Arizona republican., 1917-06-05
SOUTHSIDE NEWS
TEMPE OFFICE Farmers and Merchants Bank
 Phone 31

all the homes in our great United States.
 The fact that this is the first time the nation has made a call upon us in exactly this way, makes the situation more difficult to understand. Other na- tions have always maintained mili tarv census of their inhabitants, The United States alone knows nothing of the people who reside within. her boundaries. It is high time that the people should be listed in classes ac- cording to their qualifications. so they may be used in peace and in war most effectively. The registration tomorrow, is simply a military census. and the census will show our available men, and the line of work they are best fit ted to perform. It is prepoSterous to suppose that any will be chosen to fight who are not citizens or who are phys ically or mentally incapacitated to en- dure the kind of warfare we have to- day.
 The volunteer system has served it's day at a great expense of men and money. The war has proven that if we are to win against an organized mili tary power we must outdo that power in organization.
 Some persons have said that it is not ! fair to force them to fight against
 
 the man who has lived for twenty-one years or more under the sheltering folds of old Glory, and whose con- science tells him not to fight for his ; country, then such a man ought to get him a new conscience.
 No one would deny that any man has l a right to his opinion. Any man has a right to think, if his conscience i'm nels him to. that the war ought not to have heen declared. Anyone has a right to believe in harmony with his con- science, that the selective draft is not the proper method of raising an army; but when. by due process of law war has been declared by the largest ma i iorities of both houses of congress that any war was ever declared in our his | tory. executing one. and when by the 1 same process. June :. 1917. has been i fixed as registration day so that on or i before that day. every man in the Unit ed States from 21 to 31 years of age may register, then. l say that the man l who fails to register, if possible, must l he laboring under a msaDprehension l of his duty and mistaken notion of 1 his countrV's destiny
 i It would be wonderful business in deed. to do as we have done in the past; allow some to stay at home and feather their nests while others who perhaps ought to be at home remain i or the firing line
 It has been claimed that the selective ! '~~f+ e Urdarnocratic. Such claimants
 must be angry with Abaham Lincoln.
 Mir. Lincoln spoke of a government of , the people for the people, and by the 1 people. The advocates of the non-de-
 mocracv of the draft would have had him forget about By the peonle" when tn ne haiT ernment by deeds not words. These persons must expect their happy homes
 to he banded to them on a silver plat ter. and they evidently do not expect | to pay cent or a drop of blood to ] maintain thesse self-same homes. The selective draft is democratic. It is also socialistic for it teaches equal itv of duty. Equality of rights is a
 foundation principle of democracy. It
 was the whole foundation of our own country. Our declaration of independ-
 ence asserted that "AIl men are created
 equal to enjoy the inalienable rights
 of life, liberty. and the pursuit of hap niness." But equality of duty is also a i foundation principle of democracy. Our
 forefathers did not forget that import
 ant duty when they closed that inn
 mortal declaration with the words: T For the support of this declaration. we
 mutually pledge to each other our lives
 our fortunes, and our sacred honor
 Wherever there is a right. there is a
 duty. and this should never be for
 gotten.
 My friends l am not here to discuss
 any political questions Americans de-
 eide those things by ballots. not bull
 lets. But I am here to glory with my |; fellow citizens. in the privilege which
 is offered of registering so the burden of responsibility will be taken from us
 The omnipotent knows that we are all
 ready. but we do not know where we belong. Warfare of today is different
 from that of yesterday. American vol unteer spirit can rot take Hill BOA as il
 took Chapultepec. and Lookout Noun
 tain and San Juan hill The skill and : knowledge. and science of Americans ; are the only weapons that can prevai
 against our present enemy
 Then let us register so that oul qualifications may he judged and il may be determined whether we are tt remain in our industrial army, or be- , come part of our military division. s War is the one great question upoI
 which we must stand united We may
 split upon the tariff. or any other ques. l tion. upon the declaration of war it. , self: but after war has been declared , We cannot split and continue to exis , as nation.
 ? Our people have accomplished mucl I for humanity in our years of peace . We ought not. we cannot do less thai
 give united support to our governmen y in the greatest crisis in history Gu l people will seriously consider thei
 duty, and they will do that duty. fear I 1essly and Loyalty in this time of wa
 in order that peace on all the cart l and good will toward all men vii Q actuate and guide the governments O the world when this cruel war is over. We must stand behind our govern = ment or we must fail and failure ha never yet been written into the record Q of American historv; and please God, never shall, for we must achieve vic
 tory. victory at least in the unity of ou r. support. not from sentiment alone, bu :, that our children and their childre : may live under the beneficent laws an n under the sheltering common sense c
 our people, in peace in comfort an n in happy homes.
 ;s HHTnl m nTHnu c0n