Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-12-15

Tuesday.
1T Is true that the law provides for
tho restraint Of the liberty of the citi-
zen to a certain extent" the brief sets
forth, "yet to protect most truly the
liberties Of people who live together
IN communities, 1t Is plain that some
Governmental organization and some
exercises of Governmental powers are
necessary. There Is no absolute free
dom In civilized societies. Our own
history prior to the adoption of the
Constitution and the present expert.
ence Of one Of the Allies WILDLY show
moreover that the Government which
exercises least powers may be the In
strument of tyranny in the hands of
domestic disturbers as we'll as the
facile tool Of foreign conquerors.
The virtual admission, Of the alleged
lure Of free institutions If true is
distressing. 1t says further:
ILLUSTRATIONS may be cited without
number to show that in order to pro-
teot the liberties of the people as q
whole the individual citizen may in
cidentally or temporarily be restrain
ed Of his liberties
There Is no denial of this fact, but
this temporary denial Of rights and
privileges must follow the rules pre-.
scribed by law. That rule Is the sus,-
pension OF constitutional guarantees
by proclaiming martial law. These
people try to do what Is legally and
properly impossible. They try to
have the Constitution and marti |
law In effect at one and the same
time. The Constitution therefore for
bids this. It continues:
"Yct military service, cited as al
extreme example Of restriction of per
sonal liberty, Is only temporary, in
cidental to the security of the citi-
zens as a whole, and only so far I'M
posed as Is necessary for the purpose.
The few who are compelled to serve
do so that the many who remain at
home at the present time and the gen
erations who come In the future may
enjoy those blessings of freedom
which this Government was estab-
lishod to secure"
This is 10 new argument. When the
life Of the nation is ut stake, re.
course to the draft system Is justified
II we are in war of conquest, then
the draft system is not justified. The
following argument Is about the best
In the document:
The brief characterizes as unbound
ed" the contention that compulsory
military service Is contrary to the
spirit of democracy and says that
while occasions fer the draft In this
country have been infrequent st has
been resorted to without flinching
when the emergency arose." 1t was
largely through this method that the
revolutionary war was successfully
concluded, the Government asserts
and under. tho conditions of modern
warfare thts means OF raising an arIny
are the most prudent, just and equi
table method which can be employed
"War Is now not matter Of men
but Of nations" it adds "All the re
sources of the combatants human
and material are thrown into the
scale. AS 1t Is in the power Of the
Government to compel so it is the
duty OF all Its citizens to give, re
CARELESS of. personal preference, the
service which they can most efficient
~ render. THOSE who bear the respon
sibility Of leadership must habe also
the power to assign every citizen to
the station he is best qualified to
I'LL. Nor Is 1t any longer just to leave
the performance of military duties
only to the most ardent and patrio
TIC instead Of distributing them with
equity over the population as a
whole"
The declaration that those who bsa,
the responsibility for leadership must
have the power to assign every cit.
lien to the station he is best qualifi
ed to fill smacks not only Of social
Ism but Of slavery. 1t can only bt
enforced legally inside of q penitenti
airy, where human rights are not
tolerated, but forgotten. We have al
ways regarded it as a generally &C
cepted principle that government
In distress or danger had a right tc
draft its citizens to fight. To argue
that it has a right in q Republic to
draft them to work is a new phase
Of q most important subject.
Certain it is, if the white folks
can stand this kind of curtailment of
rights and privileges, the colored
folks can. All Of this trouble has
been brought about by the denial to
one class Of citizens the rights and
privileges that have been accorded
to the other. Selah.