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Show rIFTEEN BILLIONS Secretary Baker Ap-mars Ap-mars Before House Military Commi 1 1 e e and Outlines War Programme Pro-gramme of President. MINIMUM WILL BE 3,000,000 MEN Additional Forces to Meet This Total to Be Raised Immediately and as Many More Thereafter as Needed. By H. H. STANSBTJRY, Staff Correspondent International News Service. WASHINGTON, May 2. President Vtimn, through Secretary of War Baker, odiy requested congress to appropriate 15,000,000,000 for expenses and blanket uthority for increasing the numerical irength of the United States army. It was officially proposed to limit the icf the fighting force only to the '.ilities of the war department for assembling as-sembling the soldiers and transporting (hem to, the battle fronts of Europe, ts stated two days ago, this Is the ad-tjjUfatloj) ad-tjjUfatloj) programme atiopted by the flflHent ar.d the cabinet last Tuesday. !t came as a surprise to the house miliary mili-ary affairs committee when presented today by Secretary Baker, although the -stimates were expected to be large. MINIMUM ARMY OF 3,000,000 MEN. The appropriation is intended to cover iie initial cost of a minimum army of i.000,000 men. It is proposed to raise '.he additional forces necessary to get this Otal immediately. That means, accord-inj accord-inj to the experts, not less than another ',000,000 must be obtained through the Jraft during the next few months. The outstanding feature of this schedule sched-ule Is that It will give the United States i greater army available for foreign ser-v'ce ser-v'ce than is represented by the total litary strength of the central empires !' the western front. Secretary Baker told the commitee he ''id not desire to estimate the number of , sen it might become necessary to raise, ''or the reason that any number implies 1 limit and the only possible limit is our ibUIty to equip and transport meVi, hlch is constantly on the increase." CHAIRMAN DENT IN OPPOSITION. members' of the committee ap-Marcd ap-Marcd to be unanimously in favor or urging congress to grant the huge appropriation ap-propriation without delay. There were, Ltowever, indications of opposition to the planket power requested concerning the lumber 0f men it may be necessary to HChalrman Dent said: 'A am willing to vote for an army of i.000.000 men. I introduced a bill yesterday yes-terday indicating my willingness to do "tat, and I named 5.000,000 only because 1 thought that was the largest anyone 'ould suggest. I would willingly vote '" even more. But I will not vote for " Indefinite proposition, a bill which that a department may do as it "Ishes without check of any kind. Con-sresj Con-sresj might as well he abolished." Uhn supports the president. Representative Kahn of California said: 1 am delighted that there is every infliction infli-ction of the most vigorous sort of rnill-"'J' rnill-"'J' programme. Men at the front, that ! the question, not the methods of or-nnliatlon. or-nnliatlon. when we get back to normal 'imes we will go back to the usual meth- of framing bills. ' hope there will be mote training lmps built, more men put through them 'lulckly and placed on shipboard for the '"ter aide, where It is necessary for them "set their Pinal training. I will gladly "Wort such a programme, as it seems "strike boldly at using the maximum " ,he fighting strength of the nation at !Mesentativc Field of Kentucky. "nk"K Democrat, who will apparently 'ie Dent's place as leader on his side. ": "This is an unheard-of power in 'irlcan history, but 1 do not believe IAth'! time In m.iii.I i ' ni.-ali jadltions nor habits of thought. 5le tihe Bolshevikl, we might arguo 'jries of government while the Oer-i'nS Oer-i'nS wrouS"' on!' r"in- ' am willing to "ant the war department any such power is necessary, in view of Its responsi-jjty responsi-jjty for the conduct of the war." |