The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-11-22
DRAFT FAIR TO ALL
Secretary of War Baker Tells Why
Selective Conscription Was Decid-
ed Upon.

ed Upon.
Why did Congress, at the behest
of President Wilson and his advisers,
by overwhelming majorities in both
the Senate and House, adopt the Sc
lectiye Draft Law as the best method
of raising a great national army fol
service in the war against Germany?
Why did the greatest democracy in
the world, protiting by the experience
and mistakes of its allies, follow the
| example of France and England and
copy, in part, the military system of
its 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, Edw-
| ard G.'LoWry, In an article dealing
with the great accomplishments of
| the War Department under Secre-
tary Bakers direction, presented for
! the first time publicly Mr. Bakers
! analysis OF the necessity for the
| draft.
I The official stenographic report of
! the Secretary Of Wars replies to
| questions propounded by members of
the Committee is enlightening.
Here are some OF the questions and
! enlighteningS.
Q. Do you care TO say anything
about the war?
| A. We may have to call out 5000,
600 men. l do not know, and you
cannot know with any certainty ,and
l therefore am persuaded that in
stead of repeating the mistakes
which European countries have made
and other countries have made
which all admit to be mistakes-we
ought to lay down scheme which
IS as orderly and precise as the mo-
tons of a piece of mechanism and
which, whenever we need to call ad
oitional forces, will automatically
respond as soon as the decision is
made as to the size of the force TO
be called.
Q. Will the raising OF large ar
mics promote militarism in this
country?
A. l have no alarm on the subject
of militarism in America. Militarism
is philosophy; it is the designation
given to selfish or ambitious po
litical system which uses armies as a
means of accomplishing its objects.
The mobilization and arming of a
democracy, in defense of the princi-
pies upon which it is founded and in
yindication of the common rights OF
men in the world, is an entirely diff
ferent thing. We are in a situation
where the art of war and the size
L,a - l.
a revolution in our sight. We have
just seen the whole thing change to
such an extent that almost no analo
gies and no historic preconceptions
are seryiceable any longer.
Q. Why in the present emergency
did you prefer the selective draft to
the traditional volunteer system?
A. | think it much more impor-
tant TO allow society to determine
where a man can best serve his coun-
Try rather than allow the man HIM
self to determine that. am not
a. valuable asset for a soldier. Will
think we are facing situation
which is larger than any task the
Government has had of this kind
SlilSC lAC SlSh ul dilu olhSSAo
ought to be selected and taken pure
~ in accordance with military can
ons. The fact that a man is popular
does, indicate the possession of very
admirable personal characteristics
and qualities, but that has nothing
efficiency. So far as I am personally
fhioR fhpro q die
tinct moral gain in a mans address
ing to himself the question as to
whether his country is worthy of
sacrifice and determining that moral
question in favor of the sacrifice. i
think that man is a better man who
addresses that moral question to
himself.
Q. Do you not believe a man who
really wanted to go to war as vol
unteer and who was anxious to go
would make better soldier than
the man who really went in half
heartedly or who did not want to go
or for some reason felt that he did
not want to fight at this time?
A. l don't think l would like to
say that l think, some of the brav-
est men in the world, and men who
have done the best work, have been
men who shrank from conflict rather
than courted it.
@. You have said that this Selac
tive Draft Bill was your bill; that
you had dictated it's outlines. Where
did you get your information?
A. / am now forty-five years Of
age. and for the last year of my life
l have don enothing but study these
problems, and this particular PROB
lem, and / think it would not be in
proper for me to expect of myself,
when / come to consider this prob
lem, some ideas On the subject. Ev-
cry idea l have had has been can
vassed with my associates in the mill
tary establishment. But when they
have all spoken, want it understood
that the War Department speaks by
the Secretary and not by an individ-
ual officer. l was deeply welded to
trying to avoid in the Selective Draft
Bill the question of permanent
policy, SO we can meet this emergen-
cy only. My feeling about it is, as
so very aptly expressed by the Presi-
dent, that we do not know what the
military policy of any civilized coun-
| try may be required to be when this
war is over, and / am therefore very
! enxious not to take advantage of the
/ present emergency to adopt a per-
manent policy which might then be
| either unpopular or undesired or