The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-02-20
PRESIDENT PROBABLY WOULD
VETO ANY 7lLEs'REDucING IT
.s's BELOW PRESENT SIZE.
WEEKS s1EADYtNG INFLUENCE
Commissioned Personnel, However, ID
] admittedly Too Large and Many OF
I ncers Viii be Retired-Pians for
Next Summers Field Training. -,
BY EDWARD a. CLARK

any bill which would reduce the armed
forces below their present numbers.
An army. Of 5000 men, the War de-
partment holds, would be little more
sserviceable than no army. While the
movement in congress to decrease the
army eventually "A force Of $4,000
men is gaining some adherents, the
foSces in opposition to the plan also
are gaining strength. ,-.a. i sf& 81
g 1T is not likely that the United
States will so to the limit Of disarm-
aMent. There are some steadying In.
tlnences ut work, and one Of them is
the secretary Of war. 1t is obvious
that the War department has realized
the tendency of the Legislative times
toward the scrapping Of everything
American which looks like Il gun. 1t
is, curious, however, that the feeling
toward guns in the hands OF regulars
does not seem to extend to the guns
in, behalf of the reserves, the National
Guards, the civilians, or the members
Of the reserve officers trafffing corps.
The War department feels that il can
go ahead with certain amount OF
limited training and support for non
regular units without fear Of the wrath
Of congress.
General Pershing has told com
mittee OF congress that he is opposed
to: the reduction OF the United States
army and that he does not think the
commissioned personnel is much too
large for .present-day purposes. He
intimated. however, that some hun
dreds of officers might he retired or
otherwise disposed OF to the aIvan-
tage5M the"nHlHary establishment. 1t
Is probable that the generals sug-'
gestion In this matter is in line with
the feeling Of the secretary Of war.
Hundreds Likely to Be "PIueked."
1t Is probable, therefore, that with
lin a year aOr two some 200 or 1,bOO
otiicerssof the United States army will
be retired, so to speak, fOrcibly. So
called tplncking, bourds. will,-be busy
tirement will he those WHO have been
declared to be not quite alert enough
for their present. duties. There will; be
some heart .burningS and also there
will he some demands for re-eXamin-
alton: and these demands probably will
he. made through congress. 80.
/. 1t isfn curious thing TINT when the
national Legislature provides that GER
tain things be done, it frequently Is
champion the causes OF those
who suffer by the legislation. Con-
gress more than once has been In the
position of sponsoring legislation, the
effects OF which it afterward has tried
,tot nullify. seemingly being entirely
willing ito place the blame for the
action of. the. law on the persons whose
duty it is. to enforce it. g."
1t has been hard work to effect the
changes made necessary by the reduc-
ton, OF the army and by the reduced
appropriations. However, the depart
menr has turned it's attention to the
National Guard, the, reserves and the
her organizations which are only in
Il way connected with the regular
army. Plans have been prepared for
the field training next summer, Of 1GO.-
coo National Guardsmen, 10000 mem
hers of the Reserve Officers Training
corps, 10000 reserve, officers, 10000
reserve enlisted men, and $1,000 civil
ians. 49, y.
More Reserve Officers Than Privates.
> A study Of these figures will show
at once something which is strikingly
curious. Provision is made for the
trimming Of only 10000 enlisted men
Of the reserve corps. There are Il
good many more officers in the reserve
corps than there are enlisted men,
and the reason is that 1t has been
difficult to induce men who formerly
served in the ranks to take on again
in the reserve corps. Every effort is
being made by the War department
to change this condition Of mind among
former service men.
The New York and Pennsylvania
National Guards are ut higher points
of organization than the military or
CARNATIONS Of any Of the other states.
In the IS National Guard divisions
the organization of divisional units has
attained an average of G5 per cent
complete. New York leads with W
per cent Of her divisional units or
ganized and recognized, and is close
,ly followed by Pennsylvania with 81
per cent.
It seems to he the intention Of the
department finally to abandon regular
army posts which are no longer re-
quIred. They probably will be made
available to the states desiring them
for National Guard training purposes.
1t should he understood that these
posts are tho old regular army posts
and not the camps which were b'l''t
for training purposes during the great
war f.,
What Section Dominates in Congress?
. Is the East dominating the west III
legislation, or Is the West dominating
the East2
p A. good deal has been heard about
the agricultural bloc in the senate OF
~ npra0n2 06T0