The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-04-27
GRESHAM EXPLAINING SELEC-
TIVE DRAFT SYSTEM WITH
HOPE THAT 1T PASSES.
NO TIME NOW TO AWAIT
VOLUNTEERS, HE SAYS
Proposed Program Would Seek Men
Who Can Best Be Spared for Fight
ing While Others Would Do Work
For Which They Are Best
Adapted.

washington, April zl.-AS one SteI
toward meeting opposition in Congress
to the administration army plans
President Wilson sent an open letter
to Representative Helvering of Kan
sas explaining what is meant by selec
tive draft and expressing earnest hope
that the bill drafted by the War de.
partment would be passed.
Text of Letter.
The letter follows:
Il welcome the inquiry of your let
ter of April 10, because | have realized
the truth of what you say from my
own observations; namely, that what
is meant to be understood by the Sc
lective draft is not generally under
stood throughout the country.
THE process of the draft is,
think, very clearly set forth in the
bill drafted by the War department,
and which l so earnestly hope the
Congress will adopt, but it is worth
while to state the idea which under
lies the bill little more fully.
Want Those Who Can Be Spared.
Il took occasion the other day in an
address to the people of the country
to point out the many forms of patri-
otto service that were open to them
and to emphasize the fact that the
military part of the service was by
no means the only part, and perhaps, |
all things considered not the most vi |
tai part. Our object is a mobilization |
of all the productive and active forces |
of the nation and their development |
to the highest point of cooperation |
and efficiency, and the idea of the Sc
lective draft is that those should be
chosen for service in the army who
can be most readily spared from the
prosecution of the other activities
which the country must engage in and
to which it must devote a great deal
of its best energy and capacity.
1.-THE volunteer system does not do
this. When men choose themselves
they sometimes choose without due
regard to their other responsibilities.
Men may come from the farms or
from the mines or from the factories
or centers of business who ought not
to come, but ought to stand back of
the armies in the fields and see that
they get everything that they need
and that the people of the country are
sustained in the meantime.
Obligation Is Universal.
1.-THE principle of the selective draft
in short, has at it's heart this idea, a
that there is a universal obligation to G
serve and that a public authority n
should choose those upon whom the h
of military service shall q
rest and also, in sense, choose those f.
who shall do the rest of the ma ri
ions work. The bill if adopted will n
10 more, I believe, than any other sim r.
gle instrumentality to create the i'm 81
preston of universal service in the A
lrmy and out of it, and if properly ad- n
ninistered will be a great source of T,
I,
Those who feel that we are turn D
ng away altogether from the volun-
airy principle seem to forget that d
ome 100000 men will be needed to
III the ranks of the regular army and
he National guard and that very
reat field of individual enthusiasm r.
les there wide OPEN"
Confident of Enactment.
The President and administration
eaders are confident of the ultimate be
nactment Of the army bill WITHOUT de
n Z