The sun., 1919-08-29
DENT IN ARMY BILL
RESTRICTS TRAINING
Southern Representatives.
Agree That Negroes Should
Not Be Taught Tactics.
RAISES FORCE TO 100000
New Measure Provides for
Higher Pay for Officers
and More Of Them.
speciai De.patcA to TEE suN.


WASHINGTON, Aug 2s.--strons oppo-
sition among Southern members OF Con-
gress to the universal military training
proposed in the War Department and
Chamberlain Kahn bills for the reor-
sanisation Of the army was evident to-
day when Representative Dent (Ala.),
ranking Democrat on the Military Com
mittee, introduced q bill for the peace
time army.
Mr.. Dent. who opposed the selective
service act as a war measure, COM
pletely eliminates universal military
training from his programme. It Is evil
dent that the bills with this plan In
them will be strongly opposed by the
Southern members on the ground that
II is dangerous to train and arm the
large numbers OF negroes In the South
ern States. Hearings on the reorgani-
zation bills will be commenced by the
House committee next week, and noted
military men, Including Gen. Pershing,
will be called.
Explaining his bill, Mr.. Dent said:
THE bill raises the strength Of the
army from $4,000. as provided in the
national defence act, to 100000. It pro-
vides for sixteen divisions of infantry
and one Of cavalry. The bill. however.
increases the infantry by forty-eisht
machine gun battalions, this being one
branch Of combatant troops Success
fully developed during the war. II In
creases the regiments of field artillery
from twenty-one to forty-eight. and
leaves the cavalry and coast artillery
as constituted in the national defence
act.
Tho increase in the strength OF the
army renders necessary an increase in
the stan corps and bureaus. These are
increased by one-third over those OF the
national defence act, with the exception
OF the Ordnance Department, which In
increased by about one -half. the expert
cnce in the recent war having demon
strated that tho Ordnance Department
was too small. The bill adds to the
army, as defined in the national defence
act, an air service, chemical warfare
service and a tank corps.
I'm order to continue the work Of IN
struction OF the National Guard and the
Reserve Officers Training Corps IN
various schools and colleges OF the cou.-
try. provision Is made for 1,647 de-
tached officers In addition to thoss
authorized by the National Defence Act
Provision is also made to incre ase thu
base pay Of Captains. First Lieutenants
and Second Lieutenants by $500 q year.
The bill also undertakes to amend the
National Defence Act 30 as to provide
that the Chief OF the Militia Bureau
shall be an ofiicer In active service with
the National Guard not below the rank
OF a Colonel.
The recent war developed a number
OF National Guard officers who are capa-
ele OF filling the position Of chief Of
this bureau. and the appointment OF
such an officer would. Il 10 believed. be a
happy solution OF some OF the. dificul-
ties now attending the reorganization
OF the National Guard. The bill pro.
vides for the appointment OF chief OF
this bureau 20 be made by the President.
with the advice and consent Of the Sem
ate. Under the present law the chief
OF this bureau would report directly 10
the Secretary OF War. The bill also
provides the minimum strength OF tfe
National Guard Infantry Company shall
not be less than eighty-f,ve."