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The Commone?
FEBRUARY, 1916
15
GROWTH OF UNITED STATES ARMY IN TWENTY-FIVE' YEARS
k
Statement showing actual strength of the regular array, hospital corps, quartermaster corps, and Philippine scouts, on Juno 30th,
for the fiscal years 1891 to 1915, both inclusive, and the appropriations made for the support of the army and for fortifications and other
works of defense for the same period:
Year
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1S9G
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901'
1902
1903
1904
1905
190G
1907
1908
1909
.1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915.
-REGULAR ARMY
Ofllcers Enlisted Total
2,052
2,140
2,158
2,140
2,154
2,169
2,179
2,198
2,471
2,480
2,940
3,604
'3,701
3,750
3,800
3,750
3,656
3,826
4,048
4,273
4,281
4,470
4,665
4,701
4,616
men
23,398
23,991
24,575
25,011
24,290
24,162
24,643
42,424
58,890
G1,57S
74,310
66,948
56,855
57,434
54,373
55,719
50,995
63,098
71,204
67,485
70,001
77,835
75,321
79,917
87,384
25,450
26,131
26,733
27,157
26,444
26,331.
26,822
44,622
61,361
64,064
.77,250
70,552
60,556,
61,184
58,173
59,469
54,651
66,924
75,252
71,758
74,282
82,305
79,986
84,618
92,000
Hospital Quartcrmaster
Corps Corpg
PHILIPPINE SCOUTS
Ofllcers Enlisted Total
men
725 .
,786
Til.
.707
710
3 JU5
3,368
4,091
4,336
4,042
3,032
3,080
3,060
3,196
3,319.
3,531
3,461
3,408 x
.3,453
3,496
3,419
4,055
3,993
. srrr-y
3,047
3",S09
4,38S
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,
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i
4,939
4,77.1
4.987
5,039
5,043
4,989
5,278
5,586
5,386
5,401
5,4S0
5,403
5,096
5,430
5,036
4,871
5,087
5,147
5,159
5,105
5,394
5,746
5,552
5,580
5,660
5,583
5,278
5,612
Appropriations
for Support of
tho Army
?2G, 621,197.53
24,748,661.49
24,873,106.96
24,428,188.79
24,688,315.22
23,393,217.97
23,488,610.73
68,601,637.75
288,707,738.56
93,562,272.02
117,841,998.26
116,912,716.87
95,930,488.68
73,815,053.65
76,704,343.10
70,509,011.07
76,930,157.71
82,053;390.19
98,065,550.81
102,830,774.60
96,811,477.91
91,671,087.07
95,167,711.29
99,008,845.96
98,704,814.74
Appropriations
for Fortifi
cations $ 6,945,303.01
109,137.l5
2,508,755.94
2,052,521.20
2,380,140.91
9,119;278.69
, 9.426,005.83
12,565,394.00
10,229,899.09
8,566,883.55
8,740,001.58
7,232,646.35
7,181,139.62
7,333,748.99
6,821,420.58
172,826.00
11,788,697.75
9,264,273.70
8,301,573.73
114,341.07
5,653,378.00
5,534,191.39
9,391,325.00
109,680.99
11,804,072.06
S.tatutes at Large, Vol.24, page 435, provides that the enUstcd men of the Hospital corps "shall not be included in the effective strength
of the army nor counted as a part of the enlisted force provided by law."
Statutes at large, Vol. 37, page 593, provides that the enlisted men of the Quartermaster corps "shall not be counted as a part of tho
enlisted force provided by law."
s V ONE THEORY DISPOSED OF .
-'Buring the canipaign the democrats 'will be
faced b;vthe charge ofthe republicans that the
revenue law enacted in 1913 was responsible for
the depression that existed In the iron and steel
industry just prior to the war. The only effect
that legislation can have upon business condi
tions is when it Interferes directly with them.
The iron and steel industry in the United States
could have been affected by the democratic rev
enue law only if the law nad Opened the doors
of the customs houses to the iron and steel of
Germany and England. The official figures of
the treasury department show that between the
time the democratic tariff law went into effect
until it Was suspended, so far as practical oper
ation is concerned, by the war, the -importations
of iron and steel were less than during the cor
responding period under the Payne law. Which
disposes of one story that will bob up to attempt
to vex democratic campaign speakers this fall.
WHO KNOWS TMOST.?
