The Washington herald., 1915-12-05
RAISED ARMIES; FIGURES REVEAL
RECRUITING KITCHENER PLANS FOR TWO MORE

Newcastle-on-Tync, the center of
great shipbuilding and munitions in
dustries, has only 10000 "unstarred"
linen and has sent $4,000 to the army,
proud record. Leeds has done
poorly, only 10000 recruits having
, volunteered and $4,000 "unstarred"
remaining. Sheffield has sent 10000
men, and as many more are sought
by the Derby canvassers. Bristol,
with a population of 100000, has fur
nishcd 1900 recruits, and has 10000
"unstarrcd" men. Devon and Corn
wall arc the backward sisters among
English counties. Only 2I 900 volun-
tcers have come forward from Devon
since war began, out of 100000 popu-
lation, and from Cornwall only 10000
out of $4,000 people. There are TO-
600 "unstarred" men in Devon and
5000 in Cornwall, and the can
vasscrs in those counties are work
| ing overtime.
Methods adopted by many cam
vassers in dealing with ignorant men
are more than questionable. One ia:
vorite trick is said to be to tell the
"unstarrsd" victim that if he doesn't
join at once he will be fetched" that
when fetched" he will wear a red
c. on his khaki collar, standing for
coward" or "conscript," and will re-
ccive only four cents day instead
OF the shilling wage of the volunteer.
have even heard OF threats to men
! that if they wait to be fetched" their
wives and children will not receive
the current separation allowances or
pensions il they are killed.
1t is only fair to say that such
measures are strongly discounten-
anced by Lord Derby and his aids.
i The trouble lies in the character OF
some of the ward heelers' who are
doing the canvassing, spurred on by
rewards offered by their local conf
mittees for the greatest number OF re-
.ruits obtained, or by natural spirit
lof rivalry arising because they are
working in competition with "heelcrs"
of opposite parties who in peace
times are their deadly enemies.
There arc, however. two official
forms of pressure which prove how
close to compulsion the country has
come. Men OF military age are moi
permitted to leave the country with
out passports, which are seldom or
never granted if the applicant figures
on a pink slip. This rule was adopt
ed when Cunard fircmen struck at
Liverpool rather than carry TO Amer
ica several hundred Irish "slacHers'
| as stecrage passengers. The COM
pany acquiesced, and the government
acted next day. The second form of
moral compulsion is the ingenious
armlet scheme.
Khaki Armbands on Men.
In December, when the recruits OF
the preliminary canvass have been
tabulated, khaki armbands arc to be
issued to all men not in uniform who
have enlisted under the group sys-
tenn and arc waiting to join the COL
ors, who have volunteered and been
rejected by the doctors, or who have
been honorably discharged from the
army. At present all Starred" work
ers. men who are not allowed to
leave their jobs to enlist, wear bronze
war work" badges ISSUED by the
government. The khaki armlets will
identify in the streets those men who
arc not war workers and yet
through no fault OF their own are not
in the service.
The fate of the miserable remnant,
those men who have refused to enlist
even after the pink, blue and white
slip campaign is over. may be imag-
ined. The public will consider itself
justified in insulting and badgcrins
any man OF military age without
war badge, an armlet or a uniform.
Two classes of people seem to be in
for a rough time under this arrange
mcnt-the men who are just over the
age limit, but who look thirtyfvc or
so, and ncutrals, especially Ameri-
cans. The fate OF young Americans
will be particularly hard. because a
Swiss or Brazilian can escape annoy
ance. perhaps, by wearing his national
colors, but the sight of Old Glory in
coat lapel draws on the wcarer vol
leys OF remarks in the streets! sar-
casms about too proud to fight"
ironic references to the Lusitania or
the Ancona, and just plain insults.
| have said that Lord Derby's,
campaign is to decide the issue
whether the voluntary system is to
conquer conscription, but cynical
Englishman has put the situation
more accurately. He presumably
ruminated the pressure being put on
the "unstarred" two million and also
n la tt 81 81