Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-03-13
FEAR Peace
PLANS MAY GO
TOEX'TREMESS
President And Advisers An
xious Over Proposed Cut
In Armed Forces
CONGRESS IS LASHED
National Armament Council Threat
ems and Pleads With Body For Re-
lief From Excess Taxation.

Washington, March l3.-Admin-
istration leaders are face to face with
a situation in respect to disarmament
that is regarded as nothing less than
a dilemma The Washington Confer
ence, which reflected much glory to
the present Government, has given a
continuing impetus to the idea OF
scrapping aymaments--Eo much so
that the President and his advisers,
before he Ief tthe capital last week,
had become fearful that Congress
may take the bit in its teeth.
President Harding has announced
i hat ne fav0rs considerable reduc-
lion, all that mis- army and navy ad
visers think is safe. but it is now re
gardcd as almost I fcrcgone conclu-
| sion that Congress will slash the esti-
mates regardless of what thu Presi-
dnt's advisers may say.
The secretary of the navy and the
head Of the army would each like to
retain at least a sufficient staff of
officers and men to form 4 skeleton
! for future sudden expansion should
; the necessity arise. and both have ar
gued at length before the committees
of Congress against reducing the OF
ticcr personnel in direct proportion to
the reduction of men.
General Pcrshing was testifying
one day this past week before the
| Military Affairs Committee OF the
! House on the question o1 personnel.
That is the absolute limit" he had
| Just informed the committee.
"Wcll. what are you going 10 do,
General. ii we cut it to iwo-thlrds OF
! That amount? demanded one of the
members, who Was evidently thinking
about sentiment in his own district.
The question was the more discon-
! ccrting, for it appeared TO- reflect
what others Of the commit were
thinking.
"Of course" replied General PERISH
ing. flushing, we will do what we al
ways do--mrke the hest Of H.
Indications are frequent enough
| that such ~ attitude in Congress is
not merely sporadic. but is Il direct
| reflection of q certain public SentI-
m2nt. An Illustration of this is the
pronnuilc emcnt of the Nati0Ila! Coun-
oil for tho Reduction of Armainents,
that Congress has the opportunity TO
give the world relief from crushing
taxes, "and will he held responsible
to the people for what it does on the
army and navy bills.
i'm statement the Council urges
Representatives tn realize that the
Conference has rendered war with
any power unthinkahlc, and therefore
| Congress should bring the army and
navy down to police status. 1t asks
80 per cent cut from the S75, 5000
| named by the heads Of the depart
| mcnts.
Before the Conferences" the Coun-
! ell says. our na"al plans amazed and
| alarmed the world. Our defense act
of 1920 looked to the mobilization Of
the nation We spent 81 0O,0O0,O 600
IN the ramy and navy in 1920 We
set aside SS6S 900 900 for their main
tcnance this year. while from three
to five million brcadwinners were idle,
our farming industry paralyzcd, the
cost Of living inflated 60 per cent. and
we had budr"t to raise Of nearly
81 600 900 900. We were asked 10 con-
tribute SS00,000,n 600 more in 1923
with this crisis still unon Us, and we
were @irding ourselves 10 tn" task
when the Washington Conference
cane"
The statcmcu. continues:
"Sccrctary Hoover says that the
Conference has removed the threat Of
war from our generation. Many
signs go To show his statement is not
cya ggcratcd. The naval limitation
treaty has c,srfcssedly made ii impos-
>iilc for Japan 70 attack US with as
surancc of success or for Us to al
tack her across 5000 miles.
eve are safer from war than we
have been in Il generation We have
right 10 the fruits Of peace. This
nation can not afford, with its debt
ard its unemployment and the high
cost Of living to spend more than S400,
000,o0G in prcparing for remote
contingency such as war. TIE StO0,
U0O,n00 saved will be needed desper-
atelv for the constructive life of the
nation in 1923.
"Othcr governments will be glad to
avail themselves of the opportunity
we give them to reduce their arrna-
ment. and if they do not follow our
example willingly they will be COM
pared 20 fl so. because taxes are
higher ever ywherc than here
Queen Wllhelmnia Of the Neither
La Il. !. :, 1xrcnt ln,,n,. of nnuerS and