New-York tribune., 1917-07-20
Draft Law Inequalities

II
ment is thoroughly justified in two particu-
lars. In the first place, the apportionment
is based on incorrect estimates OF popuia-
ton. In the second place, the population
dealt with is not the true military popu-
lation. These two errors have LED 10
wide disparities in the burdens placed on
the different states.
The Census Bureaus pre-registration
estimates of population were faulty. Ihey
were made according to rule whlcn Is
hound to produce misleading results. Inc
Tribune has often demonstrated how
worthless the Census Bureaus annual esti-
mates of population are. The growth OF a
state for each year since the preceding
Federal census is assumed to De at 'he
overaqe rate shown in the decade between
that census and the census taken ten years
earlier. This eliminates all checks 70 IN
crease of population like declines IN I'M
migration or depressions in industry IL
ignores shifts in population from one Sec
tion of the country to another.
The pre-registration estimates OF state
,onr,at;ons in 1917 were necessarily mac
curate. They inflated the totals for East
orn states like New York, into which alien
nonulation ordinarily flows in large num-
hers. and also the totals for the Far west
orn states. which gained abnormally be-
,veen 1900 and 1910. After the registra-
tion returns came in the crude census esti-
mates were discarded. 1t was then decided
70 ascertain the population of each state
Nv still simpler arithmetical calculation
merely multiplying the number OF reg
;strants reported by 9.2.
This method has shown results more un-
coual and more tinged with favoritism
than the original calculations did. Take
The case of New York City. Its popula-
lion. according to the state census OF l9lo'
was 5.O66,222. 1t can hardly be more to-
dov than 100000. But the Census Bu-
reau's figure is in round numbers o,oOo,-
600. This is an absurd exaggeration. But,
az that. il is not as absurd as the bureau
estimate Of a population Of 1,521,942 for
Detroit, of S,639,975 for Chicago, or OF
33S,34S for Akron, Ohio.
Under the apportionment plan accep'ea
by the War Department the cities ano
states in which there was thorough reg
istration. or in which industrial conditions
have created a large floating population
of men between twenty-one and thirty-on'
wears old, are being enormously penailzec
and the states and cities in which reglstra
ton was light have escaped the duty OF
furnishing their proper military quotas
Mississippi is credited with losing 297,OOC
inhabitants since 1910, Kentucky with
losing 100000 and Alabama with losing
100000. These figures are incredible. The
whole scheme of apportionment is askew
After the first drawing has been made II
will be the duty Of the War Department
TO secure new and reasonable estimates OF
population and use them to amend the
state quotas.
Legislation will be required to remedy
the second serious inequality. Congress
directed that the draft should be made on
the basis Of population" 1t would seem
os il discretion had been left to the War
Department to construe population as
meaning military population. But the de-
nartment has read the text Of the con-
scription act with exact lteralness and has
included in the population to be taken into
account in making the draft elements
which ought 10 have been excluded from
consideration. Enemy aliens are certainly
not population for military purposes. They
cannot be drafted under the rules of war
Neither can neutral aliens be drafted into
the military service of the United States
II might be practicable TO make military
use Of the citizens and subjects Of the
Allied nations who are living here. But
such use could not be made without tn,
consent of the governments concerned
Italy has just declined to give us the right
to impress her subjects now in this coun
try. Pending a complete agreement with
the Entente Powers, all alien nationals
ought TO be excluded from the calculations
on which state leyies are apportioned.
Legislation has been introduced in Con
gress providing for the drafting Of aliens
But the passage Of such legislation would
he in contrayention Of all our theories anc
declarations in the past. The President
now has the right 70 intsrn German sub