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Show " GENERAL STIFF TO F01UUTE TRAINING PLAN Measure to Ee Laid Before Congress Next Month ; House Committee Cross-Examines Cross-Examines Scott. WASrnXGTOK, Dec. 21. A definite defi-nite plan for universal military training train-ing will he laid before congrosa next month in the shape of a bill formulated formu-lated by the penernl staff of the army, Accompanied by complete estimates of cost, TtH compared to the present volunteer vol-unteer system. Major General Hugh L. Scott, chief of staff, told the house military committee today that the work was in progress and would require about a month to complete. Chairman Dent - f-aid the committee would be plad to hp.o the bill. In response to ft laughing question as to who would introduce it in the house, Representative Kahn of California Califor-nia paid: "And I would be glaj to have the honor to introduce it." General Scott was subjected to sharp cross-examination today on his reiterated reiter-ated recommendation for a volunteer service measure, based in part on results of the volunteer system, as shown in the mobilization or! the national guard for border service. Five of the twenty-two members of the committee took occasion to assert their belief in tho theory of universal torvioe, while two emphatically declared against such a system. Those favoring were Representatives Kahn, Greene of Vermont and TiJson of Connecticut, liepublicans, and Olney, of Massachusetts Massachu-setts and Farley of .New York, Democrats; Demo-crats; while those opposed were Representatives Repre-sentatives MeKellar of Tennessee and Representative Quinn of Mississippi, Democrat. Colonel Tilson Agrees. The statement of Representative Til-son, Til-son, who went to the border as a national na-tional guard colonel, followed General bcott's repeated assertion that tho federalization fed-eralization of the national guard, accomplished accom-plished thus far by tho national defense act. would not meet military needs. "Many members, nr a majority of the national guardsmen, who "come back from the border, are in favor of universal service,' ' declared the chief of staff. " agree with you," said Representative Represent-ative Tilson, ' that voluntary military Ferric o is not an adequate system and probably would break, down in time of war, as it has done before. The national na-tional guard system in particular is economically unwise, because of the dual control over tho forces by the federal government and the states." Taking up the report on the mobiliza- 1 AT THE ORPHEUM , ' - , i ! --- v .i ! - t- 1 V.J r J I I ' A ' ' f V-- "' 1 1 t ' I t. St y V ), ; " y V . , ; is f ' i ?. i' i x i j s k A 1 w K v i ! k ; " s V'- Kuth Budd, the girl with the smile, and one of the big hits of the sensational sensa-tional vaudeville bill now playing at the Orpheiun. J i tiou of the guard which General Scott i presented to support his arraignment ' I of axy volunteer system, Representative Tilson continued: j . ''But do vou think it is quite fair to. the national guard V1 ' "In what respect? ' ' asked General ! Scott. Regulars Lacking. "Don't you think, general, that in! view of the enormously greater task of the regular service as the agent which conducted the mobilization, the regular army fell down hardor iu proportion pro-portion than the national guard?" ' ' Wc make many criticisms of ourselves, our-selves, " tieneral Scott said, adding that a report on the army's share in the mobilization mo-bilization already had been asked for and would be presented. "That is what I want to appear in this record," said Representative Tilson, Til-son, "because I want to show that no set of officers, no matter how well trained, could make this national guard system work. ' ' " Representative MeKellar declared he was "one American' who did not wish to follow the example of Gorman' and France in raising and training armies. When Representative Quinn put a ques-. ques-. tion to tne witness on the assumption that congress might pass such a bill, Rcpr r-entative -MeKellar interjected: ''nu need not fear; it will not.'' ' ' It won 't over my vote, 1 ' added Representative tuinn. Nature of Bill Secret. The probable nature of the bill now being drafted by a committee of the general staff was not disclosed by General Gen-eral fcVott, who also refused to estimate esti-mate the cost of such a system, except to say that proportionately it would be nu'u'h less than t he expense of the volunteer method of training troops. It is known, however, that the possibility possi-bility of welding into the new project the various sections of the defense 'act dealing with industrial organization for war purposes, the right to take over and operate manufacturing plants, railways and other peace time agencies, is under consideration. bceretary 1-tuUcr told the committee recently he was undecided unde-cided as between universal military service and a system of selective coii-se coii-se rip tiou, the latter plan being understood under-stood to include the industrial as well as the military services. When General Scott said that many members of the national guard believed in universal service, Representative MeKellar interrupted. ''That may be because you are keeping keep-ing them on the border at police duty. I get letters every day indicating that many of them bolleve they arc not fairly fair-ly treated. The great body of the guard went to do their duty." . "I think that is so." said General Scott. "Then, why not give this new system sys-tem a fair trial before vou condemn ! ! Fair Trial Given. j "Wc are giving it a fair trial and I working in good faith to get the best results from it." "Do you think we will ever get the 1 kind of an army we should have as long i as high ofheers of the regular army : refuse to bow to the mandates of cori-i cori-i gross?" insisted Representative Me-1 Me-1 Kellar. "You are condemning the sys-! sys-! tern before it gets started. Do you j think it is a good thing for generals of the army to be coming out with re-, re-, ports and newspaper and magazine ar-! ar-! tides knocking the system?" j " T was sent here bv the president and the secretary of war to present my I views," replied General Scott. "How close will this system you have proposed bring us to militarism"' asked Representative Littlcpage. "Absolutely away from it," answered an-swered the officer. "I do not see that there is anything like militarism in it. It's a democratic system." Representative Shalleuberger asked if it was not true that every attempt in history to send large invading forces overseas bad failed, lie instanced the position of the entente armies at Sa-lonilu, Sa-lonilu, says, ' ' they have not been able to gain a foot of ground against a nation like Bulgaria." "That is because of the trained soldiers sol-diers that face them." said General I Scott. "If w'e had trained soldiers we would do the same thing." ! Summer Training Camps. The subject of summer training camps was brought up by Representative Represent-ative Wise, who said the department had not exacted from men thus trained the obligation for army service in the event of war authorized by the national defense act. ' ' The war department appears to have disregarded the mandates of congress, con-gress, J ' remarked Representative MeKellar. Me-Kellar. General Scott said the training camp regulations were being formulated. Major Ma-jor Noble of the general staff explained that the war college committee had construed the rejection by congress of the federal volunteer plan proposed by former Secretary Garrison as forbidding the organization of army units other than those specifically authorized. Representative Tilson said that the present regular arm despite its enormous enor-mous cost, failed to produce "even the nucleus army of defense." Under universal uni-versal service, he added, it could .be greatly reduced in size, almost abandoned aban-doned entirely except to furnish over-1 over-1 seas garrisons and training units for the citizen army. ' ' If we are to rely on the regular army it must be greatly increased at once, must it not?" he asked. "Tremendously," said General Scott. Representative Farley said he had no questions to ask, but favored universal uni-versal service, adding, ' ' We all take our citizenship too lightly." |
