The Mena weekly star., 1917-05-24
SOME VERY FOOLISH TALK.

unpleasant notoriety in very fool- ish way.
 More than that, some of them will see real trouble before the affair isl settled.
 When they learned that every man in the United States, accordingl to his age and condition, would bel required to take mans part in de-l lending his country, they, so the re- port goes. organized the Farmers and Laborers' Protective Associa- tion,
 whose membership was sworn
 on pain of death, to oppose mili-
 tary laws, to kill officers who
 might cause the arrest of asso-
 citation members and to kill any
 conscription or army officer who
 should give him gun with
 which to fight in the war
 It was but natural that men who would enter such conspiracy against their country as the above would indicate, would, especially in Texas, find a real man who would let the proper authorities know of the matter And this is just what happened.
 Getting down to the common sense of the new defense provisions, they are the fairest and squarest meas ures that could we'll be framed.
 In the first place, it places the rich and the poor, the banker and the day laborer, on the same basis as Co service.
 On Tuesday, June ,, every young man who has reached 2i years and has not reached 3i years is .re- quired to appear at designated places and register for service.
 If any man of .he specified age should be leaving his precinct or should be sick, arrangements may be made for him to register before the day set.
 Any man of the age specified, who should fail to heed this law, seeking to escape it's provisions, becomes a felon in the eyes of the law, punish able by term in prison. No amount of money can buy him off. There is no fine to be levied, nor none to pay. And when Uncle Sam starts after such person, he rarely fails to get him.
 But listen:
 When all these men between the ages of 2i and 3i are registered, and there IS estimated to be 10 million such in the United States, the gov- ernment will at first select from them about one. in twenty-or 50O,- 00o. to be trained for service in all branches of the army.
 It is plainly indicated that those who will be called will be those without families dependent upon them, and those whose occupation is of class least important to the welfare of the country. The very first, then, to be exempted from army and navy service, will be the producers, the agricultural classes. Then will come those in productive trades and manufactures. But all these so exempted will be honored just as much as will the soldiers in the trenches, for they will have en- listed in the service of their coun- try--they will be just as important and, if they do their part, just as brave and true as those in the fight ing ranks.
 Under these provisions. idlers rich or poor, will cease to exist. Uncle Sam will have a great force listed for service-each placed where ne may do the most good
 And while those young men from 2i to 3i are doing their part. the older ones, and women. too, will find work Co do for the same cause. Very rich men will give almost half their incomes. the moderately rich a less per cent and the others in proportion. Each and every one will help. There will be, so far as humanly possible, no shakers no shirks.
 War is not desired this war less than any. But a just war on hu- manity's behalf is q million times better than cowardly groveling peace
 The United States has entered a war because if was forced to do so and it has entered on the side of justice and human liberty.
 It is a glorious thing at this time that our nation should be a nation of brave men and brave women, and that, being such, each is ready and willing 10 dc his part.
 Let's hear no more of fools or