Arizona republican., 1917-08-29

l2 years and under ZZo l3 years and under . 300 14 years and under ........ 1923 Is years and under .. 1049S7 16 years and under - 231O51 r years and under .... S44,S91 IS years and under ........ ,151, 438 21 years and under ...... 2, 159 79S 22 years and over ....... 61S.511 25 years and over ... 46,626
 The outstanding fact of these figures is that the greatest army the world had ever known up to that time was comnosed of men twenty one years old and under, exactly that class which has been omitted in the otherwise very comprehensive provisions of the draft laws.
 In the grave emergency which faces the United States today-the gravest in it's history-there is no place what ever for the fault finder and there should be no room for the critic with out constructive plan for remedying that which he criticizes: and since 1 intend to outline the remedy. 1 do not hesitate to point out the omission in the draft law which has made it pos sible to accomplish only part of the task to which it is addressed This omission has weakened it precisely to the extent that it fails to utilize con- stant source of supply which is ready and available in the nation. I refer to those men resident in the United States who have arrived at the age of twenty -one since June 5. 1917. and the constant stream of those who will ar rive at this age each y,henceforth.
 The draft law and the successive provisions for carrying it into effect were the work of Brigadier General Enoch H. Crowder |. s. army. and any one at all familiar with the diff culties of the task will readily accord to him the same measure of commend ation and appreciation which were very properly embodied in a letter addressed to him by the secretary of war, a copy of which letter was forwarded by the secTetarv to the adjutant generals of flee with the recommendation that it be placed in the permanent archives of the department, as an added recvg- hilton of the brilliant manner in which this distinguished officer had per- formed a task without it's parallel in history
 The official figures to date for the draft are as follows:
 Number of men registered. g. soc. 900 Number (approximate) who
 will quality for military
 service .............. 900, 900 Number selected by first draft 6S7,OOO Number selected by second
 draft (probably) ........... 6S7,000
 After the first and second drafts are made there will be approximately 626.- 900 men available for purely military service who will not have been includ ed in the first two drafts. Now, since the first and second drafts will total about 1,374,000, and experience shows that three men are required in reserve for each man on the firing line, the e26,000 left over from the first regis tration will not be adequate for even a reserve force for the men actually or the firing line but will fall short of the | number which experience has proved l necessary by some 3,496. 900. l By using the comprehensive machin- cry set up by the war department fol 1 carrying out the provisions of the draft law, and which is still in existence and in perfect working order. the remedy | which I have to propose can be imme- diately realized. This remedy is em- bodied in the following amendment tC the Ddraft law.
 | AMENDMENT-Al male person: ! resident in the United States who arc 1 19 years of age and not more than 3 years of age on the (date when this amendment shall go into effect. ant who were not registered in pursuance | of the Act of May IS, 1917, shall bt registered at such time and place a: the president may by proclamation di rect
 It should also be provided that non' of the men affected by the law SC i amended should be called for active
 military service before reaching th' age of twenty-one years.
 ] Granting that the proposed amend ment shall be adopted by congress, thu same to go into effect June }. 1918. i;
 startling and Illuminating comparison I with the figures of the recent regis
 tration and draft given above is i'm
 mediately presented.
 On June ,, 1918, there would be thre'
 classes-males 19, 20 and 21 years 0 | age-affected by this proposed amend
 ment. As just stated above, thes' three classes would total 5000, 900 mel
 and after rejections, as stated. woul'
 net approximately 1.920,000 men fit fo
 training for military service. Thi proves my contention that this natiol
 must turn to the young, unmarrie'
 men for defense, for in these thre
 classes there will be a much smalle
 average percentage of exemption thai
 in the older classes which were com
 prehended in the recent registration
 Men of these ages have not yet ha
 their physical condition and menta
 stamina undermined by the vices an
 abuses and the sedentary habits 0
 classes of greater age.
 The outstanding feature of the ahov figures is better expressed statistical ly as follows:
 June ,. 1917, the 10 classes which were registered to- taied ,600, ,0O Out of this number will be se- cured for military service approximately ........... :, ,000, ,00 The 3 classes proposed for registration June 5. 1918. will total ...,............ 3, ,000, ,00 Out of this number will be secured for military service approximately ............ 1 1920, ,00 In other words, the 10 classes Fl t
 50 years inclusive, will have produce q little over four per cent more me than will be produced one year heno by the three classes 19 to Fl years, in elusive.
 In round numbers. million men al rive at the age for military servie