The broad ax., 1917-12-22
WOULD TRAIN BOYS.
General Young Proposes Draft
ing Youths of IS to Fl.
MARRIED MEN ARE UNWILLING

Those Who Have Dependents Dom,
Want to Fight, as q Rule, So Younger
Men Must Save the Country, - They
Did In the Civil War, He Says.
Three Million Would Be Effected.
Washington.-In q signed statement
given out recently. Lieutenant General
s. B. N. Young. U. 8. A, commander In
chief Of the military order Of the Loyal
Legion Of the United States and presi-
dent Of the National Association For
Universal Military Training, advocated
the enrly drafting OF youths between
nineteen and twenty-one to form the
national army.
General Young says that OF the 9.6O0,-
600 men registered fully so per cent
Of the married men have not hesitated
to walk up and claim exemption on
that ground alone. which means that
only a small percentage OF the married
men I'm the nation are willing to bear
arms I'm defense Of IT. This is a con-
dition which was not only surprising.
but which is fun OF menace and to
which there can be but one answer
the young. unmarried men must save
this country even as they saved It In
the civil war.
After quoting statistics to show that
the bulk OF the Union army was COM
posed OF youths under twenty-one Gen.
eral Young analyses the results Of the
present draft and concludes:
After the first and second drafts
are made there will be approximately
62G.OO0 men available for purely MILL
tary service who will not have been in
cluded in the first two drafts. Now.
since the first and. second drafts will
total about 1.3I4.O00 and experience
shows that three men are required In
reserve for each man on the firing line,
the 626OO0 left over from the first reg
istration will not he adequate for even
q reserve force for the men actually on
the firing line. but will fall short OF the
number which experience has proved
necessary by some 3.496.OO0.
By using the comprehensive ma
chinery set up by the war department
for carrying out the provisions OF the
draft law aud which is still in exist
ence and In perfect working order the
remedy which have to propose can be
Immediately realized. This remedy Is
embodied in the following amendment
to the draft law:
All male persons resident In the United
States who are nineteen years OF age and
not more than thirty-one years OF age on
the date when this amendment shall 20
In pursuance OF the act OF May Is 1917,
shall be registered at such time and place
as the president may by proclamation d.
rect.
1t should also be provided that none
Of the men affected by the law so
amended should be called for active
military service before reaching the
age Of twenty-one years.
Granting that the proposed amend
ment shall be adopted by congress, the
same to 60 into effect June 8, 1918, a
startling and Illuminating comparison
with the figures OF the recent registra-
tion and draft given above is imme-
diately presented: On June 3, 1918.
there would be three classes-males
nineteen, twenty and twenty-one years
Of age-affected by this proposed
These three classes would
total 100000 men and after reflections
would net approximately 100000 men
at for training for military service. In
these three classes there will be q
much smaller average percentage Of
exemption than In the older classes
which were comprehended in the ne
cent registration.