Evening star., 1920-02-24
PLAN Of UNIVERSAL
MILITARY TRAINING
MAYBE DEFERRED
Republicans Are Considering
Omission of Clause From
Army Reorganization Bill.

ADMIT that universal military train
ing Will probably be omitted from the /
house Army reorganization bill un-
DER a plan which is now receiving
cohsioerabie encouragement in party !
conferences. 1t is proposed to bring !
up tne Army measure the latter part |
OF this week. Appointment of a !
CON CON mission mission to investigate the de- ,
sirability of physical and military |
training" and to report to the House
next December has been suggested |
by House leaders
The idea of the leaders is to have |
universal military training come be- |
II 1t Is brought up at all in the |
House-and. at any rate. to postpone !
action as far as possible. Chairman |
Kahn OF the military affairs COM
n,,tee tan., Is nehting stubbornly for re-
tention OF universal military train
Ing in the Army reorganization meas
ure. =,
Question Subject Of Conferences.
Despite the decision Of the military
committee adopting universal train
ihs' IN principle, as part of the
country's future military policy. ef-
forts were made yesterday and to-
day to prevent the committees deci-
sion from appearing in the reorgan-
izatfon Dill Chairman Kahn, who
| held numerous informal conferences
with the leaders and supporters of
| the training, said no decision had
been reached, and Representative
Mondel! the republican floor leader.
declined to discuss the movement fur
| tner than to assert the Army bill was
slated to come before the House
| Thursday.
Mr.. Mondeu was understood to have
suggested the discard of the training
plan, he being supported by other
House leaders, who assert that pass
age OF a reorganization bill. includ-
ing training plan. is impossible at
present. The floor leader is under
stood to have proposed that instead
OF attempting adoption of a training
plan. that the Army bill merely pro-
| woe Tor congressional commission
on physical and military training"
which would make report to Con-
sress next December.
| May BE Separate Proposition.
| Such an authorization. it was said
might bring the training plan before
the House as a separate proposition.
Mr.. Kahn was understood to oppose
| dfscarding the advantage already
gained in the military committee
| without a definite agreement that the
| proposal. would be given preferential
| status later. He was said not to
| nave secured this promise.
The committee draft OF the reor-
ganization bill does not include any
declaration of policy with respect TO
| universal training. After the commit
tee decision to recommend adoption of
| the training it was decided to refer
| the question to a subc ommit.ee to
| work out the details. No meeting Of
oppose the tfHih4ng. has been held
or called, and the adoption of an
| outline of plan and its inclusion
| in the bill with the final committee
| consideration. beginning Thursday,
seemed impossible today.
AS far as the reorganization OF the
| Army Is concerned. the bill has been
\ completed except for textual review
| of the committee draft.
Provisions OF Proposed Bill.
The bill provides for a standing
l combatant strength of 250,90o men
| and 17.700 officers. This force would
be the skeleton of nine divisions. ca
pable of expansion in tim. OF war,
| cavalry and artillery, would provide
personnel for the aviation, chemical
warfare and Tank Corps.
i The National Guard, under the
House bill, would remain at the pres
ent authorized strength of 500 men, to
each congressional district, but the
measure would provide more lenient-
ly for the organization of militia COM
panies. Until July 1. 1921. the neces
sary enlisted strength of a company
for federal recognition would be fixed
at fifty men, and after that date at
sixty-f1ve men. Enlistments would be
for a period of one or three years.,
Plans for State Militia.
To obviate the situation arising at
the end of the world war, when the
discharge of the state troops from the
Regular Army left the states without
a militia, the bill provides that under
similar circumstances a discharge by
the federal government still leaves
the guard subject to state call, unless
decided to the contrary by state au-
thorities.
Aviation in the Regular Army. under
the bill, would be in the charge of a
major general with 1900 officers,
ranking from second lieutenants to
colonels, and 10000 men, including
cadet flyers. The Tank Corps would be
| made an infantry arm, and the chemi-
cal warfare service would be a sepa-
! rate corps. maintained for expert
mental purposes, comprising ninety
officers and $500 men.