The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-12-22
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-COnsidered by Experts as Ideal
From Defensive Standpoint

: The government win pay all bill,
from the time the boy starts for thu
training camp to the time he get.
home again.
Previous military experience Of
school training shall count as credi
TO any entrant; that is, an entranr
having had previous instruction in {
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 Oh
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 1t 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 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 for 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 20 back
to the paths of industry. He will at
once and automatically become a re-
servist and will be given a medal by
the United States government. This
medal will indicate to everybody that
the wearer is 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
-eenth year.
1t is estimated that about half
million young men would be given
raining yearly and that at the end of
i've years there would be a reserve
,orce of 100000 trained men.
The idea seems to be to start the
7outh in training and complete it be-
ore the age usual for marriage. Then,
f the United States Is plunged into |
var, the soldiers who would respond
o call would be the last ones in train
ng, the first reserves, and therefore
he youngest soldiers. This would
nake quite impossible the ,sundering of
amily ties the taking away from
wife and childsen Of the chief sus-
amer of, Harder and home.
1t is also argued that bows will
rain more easily at this age, and
lore easily will Become Injured to the
fe.
1t is ratherNpremature to make an
stimate of cost of universal military
'aining, but one conservative estimate
from 500 to $3.50 year to the man,
from S5O,O00,OOO to S7OOOO.OOO a
ear. At present the American gov
rnment is spending about S1OO,OOO,-
10 on its army. Since the Spanish
merican war our military system is
lid to have cost the people about