The Washington times., 1926-03-08

and not likely to be repeated In any
war Of the future. The sayerage
citizen soldier who served overseas
knows this full well, but the regu-
lar army soldier. on account OF his
rigid training in the system, is or
dinariIy incapable of comprehend
ing IT,
Now If this thing applied solely
and was confined to the small BODY
of 1900 officers and $4,000 men
who compose the Regular Army.
It woNid be negligible NATE hodr;
When, however, the governing Dody
/ Of the Army sets itself up 20
Edictafe to the Congress and to tha
American people what the Thole
policy OF our National defense shall
be: anciN to further les plans.
n1anipulates the witnesses who
come before Congress, so as -
bring out only one side OF the
argument; when It attempts to
fashion public opinion to salt It's
end. through paid propaganda
agencies maintained in the Wa
Department; and through its agents
on the editorial staffs OF news.
papers throughout the country dis
1t surrounds the President OF the
United States with members of this
oIigarchical bureaucracy and really
prevents his obtaining all the IL.
formation available, it is a danger:
GUS thing for our institutions.
Navy Has Novel idea
This system II followed out even
more By the Navy than by the
Army. Many OF the members o.
these services think they are rem
dering most patriotic service to-
the country in helping perpetuate
the svstem There may have been
some necessity for 1t In years gone
by, but with the increased intel
ligenee Of our people. the fact that
industrial preparation for wa.
means al much and even more tp1
the country. than do the regular
Army or Navy. and when air power
is probabl as valuable to- the coun-
try as the Army and Navy COM
hined. 1t Is time that the system
be overhauled, nlodernized and
made to tit our conditions.
The money that we pay in taxes
and Navy should be used TO the
best advantage 0f the country, not
merely to perpetuate these agencies
selves. The people must thoroughly
realize that the Army and Navy
are only agencies to carry out
theirs, the peoples. will; that. our
military forces must not be allowed
to become dicfators of what we
shall not do in case of national
emergencies. Congress must carry
out its functions, prescribing the
rules under which our national
forces shall be organized and sup
ported. and the executive depart.
meut must enforce these things.
Trying to Get Money
The first step we should take in
rehabilitating the system Is 70 Gre
ate single department Of national
defense, with suhheads for the
Army, Navy and air force. We
should have single committees for
national defense in both the SeIIate
and House OF Representatives, so
that this important matter may be
handled and considered az one
thing. instead Of being divided up
between various committees In our
national legislature, making co.
ordination impossible
The Navy. for instance, this year
il asking for b program involving
$3.50, 0OO, 900 for aircraft and 1900
airplanAs. They can only, at the
present time. take about rs air
planes out to sea on their carriers.
The object Of course of a thing Of
this Kind is manifest They are
merely trying to get a lot Of money
out Of the Treasury to spend, and
thereby gain prestige, get control
of the aircraft industry, and OBJ
tain political backing from that.
Instead of going to sea in ships
as the people intended them to do,
they want to climb on shore and
operate their aircraft from shore
bases; in other words, they are at
tempting now to use aircraft to
support the Navy, whereas aircraft
should be used TO cut down the
use and expense of battleships.
We are now putting "a per cent
of our total national income into
the war-making machinery of our
Government. Half of this, or over
five hundred million per year.
goes directly to the Army and
Navy. lis this money being wisely
used and do we get 100 cents on
the dollars worth of national de.
Tense from it?
We most certainly do not! And
it behooves US to get an organizs-
ton which shall guarantee "a wise
and proper expenditure of this, our
national life insurance money. and
see that the company into which
we pay it is solvent and able to
give us returns when, in the event
Of a great emergency, this policy
becomes due,
DOWNRIGHT. 1876 by the Bell Syndi~