The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-03-16
Administration to Force
Showdown With
Congress.
RESENTS EFFORT
TO TAKE POWER
Feels He Alone Has Right
To Order Movement
OF Troops.

The administration has made up
Congress over what 1t regards as
an attempt by the legislative branch
of the government to usurp the
powers of the President as COM
mander-in-chief of The army and
navy.
The issue will be brought square,
ly before the House today when
the army appropriation bill is
brought up. Representative Kahn
of California, chairman of the
Military Affairs Committee, with
the backing of President Harding
and the War Department, will seek
to eliminate the provision of the
bill which is designed to regulate
the distribution of the United
States army.
Stops Payment.
Making use of its control of the
government purse strings, the
House Appropriations Committee has
written into the army bill a pro-
vision which says that mo part Of
the appropriations made herein for
pay of the army shall be used, ex-
cept in time of emergency, for the
payment of troops garrisoned in
China or for the payment of more
than 500 officers and enlisted men
on the continent of Europe; nor
shall such appropriations be used.
except in time of emergency. for
the payment of more than 5000
enlisted men in the Panama Canal
Zone or more than 5000 enliste d
men in the Hawaiian Islands"
This provision means that the
administration would be compelled
on or before July to withdraw all
the troops on the Rhine, leaving
only about 500 in France to finish
certain necessary work. The limi-
tation. II adopted. will require the
return q approximately $500 en-
listed nrn from the Hawaiian
Islands. approximately 1000 from
the Canal Zone. approximately
5000 from Germany, and about 600
from China, max ing a total of
14,100 to be returned to the United
States according to the appropria-
tions committees figures.
Reduce. Army Estimate.
The total strength of the army
provided for in the bill is 1000 Of
ficers and 115.O00 enlisted men COM
pared with a present strength of
$4,000 officers and $4,000 enlisted
men, which the War Department re-
CARDS as a minimum to which the
size of the army can be safely cut.
When the Appropriations Commit
tee first proposed to cut theenlisted
strength of the army to r15!O00 the
War Department protested that this
figure would not allow sufficient
men to maintain the army in con-
tinental United States at an ef-
ficient peace time or skeletonized
basis. The little army men" on
the committee. led by Representa-
tive Anthony, of Kansas, promptly
retaliated by proposing to cut down
the overseas forces in order that
the continental strength of the
army might be left practically un-
disturbed.
Balks at Cost.
Mr.. Anthony. explaining the pro-
POSCo VI ONeEscdS IOICeS,
made this statement:
TT seems to be the fixed policy
of the General Staff to station a
full division in Hawaii and Panama.
Except in times of emergency it is
not believed such a policy is justi-
fed, as it will cost as much to
maintain these two divisions in
Panama and Hawaii as our entire
regular army cost us in the years
following the Spanish war An
other source OF large expense is the
maintenance of American troops on
the Rhine. Germany has failed to
fulfill her contract of paying for
these troops and It Is proposed that
after July l, 1922, the number OF
American troops on the continent of
Europe be limited to 500 men, with
the idea that only such troops will
be kept there a1 are needed to
A1is OF IN nanaseor,