The Green Forest tribune., 1917-05-25
METHODS OF DRAFT
HOW THE GREAT ARMY WILL BE RAISED BY SELEcTlVE
 CONScRlPTIoN.
QUICK CENSUS TO BE TAKEN
Good Physical Condition and Lack of Dependent Relatives the Prime Requisites-First Half Million Will Constitute Finest Of Armies.
By EDWARD B. CLARK.

,,.l or Sfiectiye eonscrjHtieH Just at Saa d2es it mean? Thousands upon -.-bds of letters have been re- selved by war department officials and j oy members of congress uslzLue in e-- feet thut question.
 II is to the credit of yome America that the vast majority of fire 4eHers o1 inquiry received from mon oI mj'i- tary age have as thgir Inspiration a desire to serve. There have bepu very few letters of fuqurE showing any desire on#the part ot t5te writers to escape service if possible.
 The United States government not only will take a quici, census 6f tine men subject 10 the Hro5faI a~ of the Legislation, but one eG la- uea Hha are likely to he ordered ta the eulot. When it is necessary To raise another army. The young msn 3Hl 43 first and then it may be that=o'6er men Will be called upon but the estimates are that two armies of -0J0e1 Wau an be raised without extending the tge limits and without daHlcaHe jha 'anks of those whose services in a2ri- 'ulJure or in the factories are ab~o- ," utely essential. not oaly to the we'll ueiAg of the forces in the field bat to that of the people at home.
 The Chief Requisites.
 The prime thing necessary for serv- Ice is good physical condition It nusy IT be supposed from this that
 fg men who temporarily are lit- Ntle run down can expect to he released from service. There is nothing So up- building as open air exercise with good food and regular hours.
 After the physical condition of the men has been determined and per haps even before. inquiry will disclose whether or not they have persons de- pendent upon them for support It is not the desire of the government to send men into the army if relatives are to become dependent upon the govern ment fer their livelihood because of the removal of their livelhoods prop good deal has been said about a "conseript army.D The new army will be conscripted. but the sting of eonscription, if there be any such, will be removed. Nearly every French sol dier at the front today is q conscupt. There are a few Frenchmen who way beyond the age limit, succeeded in in ducfng the authorities to accept their services because they could show that despite tdeir age they were as phys leally capable as some of the much Eoqngef f ones in the ranks.
 - IheEie is another thing which will, in large measure. do away with icon scriptfono criticism. The government wants for it's first army men who have the volunteer spirit It will not be strictly legal perhaps for discrmina- tion to be made between the willing and the unwilling It is not to be taken for granted, however, that the unwilling ones will say that they are unwilling except in some pronounced cases and in the cases of the arraut towards.
 The men with the real volunteer spirit the heart desire to serve their country, army men think will make the thing so manifest that the shin ing spirit will compel attention to them. and the recruiting officers. or conscription officers. If you wish so to call them being human and willing to go against the point of least resiSr- ance, uHquesfionabiE will give ardent youth the first chance.
 It is known that army officers be- lieve the first 50900O Americans 10 be called to the colors will constitute the finest army physically and mantat- ly ever called to the counrry's staud- o4.Ig tinental population of nearly 10ooud.- GOO people. To get from this huge number 5O00g0 stalWart youngsters is q comparatively easy task. | is thought that in the ranks of the first 500,000 there will be probably 100000 men who have seen some Kind of miIf. tary training. It is also thought that among them will be thousands upon thousands who have had physical training in outdoor and indoor ath. letics
 Training in New Methods.
 In congress the opposition to the raising of an army on the universal liability to service plan gave no heed to anything except the main point in contention. Army officers do not say it out loud, but it is known they hold that the opponents of selective con scription cannot see beyond the rear line of trenches in the homeland preparation camp.
 Lieutenant General Bridges of the British forces has said plainly that the best of England's youth, the men who have made good officers, volunteered at the outset of the war and bore the brunt of the fighting following the bat tie of the Marne, and suffered terrible casualties. The result was that the officer-making material was sadly de pleted and when it came to raisine other armies the men were lacking fol instruction and for leading purposes.
 American army authorities from tht very beginning have laid stress upoI the necessity of training officers fo the forces to be raised. The countr! read about the Officers Reserve corp -~-~~-~~-~-~->~~-~-o~~
 Why Not?