Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-18
CONSUMPTION
FOR THE ARMY
Congress Likely to Go Slow I'm
til 1t Hears From the Coun-
try-Universal Train
ing Probable
specia, Correspondence Eveniro Ledger

iiiS iooobiS
Special Correspondence Evenino Ledger
WASHINGTON. April II.
CoNsCRIPT1oN is harsh word. 1t
~ CRATES. II stands for force; for the
power Of the Government over the indi-
vidual Tho young American who hesi-
tates about volunteering for the army,
being "conscripted" has to go. In the
opinion of the high officials in Washington.
unless the quotas of the regular army. OF
the National Guard and Of the first 500 600
new men whom the President desires to go
into training are quickly filled UP by vol
unteers conscrlption will be resorted TO.
The truth cf the matter is that while many
shout for national honor and wear the flag
conspcuously few arc actually enlisting.
The appeals of the department. the earnest
efforts Of commanding officers everywhere,
the more or less spectacular methods of the
good men and women who organize auto
mobile drives" and all that, are not pro-
ducIng the desired result. A western Con-
gresham who is inclined TO side with the
laborites voted against war Tho next day
he received n message from home declaring
that 1000 people in his district had signed
n petition demanding his resignation. Ac-
knowledglng the petition and refusing to
resign, he countered by asking II he might
say to the President that the 1000 signers
were ready 10 enlist. He has not received
an answer. Which illustrates that loud
professions of patriotism are not always
backed up by performance
Conscription on It's Way
But conscripton Is on its way 1t means
that protesting patriots must put up or
shut up" II means that the rich mans
son must go. along with the poor mans
son, except as the question of dependency
and soldierly unntness may exempt one or
the other. The President has sanctioned
the call for volunteers and Congress is
hopeful that volunteers will appear in sufIl-
Client numbers TO make conscription un.
necessary. The President wants 500, 900
new men now, plus about $50 900, to fill
up the quota i'm the regular army and the
National Guard. Then, after that. he wants
100000 more to be trained; that is ap.
proximately 1,250,00O new men to begin
with. The preferred age is between nine
teen and twenty-five years 1t will he re-
called that the Civil War was fought mostly
by boys. This war with Germany must
also be fought by the flower of our youth.
and the problem confronting the President
is to swing that youth into harmony with
his plans 1t Ia volunteer if you will.
but If you do not volunteer then the Gov
ernment will requlsition you. Touching
upon the necessity for conscription, n writer
to his Congressman observes: you will
have to come to it, You can no more cx-
pect enlistments for this S15-a-month scrv-
taxes"
Planning for the Future
Apart from the startling loan proposals
that have aroused the hopes of the Entente
| Allies this week, the talk of conscrption
| has given Congress the greatest concern
| congressman catch the home touches
quicker than the department chiefs who
are engrosscd with the Presidents business
And they have been hearing from their con-
| stitucnts. In consequence of the back
| home" sentiment, the word "conscription'
is hard for many of the peoples represen-
| tatives to swallow. They do not know how
| far 1t will go. If it means at last the
shipment of American boys into the trenches
| of Europe. with or without their consent
[ 1t will be difficult for many of the members
to approve IT, But Congress is likely tc
do what the President insists should be
| done, no matter what the sacrifice Con.
gress is cautious. but 1t is likewise patriotic
And as the situation now unfolds itself
Congress may take the view that con
| scription," harsh as it sounds to prosperou.
and comfortable Young America, is, after
all, but the beginning of a system of mill
tary training that may make for a stronger
| race and surer and more permanent peace
Soldering Effect Upon All
Volunteer enlistments have not come /,
Cith expected rapidty because there ha
been so much uncertainty as to the causes
Of war and the duties and length Of service
Appeals by rich men and women. moved b.
earnest impulses, have not been reassurinl
to men earning from SO to IS day. witt
families to support As many Representa-
tives view It. some of these voluntary re
cruiting movements have been as ineffec
tual and perhaps as unfortunate, as wa
the western stumplng tour of certain eas
ern ladies' In the interest of the Republlca
presidential candidate in the late compaigr
The people who are expected to do tn
fighting, or to suffer for 1t. have been mad
suspicious by some of these apparently well
intended efforts The average correspond
ence of n Representative shows that pros
perity, misrepresentation of facts, lack c
information from authoritative sources an
an aversion to fighting for other nation
than the United States have all contribute
to the haltng of enlistments Pre-,
ident Wilson's "world-democracy" idea pr,
sages so wide reformation that the avel
age mind has not yet seemed to grasp 1
These are among the things that ha,
sobered the plain people who write to Wasl
ington and whose hopes and fears ha,
naturally had their effect upon those WI
must assume the responsibility, along wi,
the President. of providing the ways ar
means to prosecute successfully the war.
Training system Proposed