Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-05-04
BY RALPH G. SHEPARD


Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
Berne, May "A little blue book,
Mr.. American, with your name and
your photograph and score of facts
about your life written in it, which
| you would carry in your pocket all the
time, would be the token of the up
heaval in American life which would
be caused by the introduction of the
Swiss military system, in its entire
ty, in the United States. "Here's my
book" said Luigi Corti, a storekeeper
Of Chiasso, who used to live in Texas.
Every Swiss must carry his book
with him. When I go to the bank
take it. When l go to a strange Swiss
city Pm asked for it. | show it when
/ register at the hotel, when I draw
money, when / send a telegram. Ny
book shows how much military SER
vice I've done. If | neglected my duty
my book will show it," ado you think
Americans would like to have to car
ry books like that?" "Not the kind
of Americans used to know in Texas
twenty years ago. Americans don't
like their government to interfere with
them," said Luigi. Luigi was in the
American army during the Spanish
American war. "This little book"
he explained, sis issued by the feder-
al government. Down in Texas the
folks got along alright with the may
or and the policemen and the sheriff,
but the minute you said United States
MARSHALL they pricked up their ears.
american folks don't like to be gov
erned by Washington" Luigi Corti
had his Texas folks right, he had lot
of other Americans right, too. This
little blue book would mean that YOU
were tabled and listed by the federal
government. Some years ago this
would have sounded more un-Ameri-
can than today, because in reality you
are now tabled and listed on the fed
eral income rolls. But this little book
of military service and citizenship
would keep you in your niche, right
under the eye of the federal military
authorities, all the time If you left
Chicago to live in Cleveland you would
be forced to have your military book
revised by the military commander of
the city you were leaving and signed
by the commander in the city to which
you moved. A centralized government
would have it's grip on you. Even the
Swiss, after eighteen months of war,
are becoming restless under the CEN
trail military control of Berne. In
peace times the local commander is
an officer chosen by the soldiers in
the local troops; he is always man
from the neighborhood.
But during the war high officers
from Berne have gone to the various
corners of Switzerland to take con-
troll and the Independent Swiss citi-
zens don't like it. Not any more than
Americans in California would like
to have an army officer from Wash
ington come and rule their lives and
actions. There have been half doz-
en- parliamentary quarrels in the
Swiss congress within the last four
months over this matter.
The little blue book, issued by the
state government, wouldn't be an in
convenience. Americans in every dis
trict, to judge by the experience of
the Swiss, would want to elect their
own officers and be under the control
Of their own state government.
Any Swiss can tell you that to sub
nit to any other arrangement is to
upset the fundamental ideas on which
both the United States and the Swiss
federation were founded.
Military men in Switzerland want
federal control
The citizens want canton or state
control. And when they don't have
it they raise row, that serves to ease
up the federal pressure on them.
(Article No. will tell how long it
takes in Switzerland to learn how to
become one of the best soldiers in the
world. 1t is a surprisingly short
time.)