Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-11-23
SELECT|VE DRAFT
TRIED AND PROVED
Volunteer Method of Raising
Army Gone, Says Gen.
CroWder.
MAY ADD TO ELIGIBLEs

1.-THE volunteer method Of raising an
army for war is gone. It will never re-
turn. The principle Of selection has
been tried and proved by our people. II
it is good for this time of peril. it is
good for all future emergencies"
30 says Provost Marshal General
Crowder. in the course of a booklet
sent to the local and district boards OF
the nation today, reviewing the aims.
accomplishments and future Of the Sc
lective service system.
We have hacked the first increment
of our armies out with a broadax be-
cause there was time for no greater
refinement" Gen. Crowder tells the
local boards. We must pare future in
ination. The selective principle must
be carried to its logical conclusion and
We must meet Prussian eficiency with
greater American effectiveness.
The first official intirnation that those
who have attained the age OF twenty
one years since registration day are to
be included in the draft is contained in
the statement. In outlining just how
uncalled registered men of the nation
will work Gen. Crowder says:
New Accessions to Draft.
Tn class 4 we ind the men whom We
shall take as a last resort Before that
class is reached It IL perfectly safe to
say that by the addition Of other
attained twenty-one since registration
day and perhaps adding the classes Of
eighteen and ninetsen and twenty
years old men. We shall have included
two or three million mon in our avail.
able list, and thus have saved class g."
we. as nation, have learned much
in the last few months" says the pro-
vost marshal. We have. In the words
compact front against a common foe
and We have found ourselves. We
have learned the sacrifice that must be
made to make our nation safe from
has taken on a new light for ali Of us
and there has been no hesitation
among our people in performing that
duty. Whether Germany has taught
US or whether We have learned II our
selves. we know one thing so clearly
and 50 well that we will never again
have doubt of it.
Volunteer Method Is Gone.
The volunteer method of raising an
army for war is gone. IT will never
return. The principle OF selection has
am led to believe that they approve 1t
with substantial unan:mity II it is
good for this time of peril. 1t Is good
for all future emergencies. The won
ness efficiency should have hesitated to
adopt 1t. It Is Of the essence Of de-
nocracy and national effectiveness.
The present method for its expression
,n.ssr,tss With our Political .ysts ss
so we'll to our dual form Of state and
national control that 1t would be ca
lamitous to have it impaired. The
principle of selection is established.
The system for selection improved as
we can improve 1t must become and
remain permanent part Of our gov
srnmental system for war. 1t Is a |
INK which binds closer our union of
states and our resulting general gov
eminent 1t IL for this reason that |
say that we are standing not at the |
portals Of past. but rather at the |
threshold Of a future"
Speaking Of the relation Of labor and
industries to the department, Gen.
We are dealing in the field Of labor
supply Presuming that the labor sup
prises men between the ages Of eight
cen and nifty. and assuming for the
purpose Of this exposition. that there
are 100000 men of each Of these
classes. appurtenant to agriculture and
to the various industries. The draft
affects ten-thirty-seconds Of this sup
ply, or only about 81 per cent. There
fore, turning to Class II. when we md
skilled farm labor listed there II does
not mean that when Glass II Il ex-
hausted all skilled farm laborsYs will
have been taken. From these lgures 1t
would seem to mean that 81 per cent of
all skilled farm labor will have been
taken. But even this figure Is mis-
leading. Without the definite statis-
tics that the present draft will event
ualiy anord / can say. / think, that
within this class of skilled laborers at
least 81 per cent Of those liable to draft
will be found In classes more deferred
than Class II by reason of dependents
alienage and the like. The result is
that when We have exhausted Class H.
we shall have taken only IL per cent
of the skilled labor appurtenant to
agriculture. The same figures apply to
other industries.
Must Adjust Labor Supply.
TO raise an aruv comnrisin1 b,,r