Evening star., 1925-08-25
PRESIDENT HINTS
ARMY CUT ALARM
|SALL PROPAGANDA
Sees Effort to Attack Econ
omy Policy by Reduc-
ton Rumor.
SPOKESMAN SARCASTIC
IN SCOUTING REPORTS
Shipping Board Fright at Slash
Forcing Leviathan Out of Serv-
ice Is Also Scored.
BY j. RUSSELL YOUNG.
staff Correspondent of The Star

SUMMER WHITE HOUSE, SWAMP
SCOTT, Mass. August 25.-Opposition
to the Presidents economy policy will
not be effective, 1t was stated officially
today, when the President took cogni.
zance of reports from Washington de-
claring that the Army would be re-
duced
1t was stated by a spokesman fo7
President Coolidge that he is fully
aware of the efforts on the part of
some to defeat his economy program.
He IS represented, however, as feeling
fairly certain that this opposition VIII
not hurt his program.
In a sarcastic view the spokeSna n
said that there was all kinds of propa-
ganda going the rounds now to break
down the economy program. This
spokesman said that the public should
not take too seriously published arti-
cles purporting to emaniae from hlSh
departmental officials. that the activi-
. ties of their departments must be
greatly curtailed if there is to be any
reduction in their annual apportion.
11,O00 Personnel Cut.
The Presidents attention was called
today to Washington dispatches to
the effect that the Army must be re-
duced by 10000 enlisted men and pos
sibly over 900 officers, if the ltmita-
tions placed by the Budget Bureau on
the arms appropriation for the next
fiscal year are permitted to stand.
The President was represented as
being aware that at this time of the
year, when the Budget Bureau is pre-
pairing the estimates of appropriations
"a
ports, such as are credited to the War
Department, became rampant. The
PRESIDENT spokesman said that 1t IS
not surprising for the Army TO be
represented as being on the verge OF
dissolution.
The spokesman made it clear that
the President is not at all disturbed,
and. although these reports are alleged
to emanate from the general stan or
the Army, the President feels that
the general staff will be able to pro
vide the Nation with a fair degree
of national defense with an approprla-
ton the size of the one for the present
year, $500, ,o00, 900.
1t is pointed out that before the
World War the Army was maintained
at annual cost of approximately
S120,000 600.
The Presidents S spokesman states
very emphatically that if the general
staff of the Army for which the Pres
ident is known to have a very high
regard, cannot provide the United
States with the proper defense, with
an annual appropriation of approXi-
mately $500 100000, the President
would consider this failure as seri-
Gus reflection on the ability of the
general staff itself.
Hits Shipping Board Report.
The sarcasm of the President s
spokesman was not confined entirely
to the general staff. In answer to
printed reports that Chairman O'Con-
nor of the United States Shipping
Board, had issued a warning that the
Leviathan would be withdrawn from
service. if the Budget Bureau placed
too great a limitation on the Shipping
Boards next appropriation.
The President is represented as
placing little Credence upon the value
of this report. Admiral Palmer, pres
ident of the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration, the White House spokesman,
declared, is operating the Merchant
fleet and net Chairman O'Connor. If
Admiral Palmer had been so quoted,
the Presidents spokesman said, the
President would place some credence
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