The Washington times., 1922-03-16

= L. back to the
proposition Of a
WILLIAM HARD purely profess
sional army and seems to have taken
special delight in making drastic
cuts in the appropriations which the
President proposed for developing In
this country body Of volunteer non
professional citizen soldiers.
An analysis OF the War Depart
ment Appropriation bill just reported
to the House of Representatives by
Mr.. Anthony shows that he has been
particularly vigorously hostile to the
Officers Reserve Corps. the Reserve
Officers Training Corps and the Cit
liens Military Training Corps. The
President. In his budget message to
Congress, proposed an expenditure
Of S11.25O 900 on those activities. Mr..
Anthony reduced that expenditure to
$4.576,000.
1t is pointed out in army circles
that the whole question Is thus
brought up: What sort Of army do
the people of this country want?"
Do they want simply a purely pro-
fessional army or do they want the
OF citizens who will remain In their
civilian occupations. but who will
volunteer for a little military train
ing In summer camps and who will
thus In a certain degree he pre-
pared for military service In m.
tional emergencies?
The President has gone far toward
committing himself to the latter
proposition as being the more demo
cratic and also in the end the
more economical. He has expressed
the hope, for instance. that the
War Department might be able this
, summer to give some training to
100000 young men in citizens mil
tary training camps. He also
showed this same drift Of thought
when in his budget message to Con.
gress he cut down the general total
OF the appropriations for the War
Department. but increased the pro-
posed appropriations for the train.
Ing OF citizens and for the establish
ment OF citizen reserves.
Thus a new fight between the
President and the House of Repre-
sentatives on a question OF funda.
mental national policy comes into
prospect. The House fought the
President land defeated HIM on the
! question of the surfaces in the in
come tax provisions in the recent
revenue bill. IT is now fighting the
President on the question Of the
bonus. 1t is also fighting him on the
question Of the size of the personnel
of the navy. 1t is now preparing to
fight him on the question of q citizen
army.
! The President in Ills budget mes.
sage reduced the total of the War
Department appropriations by some
$50. 100000. The present War De.
partment appropriations for this
| present fiscal year are some $685.
100000. The appropriations proposed
by the President for the War Depart.
ment to support II during the next
fiscal year were 1855, 1000. 900. But
while making this reduction in the
total the President at the same time
proposed to increase the special ap.
preparation for the reserve officers
training corps, for instance, from
$4,000. 900 to 100000.
i
special appropriation for the citi.
zens' military training camps from
| 100000 to 100000 On similar
grounds he proposed to increase the
special Federal appropriation for the
national guard from $25 200, 900 10
$40, 100000. Mr.. Anthony took the
Presidents proposal of $40. 900, 0O(
for the national guard and reduced
! 1t to $21. 100000. He took the Presi
dents proposal Of s2,700.800 for citi
zens' military training camps and
reduced II to s1,S00.000. .,~e
But his. strongest and boldest
dash toward normally" was in the
matter of the officers reserve CORDS
Here was the unkindest cut Of all
The War Department has beer
quietly getting recruits to the OF
ficers' reserve corps. These Officers
are to receive some little training al
stated annual intervals. and the,
are to form the trained mold into
which a citizens army would bt
poured IL unfortunately Congress
should again be obliged to dec are
war against foreign country.
/ It Is pointed out that II Is Con
gress that does the declaring Of
wars. The purpose of the DIFFERS
Reserve Corps is to give the citizen,
whom Congress then drafts into mill
tary service the protection Of officer.
somewhat trained to lead them ant
to look after them in camp and In
battle. The War Department hal
now secured some 5000 recruits Il
the Officers Reserve Corps. Tn,
President requested Congress fol
100000 for that enterprise. An
thony granted $4,000.
The War Department is also be
ginning to get recruits to small
body of reserve privates to be at
tached to the Officers Reserve Corp.
as specialists" 1t has now secured
some 1000 Of such recruits. Tn,
President thought he would like Il
have about half a million dollars fol
this little effort. Anthony gave hin
Just 500.