The Washington herald., 1916-01-05
That Contemplate Little Army.

Der OF available soldiers far enrolled up to close
ION s,5ooooo men All are Of military age,
and all may claim whatever additional dignity
aecrues to the status of voluntary enlistment.
In addition to these, the total forces Of the
British Empire be swollen by some 100000
Canadians and Australians, and at least 100000 In
dian troops. This makes total contribution to
the cause of the allies of over 6,5ooooo men, a very
decent accomplishment for the nation that is some
what extensively occupied in maintaining the SUI
premacy of the and is supplying money and
munitions in considerable quantities to her allies
With these enormous forces available, it seems
rather like tempting Providence for the British
cabinet to proceed to put into effect a scheme
of compulsory service. 1t is so only at first sight
The purpose of conscription in England is not to
increase the numbers already enrolled, but to re-
place few hundred thousand married men
who have enrolled with like number of unmar-
ried who have hung back. The government PROM
ised the married men that they would not be
called upon until the unmarried men had been
taken. And that promise is to be redeemed
The results of Lord Derby's recruiting plan
show that the proportion of married to unmarried
enrolled under it is about three to two This is
explained by the fact that of the men who had
previously held back the great proportion of mar
ried men did from a of responsibility
Many of them longed to go, but felt that it was
their duty to stay at home and support their
families at least until the unmarried had been
called. Lord Derby asked these men to enroll
to be called upon as needed, and naturally they did
so. But it had also been promised them that
they would not be called to the colors long as
young unmarried men were left Stacking at home
Or the other hand, the unmarried men who had
not enlisted prior to Lord Derby's efforts had no
particular excuse for holding back, and were prob
ably slackers at heart, and the percentage of them
that obeyed the call under the Derby plan was
comparatively light
1t appears that only 50 per cent of unmarried
men OF military age still available the beginning
of October last have enrolled under the voluntary
system. Probably 20 per cent of the balance
ineligible in the sense that they are engaged in
occupations which the government considers too
important for them to leave. There is left bal
ance of between 100000 and 100000 unmarried men
of military age who not engaged in work help
full to the cause and who have no excuse for not
joining the army.
1t is to reach these men, and only these men,
that the so-caed conscrption measure has been
decided upon And notwithstanding the mutter-
ing heard in certain quarters, it is difficult to see
how the measure be seriously opposed. The
government says, for example, to the Welsh
miners at is true that are forcibfy taking into
the army certain number of your unmarried CO.
workers, but do it in order that equal num-
Der of patriotic married miners who have already
enlisted voluntarily may not be called upon" The
miner who will strike to prevent such action by
the government will get little encouragement.
One must surely offset some of the adverse
criticism that Great Britains military and diplo-
matte blunders have provoked by admiring the
way in which she has enrolled gigantic army
with practically dislocaton of her industrial
life Already, without conscrpton, she has en-
rolled larger percentage of her population than
Germany has on the most favorable estimates
The respective percentages are approximately:
Great Britain Excluding Ireland), population,
40, 900; enrolled, 5,5ooooo; percentage, 1875;
Germany population, 6S,oooooo enrolled (esti-
mated), 100000; percentage, 1880.
Nor the cry too late" apply to the question
of enlistment. At time up TO the present has
it been possible to and equip the recruited
armies fast they have been enrolled. That is
not surprising, when we remember that equip
ping a modern army means the preparation of
enormous numbers of machine guns, light and
heavy artillery, motor trucks, ambulance units and
machinery and appliances of all kinds, in addition
to rifles and bayonets and mountains of ammuni-
ton, and over and above the task of keeping sup
piled the troops already in the field. 1t is not
generally known, but up to the present time no
considerable units have left Britain for the fight
ing line until after nine months training and most
of them have had year of preparation.
1t is not going to be the side that has most
men under arms at the present time that will win
the war, but the side that has the most men left
IA year eighteen months-perhaps two years
from now. Which side that is is about the only
fact connected with the war that is definitely
known to laymen and expert alike at the present
time. g..