In rebuking presumptuous sinners, Evangelist
Billy Sunday is wont to cry out: "Well, who
knows most, you or God?" In the sermon on
the mount Christ said, umong other things
"Blessed are thei)oorin spirit; for their's is the
kingdom of Heaven; blessed are the meek; for
they shall inherit the earth; blessed are the
peacemakers; for they shall be called the child
Ten of God." Mr. Roosevelt says that the pol
troon a term he uses for describing those who
prefer peace to war and the professional pa
cifist are out of place in a democracy, and that
the man fit for self-government must be fit to
iight for that government. He has the utmost
scorn for mollycoddles, which means meek men
.of peace, and he regards any man who is not
'eager to grasp a gun and go to training, as a
-traitor. We wonder who knows most?
ANOTHER PHASE OP PROTECTION
The preparedness propaganda has for one of
its most important objects the creation of a great
navy to protect American business abroad. The
profits from this business will go to those who
.make and sell the goods. The cost of the pro
tection will be paid by the general public. Busi
ness seeks protection by tariffs in. order to grab
profits v the expense of the protection is borne
by the general public. Business is too big to
be afraid; it must want protection because it has
found there is money in the deal.
"At length, after infinite effort, the two parties
come Into. actual juxtaposition; and thirty stands
fronting thirty, each with a gun in his hand.
Straightway the word 'Fire!' Is given: and they
blow the souls out of one another; and in place
of sixty brisk, useful craftsmen, the world has
sixty dead carcases, which it must bury and
anew shed tears for. Had these men any quar
rel? Busy as the Devil is, not the smallest!
They lived far enough apart; were the entirest
strangers; nay, in so wide a universe, there was
even,t unconsciously, by commerce some mutual
helpfulness between them.' How then? Simple
ton! their go.vernprs had fallen out; and, in-
stead of shooting one another, had tho cunning
to make these poor blockheads shoot!"
Carlyle, in "Sartor Resartus."
The republican publicity association, which
maintains headquarters at Washington the year
round, employs a humorist.- Jlecently he sent
out a letter to the newspapers in which, after
outlining what would be the program of the re
publican minority, he said: "They wJll, in all
matters, show themselves to be statesmen and
patriots." The republican minority is made up
in large part of those who greased the skids for
JMr..Taft to slide out of power, by reason oX the
legislation they enacted, and apparently were
not acting as statesmen and patriots in those
days, according to the popular verdict.
Republican newspapers are already beginning
to worry about the length of the congressional
sessjon, and are getting ready to place the
"blame" upon the democratic party. The dem
ocratic narty will be very glad to assume any re
sponsibility that attaches to a deliberate and
thoughtful consideration of a very important
legislative program.
The chap who invented interest has long held
a nlace of high esteem in the minds of consider
able part of the world's population, but it is to
be doubted whether in actual money-getting abil
ity his invention exceeds that of the man who
devised the protective tariff process of extract
ing money from the common people.
The German gunners have been given credit
for producing the best there is In the way of
high explosives, but it is to be doubted whether
they have turned out Anything yet with the de
tonating power of Colonel Roosevelt's output of
similar character.
FIGHTING PROHIBITION i .
Tfi'e'lfq'uor making' Interests are " inserting
large advertisements in eastern-newspapers riiak
ing a strong appeal for co-operation in the fight
fo defeat prohibition, on the part of those cor
porations representing great hiasses of capital.
These advertisemertts'reclte the alleged fact that
the raid on tho Hquorlndustry Is but part of thb
general attack on 'capital as represented in tho
efforts to secure better treatment of the public
on the part of the railroads, express companies
and other public service corporations. And at
tho same time tho railroads are growing more
strenuous Jn enforcing rules against the use of
intoxicants by trainmen and enginemen because ''
drunken railroaders cause accidents and deaths
apd damage suits.
WILL THE EXPERTS TELL US?
. If we are to believe these spies for national
defense, aa they call themselves, the foreign
governments have catalogued every Item of our
military weakness and the route of the invasion
is laid out as precisely as the schedule of .next
year's circus. Since these gentlemen know so
much about the future movements of foreign
governments on American, soil, perhaps they
might, still further enlighten our ignorance by
telling us just what foreign government is going
to have enough troops left out of the present
holocaust to make an effective landing and what
foreign government is likely to . have enough
money remaining to finance a war against us.
LOOKING FOR MORI ORDERS
There is no truth In the statement that the
east is a unit in favor of any plan of prepared
ness. The .wild speculation irt'the stocks of mu
nition making factories that have piled up for
tunes for their 'owners has showered unearned
gold on thousands of easterners and' created a
great enthusiasm for any plan that will keep
these running at their present speed on United
States government orders after Europe has gone
broke, but this sentiment, while noisy, is not the
true voice of the east.
George W. Perkins is undismayed and unter
rified. He declared not long ago that the pro
gressive party must and will have a ticket in the
field this year. If he feels that wayabout it,
there. is reason. to believe there will be one, ' He
was' able to finance It all rfghf in 1912, and" his
experience then ought not to be lost tor him: '
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