The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-11-24
FARM As We'll
AS THE. fACT0Ry
MUST Do PART
Agriculture Will be Required to
Furnish Quota for New Draft,
Says Crowder.
BLOW Is TO BE STRUCK
IN BATTLE, NOT TRADE
Victory Will Be Won by Strong
Right Arm of Men, Not by u.
ShreWd Tricks of Trader

0A4V"u = AS4AO " . - O~ASA
Washington, d. e.. Nov. 21.-"The
blow that skaters the German line
and extinguishes autocr.cy from the
face OF the earth will % the blow OF
mans right arm, and not the !nsidious
stroke of a shrewd trader, says Pro.
vost Mars .lal General Crowder in a
letter today addressed 10 the thou
sands OF members Of dist:ic. and H.
cal exemption boards who are pre-
pairing for the second draft.
His message is an appeal for every
industry to assume its share of The
burden by contributing its proportion
ate quota OF skilled workers ssad NAG
ing the requisite Establishments
Commenting on the success u the
frs draft, he says: ..,-.,A .a..,
Moving breathlessly, supported bv
the governors Of the States and by
the members Of our selection boards
with a patriotism, devotion, and I'M
selfish zeal Tat remains an inspira-
ton 10 the nation, we have accom-
plished our purpose within the time
limits at our disposal"
Then he takes up the five classes,
one by one. In Glass ! we shall
have in every community immediate
ly available for military service single
men and few married men whose
removal will not disturb the reason.
ABLY adequate support OF their depend
ents. In the industrial and agricul'
tural aspect, we shall Lave segregated
into this class men who have not espe-
cially fitted themselves for industrial
or agricultural pursuits, SO that our
only incursion into the labor supply
will affect but small percentage OF
unskilled labor"
Must Take Farm Laborers. -
I'm Class il we find men who can
be taken without disturbing the sup.
port Of any dependent and, as shall
presently. show you, II the necessity
OF drawing ION Glass II arrives, we
must, demand even from agriculture'
and industry an adjustment to replace
a small percentage Of skilled labor at.
fected by the draft-men who, while
occupying no pivotal or important po'
sition, can serve industry or agricul.
ture better than unskilled men.
SHOULD the pinch of military neces.
sity increase beyond Class II. it would
mean that the nation would have to
begin to commit itself to hardship and
to an adjustment in agriculture and
industry to meet the paramount ne.
cessity. We take in Glass III a very
small class of persons upon whom
others are dependent for support, bA.
we do not break up the closest and
most sacred of the family relation
ships. We also. Invade the field OF
agTicaltuEer And industry to the ex
tent lQfhtaMng. in the small percent.
age affected. men who have special.
lied themselves or who occupy rather
pivotal positions.
in Glass w we find the men whom
We shall take as last resort Be.
fore that class is reached 1t is per.
fectly safe to say that by the addi.
tion of other classes as to age, say
those who have attained q since
registration day and perhaps adding
the classes of Is and 10 and 20 years
old, men, We shall have included two
or three million men in our available
list, and thus have saved Class w.
Glass v comprises the field of al.
solute .exempts. ,,...a
There is one thought that l must
impress to eradicate an erroneous
view that may be taken of this classi.
fication: T., ".i ''"ls .t'. ,.-
I'VE are dealing in the field of labor
supply. Presenting that the labor sup.
ply OF industry and agriculture com:
prises men between the ages of IS
and so, and assuming, for the purpose
OF this exposition, that there are
100000 men of each of these ages.
We are dealing with 80 classes, appur.
tenant to agriculture and to the var
iOus industries. The draft affects ten
thirty seconds of this supply or only
about 81 per cent. Therefore turning
to Glass II, when we, find skilled farm
labor listed there, 1t does not mean
that when Class IL Is exhausted all
skilled farm ,laborers will have been
taken. From these figures, 1t would
seem to mean that 81 per cent of ill
skilled farm labor will havl, been
taken. But even this figure is mis-.
leading. Without the definite stats.
tics that the present draft will event.
ually afford can say, think, that
within this class of skilled laborers
at least G. per cen: of those liable to
draft will be found in classes more de-
ferred than Glass II by reason of de.
pendents, alienage, and the like The
result is that when we have exhausted
Class II, we shall have taken only IL
per cent of The skilled labor appurte.
nant to agriculture The same figures
apply to other industries"