The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-05-04

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his government is assailed IN war?
What is the logic OF such a situation
How can 1t be defended? II seems
to me-and 1t Is for this reason that
| am willing to support, the idea OF
what in the terms of this bill is call
ed seleotive conscription--it seems TO
me that the only true democratic way
to raise an army for the defense OF
the country in time OF war is by such
form of law and its administration as
most nearly distributes equally the
burden of military duty and of sacri-
fee upon the greatest number of peo-
pie who are to benefit by the victory.
It Is argued that the volunteer sys-
TEN calls out the finer and Drawer
spirits and has moral effect. If we
start out with the volunteer system, 1t
may bring out the moral effect, but
when we start conscription the very
fact that the volunteer system had
the normal effect stamps the con
scripts by way of contrast as an army
of skulgers and towards. The very
act that separates these men by civ
ing the volunteers the first chance
means that the men who do not take
the first chance will therefore be
grouped as "conscripts."
Now there are some other thoughts
that | had sketched out as some
points TO dwell upon. but those have
been touched upon or dwelt upon by
those who preceded me and ii is
equally apparent to my hearers that
have been somewhat side-tracked
from an attempt to cover them all
There is one phase OF the so-called
conscript army that has tremend.
our moral effect. apart from the sug-
gestion that has been made, and that
Is that. while the volunteer system
brings out the finer spirit, men who
make some sacrifice il brings out the
venturesUme spirit 1t is not fair to
say that every man who volunteers
goes from disinterested motive. II
is true also That the venturesome and
reckless. daring soldier comes in.
But it is not fair to say that every
man who does not volunteer in the
first instance is Stacker or a shirker.
There are men who are deliberate.
who are not without courage, splendid
men with good intentions, and they
may only be waiting for a second call;
they may think that the country does
not need them so soon; they may
have duties at home that are more
compelling. But when these men are
swept into a conscript army they have
no chance to stand in any such atti-
tude before the country.
Democratic Equality
Whereas. if all men are brought to.
gether in this democratic equality OF a
seleotive conscription, d citizen war
army. then the man who Is chiyalrous
enough TO volunteer for any motive,
then the man who may have hesiated
somewhat from good conscientious
motives before he volunteers, viii be
in there side by side upon equal
terms.
And then there is another man.
There is the man to be found in every
army in this country through every
generation of our history who, before
he went in may not have been quite
as high spirited, quite as fine temper
ed, keen up to what you and | think
the higher standards Of life ana liv-
ing and its outlook. hut man who.
after career in the ranks, the army
has absolutely made over Many
man would be drawn into the con
script army reluctantly, going with
some timidity. perhaps with q little
l4r, hi al
shoulder to shoulder and side by side
in the service with some of the brav-
est and best in the land, and who
would find that he. too, had begun
perhaps for the first time to recognize
and realize his own selfrespect. That
is an accomplishment in the demo
cratic army which You cannot hope
to get in any other way in the service
1t is said the patriot who Is willing
to volunteer is the man who will be
Inundated by being put into a con
script army. My answer to that is
that such a proposition does not do
justice to his patriotic good inten-
lions. If a man is such patriot, if
he is willing to risk his life for his
country if he is willing to sacrifice his
life for his country. then he is a good
enough patriot TO serve in any army
that his country raises for him to
serve in and do his best for his coun-
try in any army where his country
thinks he can do his best. CAP
plause)
MIR Chairman | had hoped II ] had
not been interrupted to dwell with
some PARTICULARLY upon one phase Of
this question which now | can only
barely suggest to you If we start
upon the plan of general volunteer.
ing We are going to be met face to
lace at the very outset, as we are now
by insidious and sometimes open and
lvowed influences that are deter
mined TO hinder embarras, and per-
laps stop that enlistment or volun- |
eering on every possible occasion, |
md you and | know it. | have roughly |
grouped them for the purposes of this |
into these five classes: |
People who are opposed to all wars: |
PEOPLE who are opposed to this war; |
,eople who prefer to finance our Al
les rather than send men to fight
nd those are the people whose souls