The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-07
ECONOMY FORCES
 ATTACK PROPOSAL
 FOR l 70,0O0 ARMY
Led By Borah, They Wage Bitter Fight to Reduce Size of the Enlisted Force to
 15O,000 Men
By Associnted Press

l Washington, June 6.-Inauguration of Senate consideration Of the S355,- 0o0,oo0 army appropriation bill today brought from Senators advocating economy hot attack on the committe ee recommendation for minimum army for the next fiscal year of ITO, 900 mel, Economy advocates, lead by Senatot Borah, republican. Idaho, and includ. ing Senators Lenroot, republican,, Wis consin, and Hitchcock, Nebraska, ard ] King, Utah. democrats criticised th, personnel provision and indicated their intention to wage bitter fight ta reduce it. Senator Borah announced he would move to limit che army to 15O 900 men not because that figure rep resents my view, but because l am con vinced that is the lowest attainable un- der the circumstances" Senator King, however, declared he would seek to obtain a reduction to 100000.
 The amendment for d mini mum army oi 1000 as compared with the House provision for an army of 15O,000 men was also strongly supported during debate. Chairman Wadsworth, of the military affairs committee ifl a state ment preliminary to actual taking up ol bill told the Senate that the recommendation represented the abso : lute minimum considered safe by Seo- : retary Weeks and the war department
 Would Render Army Useless
 "The House provision which would require in reality a reduction in the strength of the army from 215 000 men in service July l to 1200o0 men by the end of the of the fiscal year." as- serted Senator Wadsworth, would req der the army useless for any purpose. The hill UniIld fro he ty. department to walk into the ranks yf the army and fire men out so as to attain the 150,0o0 average"
 Chairman Wadsworth in the course of the debate declared inability to de : crease army expenditures was due largely to the unwillingness of Newton D. Baker. during his tenure of office as Secretary of War to reduce the size of the army. A substantial amount of the appropriations carried in the pending bill. the chairman told the Senate. was due to the swollen army maintained under Secretary Baker.
 Other Subjects Discussed
 Subjects related to the military es- tabli shment also were touched on dur ing the debate. Chairman Wadsworth presented figures of recent date to show that the expense of keeping American troops on the Rhine had amounted to S27S,00O, ,000. of which sum the German government had under the obligation of the armistice paid S37.- 900 0O0 Additional payments are ek : pectcd soon. MT. Wadsworth said he had been informed, but Senator Bora ! interrupted to say that the fact that Germany had to pay the bill was n- Justification for keeping American troops in Germany.
 Ire question Of establishment os peace with Germany also got into the debate and Senator Borah declared that : failure of the republican party in Con gross and in the executive branch ..i tile government to bring about peace With Germany WAS violation of Ihc most distinct pledge made by the partys spokesmen during the cam paisn.''
 Another question that arose was the reduction of the army outside the con tinental United States, Chairman Wadsworth stating that only against his best Judgment would he consent to reduction of the garrisons in the Pacific.