Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-01-28
MONDELL VIEW ON
TRAINING WORRIES
MANY DEMOCRATS
Republican Leader Takes
Campaign Material From
Political Opponents.

OostIpQiSI WoSCi iQt ! Osu
Political Opponents.
| BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Few things have disappointed pc.
litically minded democrats here more
than the statement of Representative
| Mondell, republican leader of the
House, that he is opposed to universal
military training. And this is not be-
! cause the democrats favor military
training for the nations youth. bu,
because they had hoped the republican
party would make the mistake OF
passing such legislation.
While on the surface there has been
much talk of making the treaty an is
sue in the next campaign or carrying
the law and order" controversy into
the presidential contest, the political
sharps have really seen great OPP
portunity in the military training
question. especially because of the
well founded suspicion that If Leonard
Wood were the republican candidate
he would warmly espouse the cause of
military training.
Now when the democrats had sup
posed the republican party was going
to commit itself to a military train
ing or peace-time conscription pro-
gram, when Senator Wadsworth,
chairman of the Senate military af-
fairs committee, and other republicans
in the Senate seemed eager to pass
legislation of that kind, along comes
Leader Mondell with the declaration
that any republican who is respon-
sible for such legislation would find
himself soon in political oblivion.
Without question the strongest
sentiment against universal training
seems to come from the west and the
south and is not confined to either
party. Indeed, Secretary Baker of
- 20 oIvv,i ,icfr il, ho in
dorsed the Senate committees pro-
gram. but democrats on the hill are
| inclined to think the Secretary Of
War is Influenced by the prevailing
atmosphere Of the War Department.,
where hardly an officer of high rank
is to be found who does not favor mil
titagy traininG. - 81 -
| Objections to the program. however,
come from varied sources. There are
conflicting ideas about how the re-
turned soldier feels. While ne IL SAID
! to regard the advantages OF military
! training as indispensable to national
defense, he does not thinL the next
war is near enough to warrant turn
ing. over the nations youth to the
large number of Regular Army
, thus retain their promotions. The
handling of large bodies of troops
would require almost as many omcers
/ of high rank as IL America had big
standing army. SO while it is argued
that the adoption of military training
would reduce the size of the standing
Army. opponents of the program
point out that it does not reduce the
number of officers by any great
| number.
Labor Looks Askance.
1 Moreover, National Guard units are in
many cases behind the opposition. Also
labor organizations fear that to create
iuht Lon n
| abuses that would adversely affect them.
! They loof askance at the sending of
! too many federal troops around the
country to interfere in labor disputes.
! Conversely, it is true that many large
manufacturers and associations Of en-
| ployers have expressed their approval
of the military training project and lent
sums of money to campaigns of educa-
ton in it's behalf. Few people take seri-
ously the notion that the manufacture
| ing interests want to see large mill
| tary force created for domestic pur-
poses. The fact that a strong position
! has been taken by the employer class in
the east especially has. however. reused
suspicion in labor circles. And when
| it comes to exerting influence upon Con-
gress there Is no more subtle and ef-
| fcctive power than that welded by Or
| ganized labor in checking legislation
! thought to be inimical to its interest.
But the most significant part OF
Leader Mondelfs statement and the
one which probably is the controlling
| reason for his opposition is the i'm
mense cost of peace-time CONSUMPTION
He estimates it at a billion dollars &
year and contends that bond issue.
would be necessary to raise the rev
| enue.
This is a time, moreover, when tn,
republican party is trying to make
| record for economy. Appropriation.
\
spectacle of Senator Wadsworth o.
New York. republican chairman of tn,
Senate military affairs committee
pleading again and again with tn,
Senate not to reduce needed militar,
appropriations has been one of tn,
most interesting sidelights in the con
troversy between House and Senate
republicans.
! The record of the democratic ad
ministration on military training il
not altogether consistent. Presiden
! Wilson and Secretary Baker hav,
from time to time expressed their ap
proval In principle. and only when
scheme of vocational education wa.
added to the military training pro
gram did the White House begin to b,
its Minneapolis meeting espresso,
sympathy with universal militar,
training. but suggested that 1t b,
managed by civilians rather tina,
military men.
i There is little doubt at this writ
ing that Representative Mondelps adj
vice will eventually be followed BY
the republican party. He is a sfrewd
er politician than the democrats be-
lieved. They thought he would wall
into the trap. increase the cost o,
government by billion dollars, knoel
sky high his own argument abou
economy and enable democratic,
orators to go out in tie next cam
paign and win votes again in tn,
west with the outcry against mill
tarized SoNernmeT t. Mr.. MondeI
comes from Wyoming and knows how
the west feels about military train
ing 1t was hard enough to CONVEX
that section of the country to tn,
moderate program of preparedness,
advocated by President Wilson Will.
the European var was in progress,
and wien il seemed possible tina
the United States might be drawn in
That's why it Is doubly hard to con
vince many congressman from tn,
west that with a bankrupted and ex
hausted Europe and a war-wear,
world there 10 any need for spend
ing a billion dollars a year for tn,
| nexf ten wears at least in militar,