Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1920-04-02
Breakers Ahead
PLAN BIG ARMY
PROGRAM AFTER ELECTION
COmpulsiOn Temporarily Sidetracked
Until Protest LulIs
(By Raymond Lonergan)


doned their plans. They have merely
pigeonholed them until after the
presidential election.
Congressman Kahn of California,
who is chairman of the House Com
mittee on Military Affairs, and Sena-
tor Wadsworth of New York, who is
the chief mogul of the Senate Com
mittee on Military Affairs, are most
determined champions of compulsory
service, and if they had their way
they would push through bill at
once sending American boys to train
ing camps. They were persuaded to
sidetrack the proposition because the
politicians told them that the plain
people of the United States did not
like this "made-in- Germany" idea.
Up Again After Election
Scouts sent out by the national
committees of the old parties had re-
turned to Washington with the news
that the men and women of the Mid
die West were up in arms over the
suggestion that, having destroyed
militarism in Europe, we must now
establish it in America.
The word was Immediately passed
that the militarists must pussy
foot" for the time being, but that the
issue could be brought up again at the
session of Congress which begins
early in December of this year.
The reorganization bill which
passed the House the other day may
be regarded as the entering wedge
for compulsory military service. 1t
was drafted by the militarists after
they had been compelled to abandon
their original plans. Every line of it
is designed to built up a military
machine.
Few Privates, Many Officers
For example, the bill provides for
more than $4,000 officers and about
100000 non-commissioned officers
and privates. No one imagines that
it will be possible to induce 100000
young Americans to enlist in the
regular army in peace times. In
fact, everything indicates that the
War Department will find it extreme
ly difficult to maintain a force of
hundred thousand men.
But Of course no difficulty will be
experienced in getting $1,000 officers,
especially if the bill adding 81 per
cent to the pay of officers, which re-
Gently passed the Senate, becomes
law.
The result will be that Uncle Sam
will be paying for about four times as
many officers as he needs to handle !
the priyates in his army, and this
army of officers will continue power
full lobby which will devote it's time
to working up sentiment for COM
pulsory military training. Every one
of the 1900 officers will have sell
fish interest in securing the Prussian
system, because it would mean rapid |
promotion for him. In the course of |
the debate some interesting figures
we're produced showing the probable
cost of compulsory military service.
Costs Billions A Year
Congressman Dent of Alabama, who
at one time was chairman of the
House Committee on Military Affairs,
submitted figures to show "that if we
should adopt compulsory military
as provided in the Senate
'ill, you cannot get along without an
annual appropriation of something
,ver $900,000,000 per annum.
"When you take into consideration
he overhead charges, you will have
@ start out at the beginning with an
annual expense of something like
billion dollars.
"This is simply the beginning, and
10 one knows where it will end"
Mr.. Dent moved to recommit the
,ill with instructions to reduce the
lrmy to $4,000. This was rejected
~ vote of 115 "yeas" to 222 mays"
Among those who opposed the bill
vas General Sherwood of Ohio, the
'amous Civil War veteran, and Col.
cd Little of Kansas, who won laurels
n the Philippines, where he led the
Twentieth" Kansas Regi-
nent of Volunteers under the famous
General Fred Funston.