The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-11-23

ent for support. but we do not break
up the closest and most sacred of the
family relationship. We also invade
the field of agriculture and industry
to the extent OF taking in the small
percentage affected. men who have
specialized themselves or who occupy
rather pivotal positions.
In Class " we find the men whom
we shall take as a last resort Before
that class is reached It is perfectly
safe to say that by the addition of
other, classes as to age. say those
who have attained II since registra-
ton dav 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 " comprises the field of abso-
lutte e4@mpts
There is one thought that I must
impress to eradicate an erroneous
view that may be taken OF this c1as-
sification:
| We are dealing in the field of labor
supply. Presuming that the labor
supply of industry and agriculture
comprises men between the ages of
Is and so. and assuming, for the pur-
pose OF this exposition, that there are
LOCO. 600, men of each Of these ages,
we are dealing with 50 Grasses, ap-
purtenant to agriculture and to the
various industries. The draft affects
ten-thirty. seconds of this supply or
only about 81 per cent. Therefore,
turning to Class II, when we find
skilled farm labor listed there, it
does not mean that when Class II is
exhausted all skilled farm 1atborers
will have been taken. From these fig
ures. it would seem to, mean that 81
per cent. of all skilled farm labor will
have been taken. But even this fig
ure is misleading. Without the def
mite statistics that the present draft
will eventually afford I can say, I
think. that within this class of skill
ed. lalborers at least g. per cent. of
those liable to draft will be found in
classes more deferred than Class II
by reason of dependents. alfenage,
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 appurtenant to agricul-
ture. The same figures apply to other
industries
To raise an army comprising hun
dreds of thousands of men necessi-
tates an inrroad into the man power
LOT the nation. We are committed to
this war and we ought to fight it in
1.-THE most effective fashion possible TO
us. The necessity Of raising an army
is paramount. The decrease In labor
supply must be adjusted In some way
other than bv shutting off recruit
lment. That it can be adjusted there
lis no question. We see what England
has done what France has done, and
most of all what Germany has done.
The problem is not to maintain the
labor supply OF agriculture and OF
every industry intact. It is to make
the withdrawal Of men in the most
scientific manner possible. I think
we have done that. and that what is
offered here is the basis for a nice
balance between our two necessities
I feel that we can go no further.
There are those who say that we
must win this war in the economic
lfeld. with an inference that the rails
ing of an army is a side issue. I say
to you that with any greater inroads
into the field Of recruitment Of our
army We shall be sending inferior
men to the field. That. II this nation
is not competent to make the slight
adjustment necessary to compensate
for this scientific selection. then it is
not competent to enter this war. A
vast production in our farms and
factories is necessary. Tt is necessary
in order to support military opera
tons on the field Of battle. But GER
tain1y no man can urge IN this day
of trial and sacrifice that this nation
} should deliberately neglect to make
itself effective in the field of military
operation on the plea. that our great
est contribution to the cause Of hui
maiitv is in attaining an economic
supremacy. To do so would be t,
relegate the United states to the role
of sutler Of the fighting nations. We
shall. of course. increase our produc
ton. We shall become more and more
| effective as a nation and we shall
J supply our new Armies and do al
that can be expected of US to supply
} the armies of our allies. But we shall
not under that guise, conf1ne on
PARTICIPATION in this conflict to tn,
baking of bread and the sharpening