Nelson Evening Mail THURSDAY, JULY 25, 192? PRESIDENT HOOVER CHECKS MILITARISM

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 25 July 1929, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail THURSDAY, JULY 25, 192? PRESIDENT HOOVER CHECKS MILITARISM

IT came as a surprise to ourselves, and probablv it came as an equally great surpris,' Lcr out readers, that President Hoover should find it necessary to dice* America's growing militarismJas ex- ! pressed by' increasing expenduure) m words which leave no doubt as to the course which he proposes to pursue. As cabled "He (the President) pointed out that the present expenditure of the United States for purely military purposes represents an increase of approximately 530 million dollars per year—- ; (or something over 100 million pounds sterling)—over pre-war expenditure for the same purposes, and measures now pending in Congress would call for farther increases, if favoured. The President emphasised that the chiof hope for I tax reduction lies in prospective cuts in

[ military expenditure." j Though the figures quoted do r.ot give tiie annual expenditure proposed by Congress in its military programme, cover- ! ing the next lour years (to 1953), yet it is evident that the proposed annual expenditure on the U.S. military services J runs into something like 140 million pounds sterling. When we turn to see what return Uncle Sam gets for this targe sum of money, we find, aceorouig to Captain Klbridge Colby, of the U.S. ■ .Army, that that Army consists of 133,- ' 059 troops, \vith 301,324 men iw the or-

ganiscd reserves. The same authority gives the figures for the British Empire as 467.112 men with the colours, with organised reserves numbering 939.941 inuii. So it is safe t<> say that the Empire for n less expenditure than the United States, obtains more than three limes the result. No wonder that President Hoover, who is nothing if not an economist, is dissatisfied with Congress's proposals for increasing military expenditure. But we venture to think that tlic President's utterance was not prompted' merely by u wish to save bis country's money.

President Herbert Hoover (we read in an article written by an American clergyman, on the religious side of the President's personality) is an adherent of the religious denomination known as the friends. ... It is beyond the scope of this article to speculate on the probable influence of President Hoover's Quaker antecedents on his character or on the tendencies which may be expected to show themselves in his attitude as President toward certain questions of national policy. It certainly would be unreasonable to suppose that during his administration observers with knowledge of Quaker history will find no indications of Quaker influence in his policies, in view of the fact that this influence has been clearly perceptible in his past life.

That, opinion was printed in April. Three months afterwards we find the President speaking, as quoted, in reference to military expenditure; but thero is reason to think that Mr Hoover had made up his mind some time ago as to his policy towards American militarism, ns expressed by Congress's proposed e.xpenditure, for it is a remarkable fact that, when he was nominating the members of his Cabinet, he refrained from naming his Secretary of War till the last moment, and then chose Mr James W. Good, of wliom a prominent American journalist said at the time, that he had nothing in his record to suggest his name for the position to which ho was appointed. It may he, however (our authority went on to .say) that President Hoover, seeing no signs of war in the immediate future, wishes to use his Secretary of War as a liaison officer between the White House and the Capitol. If so, the President chose wisely in .selecting Mr Good. The latter served for 12 years in the House of Representatives; he is familiar with the workings of the intricate law machine on Capitol Hill; moreover, he has a personal acquaintance with the men who operate the machine. . . .

When it is realised that the President has had no parliamentary experience, though he was Calvin Coolidge's Minister of Commerce, it will be seen how he supplied his lack by filling the post of Minister of War as he did. Seeing that the President has spoken as he has, there is little doubt that, after taking soundings in Congress by the hand of Mr Good, he has- determined to make a stand, in keeping with his predilections, against the proposed increased expenditure on the U.S. military forces. This decision is in keeping with his declared pacific intentions and his desire to decrease armaments. It paves the way to a better understandng between the British Empire and the U.S.A. than exists at the present time. It does much to bring America's actions into conformity with her professed pacifism, and possibly it may assist in bringing about a satisfactory understanding between Britain and America in reference to naval matters.