The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1916-12-28
CONGRESS TO BE ASKED To PROVIDE
FOR UNIVERSAL MILITARY TRAINING
Several Bills Being Prepared for the Consideration of the National
Lawmakers-Swss System Suggested as Pattern for the
United States Pan-Consdered by Experts as Ideal
From Defensive Standpoint.

/, The government will pay all bills
from the time the boy starts for the
training camp to the time he gets
home again.
Previous military experience or
school training shall count as a credit
to any entrant; that is, an entrant
having had previous instruction in a
military school will be informed by
the government that his term of mill
tary training has been reduced a GER
tain number of weeks or months on
that account.
Use Military Camps.
Training in military camps, such as
the Plattsburg camp, or in the state
guard also will be given consideration.
United States officials will pass
upon all entrants and it will be their
dictum on who is fit or unfit.
There will be no favoritism-rich
and poor, black and white will have
to take the training.
A plan is afoot to inject into the
bill a provision making it unlawful for
any employer to discriminate against
a boy because he leaves his employ
ment to take military training. A
general demand Tor this is being
heard, and the bill under discussion
no doubt will have some such prOvi-
sion.
At the end of the two-year season
in which active training is received
the entrant must have finished the
course. He will be told to go back
to the paths of industry. He will at
once and automatically become a re-
servist and will be given medal by
the United States government. This
medal will indicate to everybody that
the wearer is a reservist, has had the
training, and can be depended upon
to defend his flag in any emergency.
That these medals will be much priced
by the wearers is regarded as certain.
During the three years after the
youth has completed his active train
ing it is planned he shall report for
duty and take a week or two of drill.
This feature of the bill is still in the
making.
Begin at Nineteen.
1t is also undecided exactly when
the lad shall begin his training, but
the best opinion now favors the nine
teenth year.
1t is estimated that about half a
million young men would be given
training yearly and that at the end of
five years there would be a reserve
force Of 100000 trained men.
The idea seems to be to start the
youth in training and complete it be-
fore the age usual for marriage. Then,
if the United States is plunged into
war, the soldiers who would respond
to call would be the last ones in train
ing. the first reserves, and therefore
the youngest soldiers. This would
make quite impossible the sundering of
family ties, the taking away from
wife and children of the chief Sus-
tainer Of larder and home.
It is also argued that boys will
train more easily at this age, and
more easily will become Injured to the
life.
1t is rather premature to make an
estimate of cost of universal military
training, but one conservative estimate
is from 500 to $3.50 year to the man,
or from $50,0O0,OOO to $70,0O0,000 a
year. At present the American gov
eminent is spending about 100000
600 on its army. Since the Spanish
American war our military system is
said to have cost the people about
$4,OOO,OOO,OOO.