The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-02-23

important SuUJGCIS "liASiA 49,
shadow everything else in Wash
ington are the Presidents row
with Congress and the necessl-
ty for increasing national de-
tense precautions.
There is little difference OF
opinion on Capitol Hill on the
first of those; Congress, especial
ly the Senate, is in a fighting
mood and is defying the Presl-
dental wishes.
There is considerable differ
ences of opinion in Congress as
to the real need of spending as
much money as the Army and
Navy, backed by the President
thinks should be spent for in
creasing the nations ornaments.
Without the backing of in
formed public opinion, even
those who strongly favor heavy
increases in ornaments feel that
it would be unwise to go too far.
If the public knew the facts,
these members of Congress be-
lieve, there would be no oppos-
ing sentiment against spending
all that might be necessary on
our fighting forces.
The facts about the military
strength of America and the de-
mocracies of Europe, as COM
pared with that of relationships,
which were told to the Senate
and House Military Affairs COM
mittees, are beginning to leak
cut, and they are making a deep
impression upon members VINO
had not heard them and who
were inclined to oppose the
whole idea that the United
States needed stronger defenSes.
Craig Gives Figures
AS outlined by General Malln
Craig, Chief of Staff of the Army,
the comparative figures are very
interesting. Military men talk
of armed forces in terms of Army
divisions. A division is a COM
pletely self-contained fighting
unit of, usually, 10000 men and
officers, equipped and manned to
take the field alone if necessary.
The latest figures show that
Germany has 90 such divisions,
Italy A. France 38, and England
only seven. Japan has SO army
divisions in China, IL more in
Manchukuo and nine at home.
And the United States has on
ly parts of four divisions.
There are 100000 soldiers on
the War Department rolls, in
Guiding the regular Army, the
National Guard and the enlisted
reserve: but h e y do con-
stitute an effective fighting force
because they have not the equip
men for war.
The Army has developed at the
Springfield Arsenal a new type
of infantry rifle which is said to
be the best in the world, but
there are only 5000 of those
modern rifles to equip the en-
tire army.
There are only $40 of the
three-inch field guns which are
the main reliance of mobile
army: only two of the modern
1O5-milimeter guns upon which
foreign armies are relying, and
less than half the number of ma
chine guns needed to equip what
troops we could put in the field
if necessary.
General Craig startled the Con-
gressional committee by citing
pages of such facts, and especial
ly by alleging that most OF the
gunpowder the Army has now
was left over from the World
War and has deteriorated so 1t
explodes often by spontaneous
combustion, sometimes blowing
the gun-barrel to bits.
Inclined to Do Something
In the light of such informa-
ton Congress is more inclined
than before to put the nations
defense into working shape, but
is still inclined to be suspicious
of being led into entangling al
liances.
The real battle between the
President and Congress may
have only begun. The Senate's
refusal to confirm the appoint
ment of Floyd H Roberts to be
a Federal judge in Virginia, by
a vote of y to 9, was the open
ing gun. The Presidents attack
upon the ancient system of Sen
storial courtesy under which
no high official can be confirmed
if he is personally obnoxious to
the Senators from his home state,
has opened up the whole ques-
ton of the power OF appoint