Evening star., 1948-04-09
Cox DiscIoses
He May Resign
AsGuard Head
Ready to Quit When
It's on Firm Footing,
Disputes Settled

~esign" as commander of the Dis
trict National Guard as soon as the
Guard is on firm footing and "cer-
tain difficulties are Strengthened
out"
Gen. Cox, who is "a, disclosed In
an interview with reporter Of The
Star that he discussed resigning at
a recent White House meeting with
Maj. Gen. Harry H. Vaughan, Pres
ident Truman's military aide.
AS presidential appointee, Gen
Cox does not fall under Army regu-
lations regarding the officers re-
tirement age of "a. He cited law
which stated only that he could be
removed from his post "at any time
by the President"
Gen. Cox said he decided after his
meeting with Gen. Vaughan Ito get
the Guard reorganized first. There
are certain things" he said, that
are started that I want to finish be-
fore this is dumped into the lap of
some one else"
Armory Dispute Mentioned.
The general stressed he will re-
main as head of the Guard for as
long as Mr.. Truman desires, but
that II will be ready to resign" when
he feels the Guard is on a firm
footing.
Among the difficulties" to be
Strengthened out, Gen. Cox said, are
the dispute between Guard officials
and the Commissioners over control
of the Guard armory, and Senate
Appropriation Committee charges
that the Guard misspent funds from
the current years appropriation
with "wanton disregard Of law"
Chairman Bridges of the commit
tee warned Col Peyton G. hewitt,
Guard adjutant general, that off,
cials would be prosecuted under the
Anti-Deficiency Act If there are
further expenditures without au-
thority of Congress. Col. hewitt
asked the Senate group for a de-
ficiency appropriation of $29,578 in
stead of the $4,000 approved by
the House.
Gen. Cox said he did not want to
set a date when he would be ready
ito 60 before the President and
recommend successor"
Appointed in 1888.
Gen. Cox was appointed by Presi-
dent Roosevelt in May, 1888. to head
the Guard. He entered active duty
in the Army in 1941, but retained
command of the Guard.
Asked about the charges of unau-
thorized expenditure of funds, Gen.
Cox said the matter is primarily
an argument between the District
and Appropriation Committees of
the House and Senate"
Representatives of the District
committees, he said, advised the
Guard to spend money out of the
regular appropriation several
months ago for expenses when the
Armory drill hall was opened to
civilian activities. ........
I'VE were assured at that time
that we would get the appropria-
tions back" he asserted.
Provisions of Law Read.
During the hearing yesterday of
the deficiency estimate, Senator
Bridges read provisions Of the Anti
deficiency Act, which provides pen
alties for officials who "expend in
excess of appropriations made by
Congress, or obligate for funds not
appropriated.
Il don't know what we will do
about this" Senator Bridges solemn
ly warned Col Nevitt. But if there
is any other violation of the Anti
deficiency Act, we will ask for prose-
cution of whomever is responsible
Bridges Reads Full Report.
"Here and now we serve notice
on you as to further violations. We
have told this to others, he added,
so you are not being singled out
-" We are doing the best we can
for the country, for the District,
and the Guard"
Earlier Senator Bridges read
aloud the full House committee re-
port criticizing Guard officials, and
asked Col. hewitt What do you say
to that report?"
The officer replied that the orig
inal 1948 estimate of $256000 had
been prepared in the summer of
1916 before the Guard had moved
into the armory. The budget and
Congress split the appropriation, he
said, and gave $209, 900 to the super
intendent of District buildings for
operation of the armory and $68,600
to the Guard This latter figure, he
claimed, was insufficient to care for
services of the Guard"
Cites Rental Dispute.
Plans for renting the drill hall for
r1onmilitary affairs were completed,
the witness said, but when contro-
versy developed between the Guard
and District officials as to DISPOSE
ton of the funds an agreement was
reached for impounding such re-
ceipts.
If the rent money from the drill
hall had become available, as ex-
pected by the Guard, Col. Nevitt
said, no deficiency money would
have been needed. He claimed that
contracts made for rental of the
hall were legal, and in line with
contracts made by regular units of
the Army.
The deficiency was partly caused
by Guard purchase of athletic equip
ment to be used in basket ball
games, Col. hewitt testified. Some of
the. bills had not yet been paid, he
said, but the obligations were in
CURED in expectancy of being able
to use receipts from the hall rentals.
Refers to Star Editorial.
At one point Senator Bridges said
the House committee report had
stirred up public reaction from in
dividuals and the press. He re-
ferred to an editorial in The Star
entitled Time to Change the
Guard" He inserted the editorial
IN the record. It had been sent to
the committee in several letters
from the public, which the Senator
said were very critical of the way
the Guard had anfad