Arizona republican., 1919-01-17
NEN ARNY PLAN PUT OVERUNT|L
 NE:)XI CONGRESS
individuality Of Legislation
 Before Peace Is Recog- nized-Many Innovations Proposed ' Half Million Men Seems Agreed Uni versal Training Must Wait

WASHINGTON. Jan. 16.-The house military committee practically reached an agreement today, in conference with Secretary Baker and General March. chief of staff to postpone the War de- partment reorganization bill until the next session of congress, and with It large part of the prospective debate over the future military policy of the country.
 A suggestion by Chairman Dent that a legislative rider on the army apprO- priation bill. continuing the existing war organization of the department and the regular army for another year be substituted for the reorganization measure, met with the approval of MT Baker, and apparently that of a major ity of the committee members.
 The proposal grew out of confer ence at which Secretary Baker and the chief of staff explained to the com mittee the reorganization measure framed By the department, providing for a regular army of 500,000 men, to be raised by voluntary enlistment on a flat three-year basis. The bill also would have made permanent the ab- solute control over all branches of the army now exercised by the chief ot staff as a wartime necessity. Too Late for Action Chairman Dent said fl would be inn possible to / such a bill through congress in the six weeks remaining of the session. Committee members agreed with him, pointing out that the war department bill on it's face ap- peared 10 be a military policy measure which abandoned the theory of univer- sal military obligation. Mr. Baker in sisted that this was not the case; that no attempt to fix the nations policy as to a peace time army was involved, but agreed that the substitution of contin- uing authority appeared to be the wisest course, in view of the uncer- tainties of the situation abroad and | lack of time for full discussion in con- gress.
 i The exact form of a rider is to be i studied by the general staff. It prob ably will leave the strength of the 1 force to presidential order, within | limits. and subject to appropriation 1 limitations. The committee will take ! up at once hearings on the regular appropriation bill, which provides, as drawn, for 509, 900 men.
 Secretary Baker would make no dec 1 laration in regard to universal military service suggestions, saying he would submit no proposal of that nature until the peace conference had fin ished it's work and the obligation ot the nation could be gauged. He saiC the general staff had submitted severa studies which were still on his desk
 Later, Representative Sanford sough
 to obtain General March's views on thi:
 question.
 Defer Universal Training
 "The question of universal training
 is a question of national policy" saio
 General March. Tt is the duty of the
 general staff to submit recommends
 tions to the secretary of war when they
 are called for. If they do not get b5
 the secretary. they are stopped. The
 secretary has told you that they are or
 his desk
 General March said the army now
 was organized under presidential order
 and the plan included in the staff bil was practically that organization 4
 total strength of 509,000 men is pro. Continued on Page Three)