Perth Amboy evening news., 1917-02-14
ARGENTINE HAS
ARMY SCANDAL
Has Good Little Army but Sys-
tenn by Which Ranks are
Filled is SavageIy Criticized
by Natives of the Country.
By CHARLES P. STEWART


Omitted Press staff Correspondent
Buenos Aires, Jan. is, (by mail)-
Argentina has an excellent little army
all differed, well trained, well equip
ped, we'll clothed, well fed, well shell
tered and generally well treated. But
the system by which its ranks are
filled is savagely criticised by Argen-
tines. The critics are the bulk OF the
population, who assert that the best
people do not do military duty, or,
if they do, do it as officers.
1t is the national system Of con-
scription, which comes in for popular
denunciation. Argentina being a re-
public. the question may be asked
why the law Is not changed If the
majority do not like it. They are try
ing to change it. Several bills have
been introduced and some strong
speeches made in congress, but it is
slow work. The militarists are infiu-
ential, If not numerous. Besides,
the ballot has not been genuinely free
in Argentina for very long.
"Caramban' choruSed the Argentine
masses, when told that the United
States thinks of adopting a system of
compulsory military training model
ed after their own. "Caramba" is an
elastic Spanish expression which, in
this case, meant approximately "WeH,
what do you thing of that?"
The Argentine system of compui-
sorry military education was the sub
ject of a nasty scandal five or six
years ago, when there was a cleaning
out Of the medical staff whose duty
it was to make physical examinations
of young men of military age. The
charge was that these examinations
had resulted in wholesale exemptions
of rich or influential youths.
There has also been comment on
the fact that army officers who are
in a position to grant exemptions Of
ten grow rich rapidly. Whatever the
actual merits of the case the Argen-
tine public believes anyone can es-
cape military service if he has pull"
enough. When you ask why the twen-
ty-year old son OF some prominent
man is not in the army, the answer
Is almost sure to be "Oh, his father
fixed that" Naturally, proof of
crookedness generally is lacking, but
the masses have no confidence in the
honesty of the system.
Army officers receive an excellent
military education at the Argentine
West Pont-the Colegio Militar, at
San Martin. Provision is also made
by which common soldiers may rise
to commissions though very few sue
ceed in doing so.
There is a regular army of volun-
teer professional soldiers, 5000
strong. Then come the conscripts.
Their number depends upon the con-
gressional allowance. The intention
is to keep the military establishment
including the regulars up to 1900
men.
Theoretically every male Argentine
is soldier from twenty to forty-five.
In practice the period of service is
one year. Afforward there is no fur
ther training though the law pro-
vides for a little.
There are always many more elig-
ibles than there .sSe q rmy vacancies
dhbers are drawn ~ >dete1I
Who must and who need not S?e.
Those who draw the highest num-
period of service is two years, instead
of one. AS the Argentine navy is
small, though good, the number OF
these conscripts is comparatively
trifiing.
The next numbers, counting from
the top downward, mean. army con-
scription. Those who get the low
numbers escape-maybe. The first
thing Is to try to beat the lottery.
The next, for the losers is to Sc
cure exemption, on the ground Of
physical unfitness, or because the
conscript is the only support Of rela-
tives
Critics of the law complain that
the number of conscripts of wealth
or influence who secure these ex-
emptions is out of all proportion to
those who have neither.
Even if the conscript fails to get
off entirely he can try to pass certain
educational tests and prove himself
adept at drill and marks
to trim his period Of service
to three months. Again the COM
plant Is made that the more money
or pull" young man has. the surer
he seems to be to meet these re-
What excites extreme Indignation
Is that a poor young man may be
compelled to "do his service" for no
reason except that a rich one has
For instance, suppose a |
village containing 100 eligbles is !
called to furnish fifty conscripts. In
theory poor youth who draws a
number below fifty ought to escape |
But if rich youths who have drawn |
higher numbers are exempted the |
list below fifty until they have made |
Up the necessary quota
An uppcr-class Argentine who has |
oeen exempted or who has gone into |
he army because he likes military !
ife, an Argentine officer, can make |
out case in favor of the Argentine |
,ystem, because the army really Is |
rood. One of the lower class, who
iidn't want to serve but who had to |
axes an entirely different viewpoint.
There are about 1000 of the latter
o every one of the former. Anybody
,an prove this by talking to an as
orted lot of Argentines. Those who !
re exempted are taxed on a graduat-
ID scale, running up to a maximum