Evening star., 1936-02-15
Rate nv Mail--Psyable in Advance.
All Other States and Canada.
Member of the Associated Press.
A Record Army Bill.

4 BY an overwhelming vote that de-
Z picts the determination of Congress to
Z maintain an adequate American land
\ defense, the House of Representatives
1 has passed the largest annual peace
9 time War Department appropriation on
\ record. 1t provides $545, ,146,506 for the
.Armys purposes during the next fiscal
: year. Representing the Judgment of
Americas best military brains that,
despite its size, the appropriation calls
only for the minimum of expenditure
commensurate with national safety. the
country will accept the program as
legitimate and essential measure of
preparedness fully justified by existing
conditions, especially the troubled and
incalculable international situation.
Americans who may be inclined to
look upon a half -billion-dollar Army
budget as excessive and unwarranted
have only to be reminded of the gigantic
costliness of unreadiness as exemplified
by the United States position when it
was overtaken by the emergency of the
World War. All authorities are now
agreed that had this country not found
itself in 1917 so hopelessly unequipped
for the military necessities it had sud-
denly to meet, American weight would
have made itself felt immeasurably more
quickly in the European campaign and
THE war shortened, with correSpondingly
vast saving of both life and treasure.
The United States policy, as mani
tested by the new Army bill, is to pro-
vide against the contingency that an
other emergency will catch the country
as unready as it was nineteen years ago.
Hence the wisdom of increasing the
, Army's enlisted strength to 150,873; of
an increase in the National Guard to
100000; active duty for 1000 Reserve Off
GERS; allotment Of sS,500,0O0 for mechani-
zation and motoriZation of arn.aments
and transport; acquisition of 565 new
airplanes; ALLEGATION of s1,40O,OOo for
ammunition replenishments and provt-
sion of $8,50o0 900 to strengthen Hawaiian,
West Coast and Panama defenses.
No more succinct case for the Arn1ys
needs has been presented than recent
statement by Gen. Malin Craig, chief OF
staff. 1--WE in the Army" he said, 'do
not advocate a great military establish
ment sufficient to defend ourselves
against any possible enemy. We do
want a small but highly efficient Regu-
lar Army, well equipped, well organized
and susceptible of rapid expansion We
need strong and capable National
Guard. We especially need corps OF
outstanding Reserve officers, able to train
and lead our young men in the event we
are called upon to defend our country.
Such an Army we want, not to wage
war, but to preserve peace"
Always to be remembered, Gen. Craig
adds, is that under the American system
b. of government the military branch is
under civilian authority. The danger
that the Army may precipitate conflict
Is, therefore, too remote for oonSidera-
ton. There is no peril of "militarism,"
as Europe and Asia know it, with the
momentous decision of peace or war
resting exclusively with the elected rep
resentatives of the people. An adequate
United States Army is merely an insur-
ance policy, designed to discourage
would-be aggressors from any tempta-
tion to take advantage of American de-
fenselessness.