The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-09
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reform
Ennrriwht 1921

Especial Despatch to The Retormcrl
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9.-NO better
proof of the tendency to return to nor
malcy in a hurry could be given than in
the overwhelming vote by which both
houses of congress have just passed over
President Wilson's veto the bill to re
ducc the army from 100000 to 1TI.0GO
men Democrats joined the Republicans.
not because Of any desire to take Il slap
nj the White House bat because. a. soy
cral members explained il today pub
lie opinion in all parts of the country is
mistakenly demanding that congress
economic and reduce taxes. Neither
party dares stand in the way of the
pruning knife and while as is customary
during waves of economy some worth
while appropriations are lost in the
shuttle. the desire to cut down the size
of the army proceeded rather from Il
feeling that for the next few years at
least. there would be more than enough
eX-service men in the country To respond
instantly to an emergency call.
Back of the fight for a larger army has
Leen the argument that while the num-
erS could not be kept unless the army
organization were large enough to hold
them. But there, too, members of con
grcSS seem To feel that plenty of officers
viii be- available for the next few Years
at least ont of the ranks of the World
war veterans.
President Wilson sent his veto mes
sage upon the advice of Secretary Baker
who. of course. lives in the atmosphere
of the general staff where the desire IL
maintain n large army so as 70 keep
enough officers on duty and particularly
to enable officers to hold their rank i
not an insignificant or unnatural factor
in the psychology Of the situation.
In congress. however. there has been
an abrupt return to conditions q, they
existed before the war when both the
army and navy had 10 beg repeatedly
for appropriations. The irony of the
present situation is that while Secre-
taric> Baker and Daniels and the Demo
cratic administration bore the brunt of
the criticism levelled by the National Sc
curIty league and similar defense So
cietieS for the unpreparedneSS of the
snlted States on entering the World
war. it Is the Republican congress which
today is compelling the reduction of the
army to 10000 and is a Democratic
president who Is cOntcnding from the
viewpoint of Theodore Roosevelt. who
used to say the peace-time army of the
United States ought not to be less than
10000 men.
The true significance of the temper of
congress cannot be judged alone by the
reduction of the army. The spontaneous
OutburSt in the senate against the Sug-
geStion from abroad that America be
asked to cancel the allied war debt il
another symptom of normally. Just as
before the war it would have been re
garded aS out of the question for the
| n N
can countries to assist them to reach
either political or economic stability so
any hint or remark that speaks of loan
ing money to foreign governments is
promptly resented. This, however. is
not only true of Republicans but Dem
ocrats. Carter Glass, senator from Nir-
ginia, warned Europe when he was sec
rotary of the treasury that America had
ceased her loans to foreign govern
mentS and was going out of the banking
/ business. Republicans are taking the
same position and the move to prohibit
by statute the making of any foreign
loans may go through congress more
easily than most people suppose. The
reason for this attitude may be msun-
derStood abroad as SelfshnesS or indif-
| ference to Europe's woes, but it is really
a reaction in Washington against tinan-
| cial loan transactions with Europe at
| time when domestic reconstruction re
| qures every resource.
| Some of our legislators, indeed will
soon begin to betray signs of nervousness
| over the payment of interest by the al
| lies on present debts and the deferring of
| those payments may occasion even more
controversy than the vague hints about
cancellation of the principal. In other
words. judging by the temper of congress,
/ foreign governments may in the not far
distant future be pressed to pay interest
on the present loans in order that the
amounts which must be raised inside the
/ United States by taxation, may be re
! duced and thus individual income tax
rates brought down. Congress is think
| ing more in economic than political terms
nowadays and members of both parties
have their ears sharply attuned to the
murmurs of the populace for lower taxes
| and less governmental expenditure. Con-
gress has a genuine economy streak the
| like of which has not been seen in this
| Legislative generation.
GEDDES COMING BACK.