The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-08-09
MILITARY SERVICE OF ALIENS

LILA OEhNlNE OF ALlENG
The question or the exemption of
aliens from the operations of the Sc
lective draft forms one of the tick
lish" matters now confronting the
United States. 1t would seem that
those people who come here and en-
JOY our hospitality and protection and
who make money working in this
country, should not escape the espon-
sibility of helping protect it and still
remain here while others go to fight
for them. A story is going the rounds
about an alien who accosted a young
volunteer as follows: Hello, John.
You go fight? That's good. By'n by /
set your good job, go to your house,
do anything 1 want" 1t would look
only fair that unless the services of
the alien is needed in some walk of
civil life where his leaving would dis
turb production, he ought to be given
The alternative of either submitting
to draft or leaving the country. In
the Civil war the draft law held all
who had declared their intentions to
become citizens liable. The British
government protested that if they had
not exercised the right to the fran
Chise, granted them by the laws of
certain states, they should be allowed
a reasonable time to leave the coun-
Try after the passage of the act. They
we're given sixty-five days by the
United States government to either
leave or hold themselves liable to
draft. The present selective draft law
makes liable male citizens. not alien
enemies who have declared their in
tention to become citizens
The following twelve countries have
treaties with this country specifically
exempting their nationals from com
pulsory military service: Argentine
Republic, Congo Free State, Costa Ri
ca. Honduras. Italy, Japan, Paraguay,
Serbia, Tonga Islands, Morocco and
Persia. Several Of these countries are
at war with Germany and their ma
tionals will fall under the plan to
deport them, where requested, for mil
itary service under their own flags.
The United States is %endeavoring to
have the exemption provision in the
treaties of the others waived by COM
NOR consent.
The right Of one nation to force into
military service a national of another
country who has neither declared in
tention to become a citizen, nor eXer-
'cised political rights and who is not
protected by treaty stipulation, is one
Of the questions of international law
on which there is not complete unani-
nity of opinion. On this question }
David Thompson. law librarian of the
Congressional library, after calling
attention to several opinions OF AT
thorities says: although it will be
observed tina there is some conflict
of opinion indicated in the extracts
submitted (oftentimes doubtless to be-
partially or wholly explained by the
nature of the correspondence or thu
addressee of the letter. the genera
rule would seem to be that in the alb
sence of treaty stipulations a countr.
has a right to impress for militar.
service those within its territory, ever
citizens of another power. But TIM
right is, on grounds Of comfy and rec
iprocity, to be exercised sparingly, be
cause almost certain to be followe
by urgent representations by the gov
eminent of the citizens concerned"
II an address before the America
Society of International Law at II
1911 session, H. T. K%ingsbury mad
tie following observations which &
this time would seem especially az
propriate: Since compulsory mil
tarv service to a foreign country ca
always be avoided by timely departur
from it, there appears to be no reaso
why, in itself, it should %necessaril
form an exception to the general rul
that a government may, if 1t choose
require the same support, wheth'
personal or %pecuniary, of aliens who
it permits to reside within its DO.
Tors as it requires of it's own citizen
Discrimination against aliens is doub
less contrary to the trend of modeI
civilization. but there is no foundi
ton in international law for discrin
nation in their favor"