The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-02-20
NATION ASLEEP
THAT DEPENDS
ON VOLUNTEERS
ITO Serve Public-All of Us or
None of Us" Is Only Safe
Idea, Says Russell
UNITED STATES POLICY
IS UTTERLY FOOLISH
Declares Any Nation Dependent
on Volunteers Is on Verge
of Destruction
BY CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL

BY CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL
Washington, Feb. Ito serve the
republican, Of us or none of us.
That is the only idea that is safe
reasonable or democratic. The mag
nificent motto Of democratic Switzer
land, "All for one and one for alp
that should be ours no less.
The present military policy of the
United States-if we can be said tt
have one-is to hire some few of us
to 60 out. and fight for the rest of US
who sit in fat ease at home.
Is Undemocratic.
It is rotten, 1t is undemOcratic, il
is selfish, it is cowardly, and for mod
ern warfare it is utterly foolish.
We ought to have learned that las,
from our experiences on the frontier
last summer-if they taught us any
thing. ....,.. nF p
In this age, any nation that depends
for it's defense upon a volunteer ser
vice and band of hired mercenar
les, is sleeping on the verge of de-
struction. L"a
This is no new discovery to any
body that was privileged to be In
Europe when the present war began
I was in England a month after the
overture to that drama tuned up, and
what saw sent glimmering the last
illusion on this subject.
What Happened in 6. 3.
Great Britain had a military system
like ours. She depended upon volun
teers and an army that fought fol
hire, and in all human experience nc
system ever went more completely
to smash. .......,. .n.,....., w. ..
There was the plain situation. as
clear as the day to anybody that cared
to look at it. Great Britain Would
never have an army until she made
service the duty of all and not the
paid job Of a few. .,a5 'n
All the men in the government
knew it perfectly well. Whatever
they might say. for public consump
ton, they knew, the, truth, and in pri
vate they acknowledged it. !,'35a
Day after day the country rams
with appeals, meetings were held IN
every corner OF the realm, the govern
ment spent 500, 100000 in advertising
ii the newspapers and on bill boards
'o" Not Band Of Janissaries. ~
Men would not enlist on the mer
enary basis; they would not be a
band Of janissaries while others sat
in fat ease at home. ',''.a7s' UP.
So Great Britain wasted 18 months
in which she took practically no part
in the land war because she had no
men to put into the field. - ~ T
But if the leaders in the govern
ment knew the truth why didn't they
say it? ....
/ Because of fetch, superstition
dead formula, word! H.,
he Word "Conseription."
"Conscription' was the dread
DOGGY that lay in the path. Great
Britain never had resorted to con
scription, therefore it never must re-
sort to it. Our forefathers fought on
the volunteer plan and therefore we
must fight on it. 1t was equally true
that our forefathers used candles and
canoes, but nobody thought of that
Nobody thinks of anything when
there Is handy fetch to obsess us.
So the situation drifted along, the
fetch . worshippers terrorizing the
government, no British troops to
sneak of on the continent and none
in sight. q
1@ New Plan Devised. 8
Then Lord Derby hit upon the hap.
by scheme of putting CONSUMPTION to
work but calling it by another name,
and after wasting Is months Of pre-
cious time Great Britain began to get
an army.
II is a terrible responsibility that
these unfortunate slaves of the fetch
assume.
Twelve years ago the British gov.
eminent, then in the hands of the con.
servatives, prepared a bill for univer-
sal military training and service, and
these fetch persons frightened the
government out Of the idea.
If they had kept still there would
be no war now.
A few years later discerning men
like Lord Roberts and Robert Batch.
ford saw that Great Britain In It's un-
protected state was certain soon or
late to be attacked by Germany.
The fetch persons howled down all
these warnings.
There is in all Great Britain today
not one thinking creature that does
not bitterly regret that deaf ear
was turned and eyes were resolutely
closed to the certain facts.
Fire eating jingoes are rightly de.
tested. Yet it must always be ques-
ton if they do as much harm as the
fetch crowd.
Fire Eating Jingoes.
We have here in America more
than our share of them. A bill to
make service for thefepublic and de.
Tense of its life the, common duty Of
all has been introduced in the senate
and they are going out to beat It.
II, five years hence or ten. we ind
ourselves in the terrible position
Great Britain was in at the outbreak
OF this war, hope there will be no
error about the responsibility.
nooetene enn eollAl slIEfRAGE