The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-15
Billiard and McAndrews Say
Regular Force Of $4,000 Is
Not Needed in Peace.
LESSONS TAUGHT BY WAR
Second Army's Head Tells
Senators Lack of Prepared
ness Was Criminal.
Special Despatch to TIE Sun.

criticism, generally In terms OF modu-
lated appropriation of the War Depart
ment army reorganization bill, charac-
terized the testimony before the Senate
Military Committee to-day of Lieut.
Gen. r. E. L. Billiard, commander of the
Second Army. and Major-Gen. James
, w. McAndrews, who was Gen. Pershing's
chief of stan in the American Expedi-
tionary Force.
| Lieut.-Gen. Billiards. testimony was
| largely a recount of experiences in
France in dealing with the stupendous
problem of recognizing the army in the
face of potent enemy He advanced
ideas Of his own, but he did not dis
agree with the general scheme of the
War Department. Major-Gen. Mean
drews frankly told the committee that
| the regular army of $4,000 men pro-
vided under the bill which Secretary
Baker and Gen. March have sponsored
| In his opinion was too large He thought
| an army of 100000 would be all that
would be necessary after two or three
years of readjustment to peace time
conditions.
| Major-Gen. McAndrews was rejecting
/ it was well understood, the views of
Gen. Pershing. His suggestion of re-
duction of more than 40 per cent in the
War Departments programme for a reg
! ular army therefore was accepted by
the lawmakers as furnishing reassuring
| evidence that the projected outlay of
| $500, 100000 year, which the ambi-
| tious scheme of the Chief of Staff would
entail. might be cut down materially to
the great benefit of the Federal Treasury.
Intensive Training Favored.
Ing universal was approved by both Of
4 Al q n
| committee, however, that in dealing with
the raw recruit drafted for three months
| OF intensive training II would be neces-
sary to have three trained men for his
| constant associates in training, else the
period of schooling would be inadequate.
| He said 1t would require practically
| 10000 men constantly engaged to eff
feet the development to a degree of eff"
| ficiency necessary for the purposes of
passing $4,000 men into the reserve as
trained soldiers. He indicated, however
| that this would mean that in four allot-
n,ents of three months each the training
! could be done in year practically on the
basis projected
Chairman Wadsworth IN. " ques-
toned Lieut-Gen. Billiard closely as to
the result of the training He wanted to
know how long the training would be
| effective on the Individual. To this the
| officer replied:
| THE man who has been subjected to
this sort of training effectively for three
months will never get out of the habit
| of mind which the training engenders."
| The General did not think that the
three months system was quite the best
devisable, but nevertheless expressed the
view that It was a good one.
| At this point Senator Wadsworth ques-
toned Gen. Billiard as to the continued
1 a1,Nt -. - ,t..zI vf.,N 81
the service.
| Training of Utmost Importance.
do you feel" asked Senator Fletcher
| (F1a.) that the matter OF training is
one of more or less Importance following
| upon your experience with the vast
unframed force that America had at the
beginning of your service in this war;"
ut is a matter of extreme Importance
When brought face to face with the tre-
mendous threat. the impending calamity
of the great German thrust of the spring
OF 1918. it looked to me as though we
had been criminals not to have provided
| n good deal more than we have"
| Lieut. Gen. Billiard told the committee
that the principal shortcomings of the
War Department in times gone by had
| been neglect of the training and devel-
opment OF infantry and the instruction
| OF Ine OI1lCeTS ana men III infantry TACTICS.
| When the American force was mobilizeu
on the Mexican border in 1915 the arni' es
of Europe were developing infantry and
| collaterals of infantry activities to the
| greatest imaginable degree through the
machine gun, the grenade and the gren-
ade rife, but the American army stood
stock still In this respect.
| 1T took six months to learn the Ger
man and British 'Minerwerfer' and the
1 y
necessary trained men to instruct our
machine gun units in the use OF these
weapons from the very start"
| Would Continue Gas Service.
| The witness expressed approval of the
plans for continuing the Chemical War
| fare Division OF the Army. He said that
| to have the gas and the essential equip
ment for its use in the variety OF ways
Il was employed was necessary.
| I'VE used French gases, for the most
| part, in my command" said the General.
''but I cid not question where 1t came
! from. There were a variety OF kinds.
! The German mustard gas seemingly eff
, fected the most serious injury and the
greatest number of casualties, regardless
| of the fact that II was not necessarily
| so fatal as some of the others. The ma
| lions were at about an equal status with
regard to the effectiveness OF gases at
the time of the armistice,"
But. General" questioned Senator
Sutherland CIV. Va), sis there not some
chance that there may be an interna-
| tional agreement TO abolish the use OF
poison gases in war;"
| 81 don't know exactly what sort you
mean" replied the General.
why, | thought perhaps the League
Of Nations" faltered Senator Suther-
| land.
'T'd prefer TO ask you that question:"
| replied the General with a laugh in
which even the Democrats Joined
Major-Gen. McAndrews explained that
khe had had only two days In which to
study the bill. He said he believed that
the Regular Army, numbering $4,000
under the proposed bill, was too large for
the needs Of peace time. but he was hes
liant, he said, to disagree with Gen.
March and his colaborators offhand.
TRAVIS WARNS EMPLOYERS.