Scranton Wochenblatt. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1865-1918, 1917-12-27
A Plea for Universal Training.

that marks the progress of the
war, demonstrates with insist
ent emphasis the imperative ne
cessity for system of universal
military service to win the pres
ent war, and to protect and save
the country in any succeeding
war.
To thoughtful men and patri-
otic citizens this necessity. has
long been as inevitable as logic
and as apparent as national
danger.
1t remains in ceaseless and
tireless repetition to hammer the
vital proposition into the COM
mon sense of the majority to es-
tablish our safety in law.
How long is it to educate the
American people to the great
policy of preparedness and self
defense?
The torch of experience fairly
blazes with warning and appeal.
How many thousands and tens
of thousands will recall the deep
and consecrated earnestness with
which so many voices in this
Republic preached and pleaded
and prayed for the Preparedness
which would have prevented the
war?
There is scarcely an intelli-
gent American who does not be-
lieve now and say that if this
great common sense appeal had
been answered by the projection
of greater navy on the seas
and a better army on the land
and a nobler fleet in the air and
the conservation of the mighty
engines of war invented by OUR
genius and energy, that the
tragic Lusitania would never
have been sunk or the murder
Gus U-boat sped on its brutal
mission beneath the waves.
But they would not. Apathy,
complacency and pacifism
strangled understanding and
action.
And now the republic faces
another crisis and hesitates with
equal and almost criminal
apathy.
Universal military training is
so plain, so imperative a policy
and duty that the public opinion
of the country should leap to it
and compel its adoption at once.
The selective draft is not
universal service 1t was an ad-
mirable policy for the beginning
of the war, and did its wonder
full work.
+ But day by day makes mani
fest the deficiencies and delays
of the selective draft for a rapid
and efficient mobilization of our
national army.
1t was three months after the
declaration of war before the
selective draft had picked out a
single man of the 100000 to be
sent to the training camps. 1t
is now six months and these
100000 men are not yet con-
verted into soldiers and ready
to fight.
Little Switzerland, under her
wise and carefully prepared plan
of universal training, could mo-
bilize her 100000 men within
twenty-four hoursl
Are Americans never to learn
anything from history and ex-
perience1
We are approaching another
great crisis in the mobilization
of the more than 100000 men
chosen under the selective draft
act. Wise and thoughtful as
are the Presidents plans, the
difficulties are already evident
in the way of his mighty task.
1t is doubtful if the President,
with all his judgment, can
patch the selective draft act to
make it effective for the crowd
ing necessity of speed and eff
fectiveness in this matter.
The knowledge and experience
gained by Exemption Boards
and District Boards throughout
the country furnish the most
convincing evidence as to the
many defects in the present con-
scription plan. These defects
appear to be ineradicab1e and
cannot be removed by any modi-
fication of the system.
Because of the personal equa-
ton various district boards have
given entirely different decisions
in cases involving precisely the
same principle.
These things become known