The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-04-23
Selective Draft.

! oCiSttiNt DIdlt.
President Wilson's letter to Represen-
tative Helvering of Kansas puts into few
words the whole pith of the selective
draft plan for raising the great armies
we need besides the regular establish
ment and the national guard.
The basic idea is the universally of
responsibility. livery citizen of the Unit
ed States owes lbs services TO the Unit
ed States, 1t is a direct and personal
obligation. 1t is unlimited. 1t is not
transferable. 1t is not a matter of pa
triotic sentiment, but of fundamental
duty.
This duty may be performed, however,
in variety of ways. The thoroughly
trained farmer, an expert in food pro-
duction, possessing a farm on which he
is raising more foodstuff than could be
raised by novice, can do nothing bet
ter than devote himself to his usual
business. The war call is to him call
to Increase his acreage, improve his
methods if possible, effect what econom-
les of labor he can, and do his utmost to
grow and market the biggest years out
put his land has ever produced. The
skilled chemist, or electrician, or CON
struction expert, or organizer, may be
of far greater use to the nation by re-
naming on his job or going into the gov
eminent service in the capacity for which
he is fitted by education or practical
training, than by volunteering for mill
tary or naval service. That he and his
valuable services are not only at the dis
posal OF the government, but are actual
ly at work for the nation is the thing
desired
The volunteer system of getting an
army always did, and always will, take
these useful men from their most useful
field of service. They are the sort of men
that volunteer-progressiye, energetic,
virile men. That is the kind of men
wanted in the army, too but not when
they have reached a point where their
technical equipment qualities them for
greater usefulness behind than in the
fighting line.
There remains the great mass of men
of military age. Every one of them is
personally bound by the fact of his citi- |
zenship to military service, if that ser
vice is required. Some will be eager to
serve, Many would not 90 into the
army as a matter of choice, but are |
willing to do what is required of them.
Then there are the reluctant, the timid |
and last and lowest the physical and |
moral towards. To all of them there /
is one message, for all OF them there is
one law The administration and war
department plan for creating an army
big enough to act as genuine force in
The world war provides a method where
BY the government comes to these young
men in the spirit of justice and chooses
oy lot who are to be called first. Then,
rs more are wanted, it comes again.
It is fair, scientific, expeditions. The
method insures the maintenance of the
productive Industries. 1t insures the
nobilizing of special capabilities for spe-
'ial uses. II insuTes the creation of
IN army with the least possible loss
# time and waste of energy And it
brings home to every citizen a sense of
lis personal responsibility to serve.
To many it may appear that there is
defect in the plan in that by the draft
lrocess an unwilling man may be taken
while a willing one is left. There is
oor for some 100000 volunteers in the
egular army the navy, and the nation
j guard. Men going into any of these
ranches of the service now, may enlist
or the war. The volunteer is not barred
rom service. The door is wide open to
i'm.
But beyond the present moment and
Is immediate needs lies the great flu
ure, with the possibility that we shall
ave to raise millions of men. For that
uture we need to organize ourselves in
o a nation wide Service Army, in which
very human unit shall contribute Just
he thing he can most usefully do or
i've. The selective process alone can !
lobilize the nation as it has got to be !
Manchester Union