The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-03-04

| the invitation Of the Military Az.
fairs Committee Of the House Of
Representatives to appear before
| them. This body, composed of an
| gentlemen, has gained q great deal
of knowledge during the last three
or four years about the whole
question of our national defense.
This is due in part to the efforts
of that redoubtable old champion OF
air power, Representative Curry,
Republican, Of California, who has
consistently introduced bills for a
united air service which this COM
mittee has investigated. This year
Representative Hill OF Maryland, a
Republican, introduced a bill for a
single department of national de-
were referred to the committee for
action.
Pleasure TO Testify
There was before 1t also the re-
port OF the select committee which
investigated the United States Air
Service and rendered a unanimous
report recommending a single de-
partment OF national defense Mr..
James, Republican, OF Michigan,
chairman of the subcommittee on
aviation of the House Military At
fairs Committee, prepared bills to
put into effect the provisions recon-
mended by the select committee.
It was q pleasure to appear be-
fore this body and reply to their
questions. 1t is quite apparent that
the whole committee now sees the
necessity for combining all the ma
tional defense or war making power
of the Government under q single
head, and to subdivide the activities
under this into departments for the
air force, the Army, the Navy and |
Munitions. The only question in
their minds is when this should be
brought about and what measures
should be taken at this time with
that end in view.
The broad way In which this |
COMMITTEES Is viewing our military
situation Is in sharp distinction to |
the way the Naval COMMITTEES |
handles its affairs. The Naval
Committee IL completely dominated |
by the Bureaucracy Of the Navy,
Through its lobby and its official !
and social connections
Instead of interpreting TO the |
Congress what the people desire, it |
Is primarily concerned with further ],
ing the wishes OF the Navy. It |
ibestows only slight consideration on
1.-The idea Of treating national defense
as one concrete thing.
The utter inefficienoy Of this
method Of entrusting our national
defense to several committees is
apparent In the failure to secure
coordination of effort.
The treatement by the House
committees of the hole problem
of national defense is much broader
than that conducted by the Senate
committees. Both the Military and
Naval Committee in the Senate are
completely dominated by the Army
/ and Navy bureaucracies. They
have practically shut out all testi-
! mony, ideas and policies which are
not submitted, approved and passed
upon by the general staff Of the
Army or general board of the
! Navy.
Naturally, no Improvement can
be expected under these conditions:
Instead, things grow constantly
worse, while other nations recon.
struct and improve their systems
/ TO keep pace with modern condi- |
| tions. A few years ago the Senate
| was the progressive body in the
development of our national de-
tense. In 1920 the Senate Military
| Committee recommended to the
| Senate, with only two dissenting
| votes, the passage of a bill intro.
duced by Senator. New now the
! Postmaster GeneraD for a separate
department of aviation.
Political Shoe Squeezes
The present chairman of the
Senate Military Committee, Sen
ator Wadsworth, in defending this |
bill on the floor of the Senate said. |
In substance. that future wars
would be initiated by great air
battles; that the supremacy of the |
air would determine the contest: |
that great aerial army, acting |
separately and distinctly from |
ground armies. must certainly be |
provided for, sooner of later, and |
rather than procrastinate, it should |
be created then.
This was in 1920 and Demo |
cratic administration held the reins |
OF power. A Republican admins
tration now controls and apparently !
the political shoe squeeZes the other
foot. Instead Of development of our |
country's capabilities to the best adj
vantage, conservatism and retarda-
ton are the order Of the day.
Unfortunately the reorganization
of our national defense appears to |
be becoming a political issue, being
forced into party lines by certain
members of both parties-the Re-
publicans attempting to show that |
everything they have done has been
good and to the country's best in
terests, and the Democrats, conf
dent that this cannot be substan.
tiated are beginning to take 1t up
and show the faults that have been
committed.
The proper thing to do would be
for all to get together on a matter
of this kind and push legislation
through at this session, to modern,
lie our now entirely obsolete system
for maintaining national security.
Copyright, 1925. by The Bell
Syndicate. Inc.)
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