to spend
the war funds for something not con-
templated until he had secured the
approval of Congress.
The difficulties of the appropria
committee have been very great. Tho
members have found 1t impossible to
read the many contracts which they
would have felt bound to read in
peace times il there had been time,
but a man could not have read them
il he had devoted fourteen hours n
day to the task, to say nothing of
giving them proper consideration
But there was life-and death war
on, and no time to lose If the Army
needed anything. SO, under these
conditions, all the members of the
committee could do was to hear the
officials and officers asking for
money. and. unless the request APP
peared to be quite unreasonable,
grant it. Now conditions are changed
and there is no longer reason for SUCH
haste or such an imperative demand
for war funds.
Requests for deficiency appropria-
tons have been so reduced that it looks
as though funds would be covered into
spirit of unfriendliness in this course
termination that until some other
form the duty placed upon it. Some
the present way of providing the
time will never come when Congress
will voluntarily surrender the in
alienable right Of the commons to de-
raised.