The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-04-25
Mr.. and Mrs. Neill O'Donnell have
gone to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where
they will stay for several weeks.

cally ceased by the end Of 1862, was
succeeded the following year by the
first draft acts. 1t failed us in the
Spanish American war. for the force
then called for was never obtained
ITO render military service to the
nation is a higher duty than to con-
tribute to it's financial support. Fun
damentally considered, therefore, mill
itary service is the highest duty Of
the citizen and is in no sense to be
regarded as voluntary offering"
The report points out that England
was compelled in this war to turn
to the draft system in a struggle
(which involves her life, as indeed 1t
may ours" 1t points out her sacrl-
flee of her little regular army and
says she was showed to the brink
Of calamity" and chose the other sys-
tenn 'in the face Of an enemy who
does not thus impede himself to
system based on dominant national
principle" Only then, the report says,
was an effectual force raised in Great
Britain.
Chairman Dent Of the House COM
mittee formally presented during the
day the report Of his committee Of
fering the bill in amended form. au-
thorizing the President to call for
volunteers in increments of 100000
and providing for the selective draft
only after the volunteer plan had
failed.
Representative Kahn of California,
ranking Republican member Of the
House committee, who will be one OF
the administrations chief spokesman
during the fight in the House, had
long conference with Secretary Baker.
Representative Kahn received addi-
tional information ut the War De-
partment, to conduct the fight he has
undertaken. To all intents and pur-
poses he will be administration
spokesman before the House on the
question Of army preparation.
1t is expected Mr.. Kahn will pre-
sent in his minority report a letter
from Secretary Baker sent to Chair
man Dent two days ago in final ef-
fort to get the committee to approve
the administration plans, which out
lines clearly the purpose of the mill
tary experts to provide places for
nearly 100000 additional volunteers
in the expanded regular army and
National Guard, and their reasons for
distrusting any scheme for taking
into the service complete volunteer
units as opposed by the majority of
the House committee.
Representative Kahn will have
available, also, a detailed study of
Englands struggle with the volunteer
system made by American military
experts, who personally watched the
process. 1t is understood these re-
ports graphically picture the failure
of the system under it's greatest test
in history and point out the costly
delay and experiment cost and the at
tendant military disasters at the front
charged to It,
Discussing his plans, Representative
Kahn said the position taken by the
committee minority will be that the
laymen Of Congress have no right 10
set aside the ycw of trained experts
in favor Of plan which those ex-
perts believe is dangerous to the ma
ton.
Representative Kahn pointed out |
that only four members of the House |
had personal military experience and |
all four favor the administration bill. |
"The fight is not lost" Mr.. Kahn |
said II do not believe that the House
itself will care to assume the respon-
sbility of overriding the unanimous
Judgment Of trained military men at
home and abroad and set up an army
organization Of its own for the failure
of which Congress would have to
bear the full blame. If the plans of
our experts are tried and go wrong,
the blame will be theirs