Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-18
WE DARE NOT WAIT 90 DAYS

CONGRESsMEN who say they object
~ to selective corscription are so
muddled that they argue for it while
they object to II. They actually propose to
enforce selective conscription ninety days
from now IF a campaign for volunteers
falls" and IN the same breath declare a
campaign for volunteers won't fail.
They surrender. Then they say, Give
us time" They say GIVE us ninety days
to jolly the folks back home and mean
while let the wrong men volunteer. Then
we will let you put the right men In the
right places and send the wrong men
home"
OF course the President has only to
raise his hand to get 500 900 volunteers.
When he has them what will he do with
them? He will have 10 select them. man
by man, and put them in their right
places. These timid Congressman are
proposing during thing. They propose
to lure into idleness a couple of hundred
thousand men who are making war ma
terials or who will be able to make war
materials better than they can fight.
They propose to dislocate war industries
and then lot the President send these idle
rejected thousands home to dislocate
more industries.
No man can stay in this state of mind
more than few hours and keep a sound
opinion, II what these Congressman have
can be called an opinion. All they need Is
a jog from the folks back home, and for
that reason Philadelphians can help by
following the suggestion made yesterday
by this newspaper TO send us n message.
II only card, on which is written the
word "Yes" with the signature, to be for
warded TO Washington.
What these Congressman are afraid Of
is that word "conscription," for they drop
off the 'selective" which makes all the
difference. There Is all the diversity in
the world between selectlve conscrption
and the old draft system.
The draft was to make unwilling men
fight. Selective conscription is largely to
keep a number of too willing men from
fighting.
The draft was to make men shoulder a
musket, when that was the only thing the
Government required of citizens. Seec-
tive conscription is to put the right man
in the right place, to put in the army or
navy those who ought to be there, be
they rich or poor, and to keep on farm
and in factory those who ought to be
there.
1t Is sheer nonsense to say that selec-
tive conscription is opposed to volunteer
ing. The same Congressman who are de-
mandng volunteering say that the ma
jority of Americans want to do their best
to help win the war They deny there are
enough slackers to imperil our chances
Of victory. What, then is the objection
to selecting the right men for the right
places when these right men are already
willing to be selected?
The volunteer spirit is encouraged by
the principle Of selectivc conscription, not
discouraged.
The people themselves, enheartened by
the Presidents advice that many can
serve best by planting gardens or increas-
| ing the efficiency of their work, are al
| ready attempting to put in force a sort OF
| informal seective conscription. For when
| all are willing there Is no conscriptive
| coercing about it. 1t is true that the Sc
iS'aioii piopoocu may tuhC " poi u to"uit
of splendid physique and put him in uni
| form. 1t can take conscientious OBJ
| jector who is an inventive genius, but II
| cannot make him invent, especially If he
| lie down and kick. But why should
| Congressman who are hip-hip-hurrahine
| about the fine volunteer spirit, which we
certainly have, worry about a few cow.
ards and objectors? They can exempt
these folk, but they dare not wait ninety
| days to talk 1t over.
For we need the men right now ant
In the right places-we have the men
they are ready. but they don't know
where they are most needed.