The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-08-31
FAMILY ALLOWANCE, INDEMNITY, IN
SURANCE FOR SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
(By w. G. McAdoo, Secretary of
the Treasury


draft law has caused a painful i'm
preston in many quarters, but after
all, does not the fact that no pro-
vision has yet been made by the
government for the support of the
wives and children, mothers or
fathers, of the men who have been
drafted explain many of these claims
for exemption?
Under the draft law the govern
ment has the power to require every
able-bodied man between 21 and 81
years of age to perform military
duty. Thousands of the drafted men
are wage-earners who, married years
ago, and are the sole support of de-
pendent families. So long as the
government has made no provision
for the care of these dependents, it
is natural that such drafted men
should seek to protect their loved
ones by staying at home. l am sure
that if the congress should promptly
enact the pending war insurance
bill, which makes definite allowances
for the support of the dependent
wives and children, fathers or moth
ers, of our soldiers and sailors,
claims for exemption on that score
will cease. This is an imperative
duty of the government. We can
not deprive helpless women and
children Of the support of the wage
Garner by forcing him into the mil
itary service of the country unless
the government substitutes itself
as their support.
Imagine the emotions of the man
who is called into the military serv-
ice of his country with full knowl-
edge that his loved ones are left
without means of support and may
be reduced to want unless the char
ity of the community in which they
live comes to their relief. 1t would
be nothing less than a crime for
rich and just government to treat
its fighting men so heartlessly and
to subject their dependent wives and
children, who are unable to fight,
to greater suffering than if they
could fight.
The morale of an army is as es-
sential to its effective fighting power
as guns, ammunition and other in
strumentalities of war. Of. equal
Importance is the morale of the
civil population which must support
the armies in the field. We cannot
have this essential morale unless
the nation comforts the men in the
ranks with the knowledge that every
thing possible will be done for them
and their families, and renders to
the civil population at home the as
sistance which will make it most
effective in upholding the govern
ment and the fighting forces.
The purpose of the war insurance
bill now pending in the congress is
to secure the future of Americas
soldiers and sailors by insuring their
lives and providing adequate COM
pensations and indemnities for loss
of life and total or partial perms-
nent disability; also to protect their
families against poverty and want
by providing them with sufficient
means of support during the alb
sence of the men at the front.
The nation, having been forced to
resort to the draft in order to
create quickly an army to save the
country, is under a higher obliga-
tion to do these things for it's fight
ing forces than if volunteer army
only was created. This great and
rich republic cannot afford to do
less, and it must do what is pro-
posed in a spirit of gratitude and
not as charity. Every soldier and
sailor who serves his country in
this war will earn everything the
proposed war insurance bill pro-
vides; to be beneficiary of the
proposed law will be a badge of
honor.
When we draft the wage-earner,
we call not only him but the entire
family to the flag; the sacrifice en-
tailed is not divisible. The wife and
children, the mother, the father, are
all involved in the sacrjfice-thav
directly share the burden of defense.
They suffer just as much as the
soldier, but in a different way, and
the nation must generously dis
charge as proud privilege the
duty of maintaining them until the
soldiers and sailors return from
the war and resume the response
bility
We have drawn the sword to vim
dicate Americas violated rights, to