Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 January 1919 — BAKER TELLS HOUSE COMMITTEE NO PERMANENT DECISION HAS BEEN MADE. [ARTICLE]

BAKER TELLS HOUSE COMMITTEE NO PERMANENT DECISION HAS BEEN MADE.

Washington, Jan. 3.—No decision has been reached by the war department on the question of universal military service, Secretary Baker told the house military committee today and he indicated that no definite; project for a permanent military establishment would be presented to congress uirrii the peace conference had concluded its work. When asked whether it would be necessary to keep a large force in Europe for at leas,t two years, the secretary said: < “We hope that is not true; we are not planning for it.” . He said 700,000 men had been discharged from, the army since the armistice was signed and that another million men would be discharged within the next five weeks. Mr. Baker gafce notice that a bill authorizing a regular army of 500,000 men to be raised by voluntary enlistment would be submitted shortly to congress, together with estimates for appropriations. This army, he said, was in the nature of a temporary military establishment, described as a “step gap army,” which would tide over the period until peace is re-established. The secretary’s statement was made during a conference he sought with the committee in order to lay before it the question of disposition to be made of three artillery, train-' ing camps—those at Fayetteville, N. C., . Columbus, Ga., and West Point, Ky. He said it was necessary that a decision be reached as to whether these sites were to be purchased for permanent camps and he was unwilling to proceed without the advice of congress. In regard to keeping the sixteen National Guard cantonments and some of .the “National Guard camp sites, Mr. Baker said it was his. personal judgment that the cantonment ’sites should all be purchased, to be held for divisional training centers for whatever army the nation may decide to maintain. •' ’Mr. Baker-said it was proposed to continue permanently the army rate of pay fixed for the .war period, practically 51 a day for privates.