The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-03-15
FLAG USED To
BACK LOANS
ABROAD
.vvonaen's League Hears State
Department Criticised BY
Louis Gannett.

America has become the great
est imperial power Of the world,
according TO Louis Gannett, as
sistant editor 81 the Nation, who
addressed the members Of the
Women's international League
for Peace and Freedom at Grace
Dodge Hotel today.
Flag Follows Capital.
.'our capital Is invading al Latin
America, he said, and II usually
happens that where capital goes the
nag and the marines follow We.
have always been expansionists.
"our marines went into Nicaragua
IN 1912 to protect the investments q
certain New Yc.k bankers, and they
fhave been there ever since. Our ma
rines occupied Haiti in 1915. and
promptly established a new consti-
tuition which facilitated the acqu1sl-
ton OF sugar lands by American capi-
talists. Our marines occupied the
Republic Of Santo Domingo In 1916;
| and established q navy paymaster as
minister Of finance.
Censures State Department.
The new American loans to other
southern countries were scored BY
Gannett and the State Department
was censured for approving the loan
contracts.
The Government should say ~
the state Department, he said, 1let
the bankers loan IL they please, 0ul
our Government viii give them no
aid. encouragement, or protection.
Above all. we will not let our soldiers
be used to collect their debts or to
give their investments special pro-
lection"
The league was urged by Miss
Amy Woods, national secretary OF
/ the Women's international League
! for Peace and Freedom, to chal-
! Ienge Gen. John j. Pershing to
debate III regard to an article Of
his that was printed recently.
CritiCizes Defense Act.
She said the national defense act
of 1920 curtails the powers OF Con-
gress over the army and navy, but
Congress has to foot the bills.
The military atmosphere that Is
being created in colleges and high
1 SCnOO1S WAS HsOEC4 Ny 1AAAo0 NNOCNAss
In part she said:
"By the national defense act the
maximum enlisted strength of the
regular army was increased from
IT'S 900 to $50, 900 men. 1t was
only through the cutting Of appro-
priations by Congress. that we were
temporarily at leaStN saved this
enormous increase in the army.
The national guard had g. strength
OF ll4,0OO men. The number OF
officers have been enormously in
creased, especially among the high
err ranks, and an entirely new class
of officers established called war
rant officers, which included band
masters, clergy nurses. This, Of
course, means not only an increase
in pay, but in prestige, and offers
Inducements for enlisted men to
work up to noncommissioned Off
GERS" n
Would Abolish CONSUMPTION.
Discussion on the subject was
opened by Mrs. Robert M. La Foil
cite, wife of Senator La Toilette.
who said in part:
1--WE regard the recent tragedy OF
the Near East as terrible object
lession to the world Of the futility
of war as a method Of settling
quarrels among nations. And we
| protest that the awful sacrifice of
human life to the commercial am
billions of France and Great Brit
ain should, under the disguise of
a holy war, be made the occasion
! of propaganda for preparedness and
for the announcement by our Sec
rotary of the Navy that the scrap
ping of ships agreed upon at the
disarmament conference was to be
| indefinitely postponed.
| 1T may be timely right here to
suggest that we work for a con-
stitutional amendment abolishing
CONSUMPTION which was declared
lawful by the Supreme Court. To
be forehanded and for once get an
advantage OF the militarists, we
might make such an amendment
cover compulsory training
!