The Colorado statesman., 1922-11-18

Everybody has been told before this
that the army has been shot to pieces.
So il has. Congress has cut 1t down
and of course the contention Is ad-
vnnced that the present force is utter
ly Inadequate. even for the purposes of
peace. Seemingly, however, both Re-
publicans and Democrats In congress.
or II majority of them at any rate,
think that the army ought to be furth-
or reduced. 1t is much more likely
that there will be reductions than in
CreuSes.
Men who think that the future holds
possibilities of trouble look with fear
on any further dimunltion of the army,
but as the men who think that no
trouble ever again Is going to come,
are in the majority, the army probably
will go the way of further reductions
until something happens to make peo-
Pile wish that the country had police
force.
1t is something for sympathetic
Americans to know that the board of
general officers which has the thank
less task Of elimination in Its hands
is composed of high-minded men who
will see to 1t that those who must
leave are those who are the least COM
petent to continue their work. 1t Is
going to be hard thing to prove to
any one OF the officers who must seek
other employment that he is less
worthy of retention than anyone of
those who is retained, but, knowing
the process of study of the records
and the callber of the men who are
doing the studying, it can be said that
, 10 injustice knowingly will be done.
These Are the "Eliminators"
The members of the board of gen.
eral officers are: Maj. Gen. Joseph T.
Dickman (retired), president of the
. board; Surgeon General NJ. w. Ireland,
chief of the medical corps; Maj. Gen.
Henry f. Mccain (retired), and Maj
! Gems. Ernest Kinds and Andre W.
Brewster, of the active list. All of
these officers are men of high service
! with unlmpeachable records.
/ 1t never does to look for trouble, but
| the history of the past, so far as the
army is concerned, shows that there
always is trouble when promotions,
demotions or discharges become the
necessary order of the day. When
ever volunteer or drafted forces have
come into being there have been ac-
| cnsations that regular officers were
being favored at the expense of vol
upteer officers, and that West Point
cadets have been favored at the eX-
pease of non-cadets. 1t can be put
down that, as certain as it Is going to
rain again some day, there Will be
charges that favoritism figured in the
findings of this board of elimination
when its findings are made public.
Your correspondent believes that ev-
cry charge of this kind will be base
less.
May Alter Tariff Schedules.
The tariff commission is just about
to get down to its work. The Presi-
dent is contemplating, through the
tariff commission after inquiry, the re-
duction for some duties which he
thinks are too high. 1t is not ut all
beside the mark to say that it is pos
sible the thoughts of the President on
this subject may be the thoughts of
majority of his party in congress.
However, the congress which passed
the tariff bill put in it a provision I'M
der which the President will act
through the tariff commission in the
work of raising or lowering schedules,
as it may be found that the business
of the country demands. 1t Is new
thing which Is to be tried out. The
lawmakers fixed rates and then fixed
means by which after inquiry the
rates could be changed.
1t is not known definitely yet just
how far the President working
through the tariff commission, will go
in the matter of changing some of the
schedules. There are both Democrats
and Republicans here who say he will
have trouble on his hands if he at
tempts to change any of the duties
which his party has enacted into law.
Controverting this, there are plenty
of high tariff Republicans in congress
who are ready to say they are willing
to trust the matter entirely in the
hands of the President and to rest on
the Judgment of the inquiries Of the
tariff commission.
Already several petitions have been
received by the tariff commission in
which downward revision is requested
on some of the schedules. Also some
requests have been made for increases
in some schedules. 1t is certain the
commission will have work enough on
Its hands.
Not a Real Party Issue.
There is unquestionably in the Re
publican party an element which hopes
that the President working through
the commission will do something to
lower some Of the present tariff rates,
There also unquestionably is another
element in the party which does not
believe that any tariff rate can be too