New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-30
Pacihst Students at c. &.
n. Y. Fight Plan for
Military Training.
ADVOCATES PREPARE
COUNTER PETITION
Crisis Expected When General
Wood Arrives at Noon
TO Speak.

Ardent pacihsts and equally sincere
advocates OF military preparedness
threaten 20 cause split in the ranks
OF the student body of City1ColleGe
Unless some sort Of a compromise is
reached during the morning hours Of
to-dsy's classes Major General Wood.
who is scheduled 70 spesk there at noon
to advocate a plan involving a military
course for students in all colleges, will
be greeted with petitions Of Socialist
students denouncing the plan.
Members Of the Socialist Study Club
already have prepared and are circulat-
ing their petitions against a military
system that will poison our minds and
put murder into our hearts" II was
said last night that many signatures
had been got TO the petition and that
10 still was being circulated.
Meanwhile. those who are actively IL
favor Of the plan for making officers
for future wars out OF college grad
yates have drawn up counter petit
tion burlesque OF the pacifst docu
ment. Signatures are being sought for
,tis petition, and IL is feared that the
feeling among the two factions may
reach such point that to-dsy's meet
inc may be more exciting than was in
tended by those who planned it. Tho
resolution offered by the Socialists is
a. follows:
Your life IS in your hands; do you
want il?
Whereas. Military training is
criminal miseducation because IL
teaches ore 20 obey and destroy in
stead Of to think and TO construct; and.
Whereas. Students who have TAKEN
such a course at Plattsburg have con-
c!usively shown that il is a menace 70
both the mental and moral health %
mind: and
Whereas. Genera Organ, OF the Now
York State militia, openly has said
That a good soldier must be an sutom-
atom. and Daniel Jones, secretary Of
the National Defence League. has said,
military drill mparts immediate
obedience 70 superiors," il is thus
viciously anti-Americsn. and
Whereas. The students Of this glori-
Gus institution can serve their country
in a much better way by living for il
than by numbering and being muir
dered;
We, the undersigned, in view Of the
above considerations. do vehemently
protest against the introduction of
course in the College Of the City Of
New York which will poison our minds
and put murder in our hearts.
Here is the second petition, which
aroused quite as much comment as the
first:
Whereas. although We are good
American boys and love our country
dearly, and
Whereas. We believe that This coun-
try never will need our services and
dearly hope that war will never menace
US. and
Whereas. pe believe war is horrible
thing and perfectly useless, and
Whereas. we believe that peaceful
arts are more conducive 10 moral bet
terment. we insist that sewing circle
be formed al once 10 Offset the mean
efforts Of those naughty men who would
so rccklessly endanger our individu-
Glity
The Socialist petitions were loo ked
upon as a def 20 the college faculty,
members Of which were responsible for
inviting General Wood 20 speak before
the students. General Wood and Charles
F.. Lydecker. chairman of the board Of
trustees and one of those Who has an
nounced himself in favor Of the stu