Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-02
Views Vigorously Expressed
AS to Inquiry on Army Expense

naturally will be that We are more ag-
gressive than others in building up
war machine; that If we spend the
most, we must have the biggest" while,
as matter of fact, "our Army Is tiny,
very little more than a police force to
prevent domestic disturbances"
AS the Worcester Daily Telegram ex-
presses it, with our Regular Army
scarcely more than a training body
around which may be rallied the par
TALLY trained man power now in civil
ian life, it does not appear that Mr..
Hoover's plan for an Army ofhcer sur
vey can be fruitful in cost reduction
without being dangerous in defense re-
duction." The Lansing State Journal
also demands "a reasonable defense sys-
tenn"
And it is on this point that there is
very general agreement-there must
be no lessening of national defense.
That is where there comes the rub"
as the New Orleans Item puts it. The
New York Sun declares reduction In
expenses cannot come by reducing the
size of the Regular Army, nor by with
drawing support from the National
Guard, nor by reducing the pay OF of1l-
GERS and enlisted men, nor by cutting the
ration allowance in half, nor by inter-
rupting the program of providing de-
abandoning the Air Service, the Chemi-
cal Warfare Service, the Tank Corps or
any other arm Of the service. nor by
closing up the Summer training camps
for civilians, nor by abandoning me-
chanical transport"
Sympathy with this viewpoint also Is
expressed by the New York Evening
Post, and while 1t thinks the President
has a sledge-hammer argument in the
fact that our war budget is the largest
in the world" 1t hopes "he won't use IL
To strike too harsh blow" Inc san
Antonio Express stresses the TACT that
our small Regular Army is maintained
, by voluntary enlistments and must at
tract recruits through pay and allow
! snces higher than are provided Tor
military establishments whose service Is
compulsory. 1t must be ready Tor I'M
mediate duty in any emergency, par.
ticularly to guard vital areas ana
strategic points" the Express points
out: it must furnish garrisons for
home posts and stations and for Alaska,
Porto Rico, the Canal Zone, Hawaii
Territory and the Philippines" and the
| "permanent establishment also Is re-
; quired to train the Army's auxiliary
components."
However. the Wheeling Intelligenccr
believes many of the Army practices
are expensive and, In the light OF pres
ent-day science, obsolete" and call for
the reduction Of the military establish
ment Ito sensible proportions" The
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin records
! the fact that experts within the serv-
, ice have more than once in the past
pointed out ways in which wasteful ex-
penditure could be stopped, as IN the
elimination of Army posts no longer
required" On this point the Flint
Daily journal Is skeptical, saying: But
did one ever see Congressman consent
to have an Army post In his district
abandoned In the interest OF economy
or anything else? Hardly"
Confidence is expressed by the st.
Louis Globe Democrat that since the
| investigation sis being conducted by
Army officers, we need have no fear
| that 1t will weaken the Army" The
Springfield (Ohio) Sun praises Mr..
Hoover's courtesy In naming Army Of.
| ficers to reduce military expenses" but
the New Bedford Standard queries as
1 to whether 1t might not BE advisable
to include some civilians in the CON-
mission"