The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-11-09
DRAFT is FAIR
WAR SECRETARY :
TELLS CONGRESS-
Baker Answer Many Dues.
tions Regarding Passage
of the Law.


overwh Ginning majorities in both the
Senate and House, adopt the Selective
Draft Law as the best method OF rails
ing great national army for service
in the war against Germany?
Why did the greatest democracy in
the world, profiting by the experience
and mistake of its allies, follow the
example of France and England and
copy, in part, the military system Of
it's autocratic' foe instead of relying
entirely upon volunteers?
Secretary of War Baker answered
these questions before the House
Committee on Military Affairs when
the Draft Bill was under considera-
ton.
Writing in Golfers Weekly, Ed
ward q. Lowry, in an article dealing
with the great accomplishments of
the War Department under Secretary
Bakers. direction, presented. for the
first time publicly Mr.. Bakers analy-
sis Of the necessity for the draft.
The official stenographic report of
the Secretary Of Wars replies to ques-
tions propounded. by members of the
committee is enlightening.
Here are some Of the questions and
answers:
@. Do you care to say anything
about the war?
A. We may have to call out 5,0Oo,-
900 men. do not know, and you
cannot know with any certainty, and
7 therefore am persudade that instead
of repeating the mistakes which Eur
opean countries have made and other
countries have made-which all adj
| NIT to be nistakes-we ought to lay
down a scheme which is as orderly
and precise as the motions of q piece
ar ooh NH orb 11,
we need to call additional forces, will
automatically respond as soon as the
! decision IL made as to the size of the
| force to be called.
| @. VIII the raising of large. armies
promote militarism in this country?
A. have no alarm on the subject
Of militarism in America . Militar-
| ism is q philosophy: 1t Is the designa-
| ton given to selfish or ambitious
political system which uses armies as
| means Of accomplishing its objects.
The mobilization and arming OF
!, democracy, in defense of the prin-
ciples upon which it is founded and
| in vindication Of the. common rights
| of men in the world, Is an entirely Diff
ferent thing :. We are in a situa-
ton where the art of war and the
| size and character of war have under
gone a. revolution In our sight We
| have just seen the whole thing change
4 to such an extent that almost no anal
ogies and no historic preconceptions
are servfceable any longer.
| @. Why In the present emergency
did you prefer the selective draft to
the traditional volunteer system?J
A. think 1t much more Important
/ to allow sbciety to determine where
q man can best serve his country
rather than allow the man himself to
determine that. am not sure that
| lust for blood is necessarily valuable
asset for q soldier. Willingness to do
his duty il enough. think we are
facing a situation which is larger than
any task the government has had of
this kind since the Civil War. and Of
ficers ought to be selected and taken
purely in accordance with military
canons The fact that a man is popu-
lar or influential may and doubfsess
does, indicate the possession OF very
admirable, personal characteristics
and qualities, but that has nothing to
do with the question Of military eff
ciency SO far as I am personally
concerned, I think there is distinct
moral gain in q mans addressing to
himself the question as tox whether
his country is worthy Of sacrifice and
determining that moral question In
favor of the sacrifice. I think that
man is q better man who addresses
4 that moral question to himself.
q. Do you believe a man who real
~ wanted to go to war as a volunteer
and who was anxious to 60 would
make a better soldier than the man
who really went in half-hearted1y or
lwho did not want to go or for some
reason felt that he did not want to
fight at this time?
A. don't think I would like to say
that. I think some Of the bravest men
in the world, and men who have done
the best work, have been men who
shrank from conflict rather than
lcourted II.
men who have brothers on the other
side in this war. You recognize that
fact, do you not?
/ "A. would be unable to recognize
any relationship between any citizen
Of the United States and any body
politic or individual that would inter-
| fere with his duty.
| @. You have said that this Selective.
Draft Bill was your bill; that you had
dictated it's outlines. Where did you
get your information
A. am now forty-ftve years of age,
| and for the last year Of my life I have
L
lens, and this particular problem, and
I think it would not be improper for
| me to expect of myself, when I come
| to consider this problem, some ideas,
| on the subject. Every idea have
| had has been canvassed with my as
sociates in the military establishment
7. -. But when they have all spoken,
I want 1t understood that the War De-
partment speaks by the Secretary and
not by an individual officer. / was
deeply welded to trying to avoid in
the Eelective Draft Bill the question
of a permanent policy, 30 we can meet
this emergency only My feeling about
it is, as SO very APPLY expressed by the
| President, that we do not know what
the military policy of any civilized
country may be required to be when
this war il over, and I am therefore
very anxious not to take advantage of
the present emergency to adopt per-