The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-01-27
HISTORY HAS NOT STOPPED

when PRESIDENT wilson ueclareu
against universal military service"
he evidently meant universal mills
tary training" All able-bodied citi-
zens of the United States between
the ages of eighteen and forty-five
years are already subject to military
service in emergency. The only ques-
Ition at issue is whether each citizen
should be prepared by a minimum of
training on the Swiss or Australian
or Argentine plan to render that
service in the manner best calculated
to assure his personal safety as we'll
as that of his country. Mr.. Wilson
thinks not.
Since the President has gone on
record thus uneGuivocally it is well
to consider what the ultimate result
to the American people is certain to
be "unless," as Rear Admiral Fiske
says, History has come right up to
the present and stopped" Mr.. Will
son favors sticking to the regular
army supplemented by volunteer
militia, as at present. He ignores
totally the fact that all efforts to re-
cruit the regular army even up to
the 10000 maximum authorized in
the border crisis-a figure 10000 or
more line troops short of the mini
mum fixed by the Hay bill-has
failed utterly. He ignores the fact
that the national guard, for which
recruiting proved equally unsatisfac-
tory in the emergency, faces disinte-
grafton because the present mem
bers, unwilling to lay themselves
liable to further border police duty,
are not re-enlisting, and fewer and
fewer new members are coming in.
Mr.. Wilson thus views compla-
Gently the prospect Of the country
finding itself involved in troubles be-
side which the Mexican imbroglio
will appear like a Sunday school pic
lnic. For there is no foretelling into
what complications his iil-considered
concert of power" program may get
us. And we will be caught without
a defensive military establishment
as strong even as the one which
has Just demonstrated its futility be-
fore our eyes. Talk of increasing
the regular army at the present rate
of pay is idle and to increase the
pay would be to add unreasonably
to a military budget already Excess
sively great in comparison with what
we get in return for it. Il the actual
menace of the militia, as system,
when depended upon for first line
duty has been brought home to
Americans by the present mobiliza-
ton, there remains only one way for
them to learn.
And when the American people do
learn-unless history has stopped
right here-they, and not President
Wilson, will pay a tuition fee IN
blood, not to mention treasure. which
will be appalling. Even if the Amer
lean people sustain the first shock
and gain time to prepare, as the
British have had to prepare after
the assault because they would not
heed the warning Of Lord Roberts,
the initial cost in human life, which
could be reduced by universal mill
tary training, will be frightful be-
cause of the ineficiency of our fight
y ing machine.
Greater still than this danger in
which Mr.. Wilson places the country
by advocating what can be resolved
into nothing other than unprepared-
ness is the danger with which the
very spirit of Americanism is threat
ened by his statement that mo serv-
ice except a standing army with pro-
fessional soldiers prevents that &C.
casional and frequent withdrawal Of
men from civil pursuits" A stand
ing army can give no such guaran-
tee, but that is less important than
, the encouragement given by this SEN
timent to the un-American theory
all too popular-that the protection
of Liberty is job for hirelings and
; is beneath the intelligent citizen.
There is no getting away from this
The only rights" an American citi-
zen has are the privileges and ad-
vantages which, in the last resort, he
may have to defend with his life.
: And, under the conditions of modern
. warfare, a citizen might as we'll be
unwilling as unframed to give this
personal service.
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