Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-30
ONSCMPTION GOES

The army bill, when 1t 1s put In it's dnal form, which
viii be done at once. will provide for conscription, draft,
or whatever ono may be pleased to term it. The essen
tial feature is that the government, and not the indiv1d-
ual. shall determine who shall go to war and who shall
remain at home. That Is as it should be. By the adop-
ton of this plan we avoid the complications which have
always attended tho volunteer system, and the necessity
for changing from the one to the other while the mar
shalling Of q great army 10 actually In progress.
1t II interesting to note how some of the advocates
of the volunteer system have got their facts mixed. For
instance. Senator Sherman Of Illinois, in the debate a
few days ago declared that England for a thousand
years had fought her wars successfully without conscrip-
ton. Literally the statement is doubtless correct. But
practically 1t is not While England has had no formal
oonscription law until the demands Of this war made it
imperative, service In her army and navy has by no
means been wholly voluntary.
Did Senator Sherman ever hear Of the Kings
shi11ing?' At an earlier period that coin was in wide
circulation. and 1t was one Of the most unpopular pieces
Of money ever minted. Trucking a man into acceptance
Of a piece Of money was a favor1te device with recruit
ing officers. The village pub" was often the scene of
such enlistments. The onicer, a jovial, companionable
fellow, would invtes all hands to drinks. and. when OPP
portunity offered. he would slip a shilling into his vic
ums hand OF drop IL into his glass of beer. The victim
would then DO told that having accepted the kings
shilling, no WIS now the kings man, and must report for
duty as ordered.
Ono man adopted herioc means to outwit the recruit
ing oncer. He and the officer had had several rounds
of drinks, when, on fitting his pewter mug the vtllager
heard a suspicious sound. and realized that 1t was caused
by a shilling slipping across the bottom of his mug.
Without hesitation he tilted the mug quickly, and An
ished of it's contents, shilling and all, at one gulp. IN
that case the kings shilling was wasted.
Perhaps the senator may also have heard Of the
pres gang. If not a course in Captain Marrayat's
stories would be both entertaining and instructive. The
press gang was almost as much Of an institution as
Westminster Abbey. The principle was that Of direct
action. A squad from a man-of-war would surround a
sailors boarding house, break in, overpower all hands.
II they were lucky, and carry their victims. often beaten
into Inconsistencies, aboard ship. In the morning the
newcomers would be lined up and given an opportunity
to sign the ships articles "of their own FREQ will"
These were some of the methods employed, to re-
cruit men under a Volunteer system. Great Britain
has overridden the prejudice against the frank adoption
of conscription. ana feels better for 1t. We conscripted
men in tho civil war, and We would have been obliged
to conscript during the Spanish war II tho war had act
ually assumed important proportions.
CONSUMPTION, properly regulated, is democratic, SCI
enti6c and effective. No other plan Is.