The Cordova daily times., 1921-02-14
FIGHTING FORGE OF THE
 UNITED STATES


 ecdnomy program and that too will be the program of the Harding ad- mfnistration, a new national defense policy will soon be adopted by the American governmental fact the first steps have already been taken along this line by the vote of the senate military committee that the regular army shall not number more than 175,000 men, and by Senator Harding's statement to Representa- tive Julius Kahn, of California, at Marion, that an army of 175,000 is sufficient and that even that number could be reduced safely to 150,000 rank and file.
 Tn place of a regular army of near ly 100000 men, as at first contemplat- ed by congress, immediately after the armistice, the prospects are that the regular army will soon consist of only half that number This simply means that half of the huge expense of maintaining the regular army will be saved. When it is known that Secretary Baker actually wanted from congress nearly one billion dol lars for an army of about 3O0,OOO men the saving is seen to be considerable in the army item alone.
 Reduction of the regular army to 1f5,000 men soon, and its eventual reduction to 150,000, means that there must soon be radical revision in the general scheme of national defense.
 This will be carried out in build. ing up strong and new national guard, and greatly expanding the of fiCers' reserve corps, with conse- quent large increase in the number of educational institutions that will have training corps of the officers reserve corps. Reduction of the regu. lar army to one-half the contemplat- ed size must result in a larger and better national guard and strong officers reserve corps. There is no other alternative if the republic is to be ready to fight again, unless it be universal military training. It is now universally acknowledged in con- gross that universal military train. ing has no chance whatever of be- coming in the near future a policy of this country. The billion dollars or moro per year expense Is what killed that project Perhaps if the national debt was not so large, the taxes so oppressive, and the annual expenses of conducting the federal government so heavy, universal military training would be acceptable to a majority of house and senate, for hardly any con- gressman can be found who does not believe that universal military train ing is the most Democratic, cheapest and most safe and beneficial system of national defense that can be de- vised But the expense, under pres ent conditions, forbids its acceptance at this time or at any time in the near future.
 So then, with very small regular army, if the country is to be safe in the next war, which already looms from the Pacific, according to opin- ions of many members of congress and particularly those congressman from the Pacific coast states, in lieu of universal military training, we must have great national guard and big and strong officers reserve corps.
 The officers reserve corps is in very good condition today. It is well organized and contains thousands of former experienced officers of the A. E. F. and the national guard. Still, it is capable of great expansion and should number several hundred thou sands of trained and experienced of ficers, ready at days notice to take the field and begin the training of the immense masses of raw recruits that will have to be raised in a Hurry when the next war in which Uncle Sam is involved starts.
 The national guard is in poor