The Washington herald., 1917-04-14
What Leading Newspapers
Say on the War Situation
Too Good for the Rankl

expect to find out from books and not
| from training in the field
They have feeling that they are both
too precious for use in the ranks and too
delicate for digging trenches. They want
to do the brain work. and they suppose
that any day laborer will stand the ply
steal work better than they Because
they once read Caesar in Latin they
think that few hours of work over the
| library table will make them officers.
Cadets at West Point dig at study, but
! they also dig in the ground. They drill
and march They mount guard and they
perspire. Then they join the colors and
learn soldering as second lieutenants
with the army.
Our young men forget that they can
learn in the field better than in the IL
brary. Our government is asking them to
learn in the field. Enlistment in the regu-
| lar army and in the militia does not pre-
clude advancement II will probably
hasten advancement. How a battery of
artillery is fired can be learned in an
hour by an intelligent student, but how
to- fire a battery comes only by practice
with battery.
Our library table officers are among the
absurdities born Of our national egotism.
The seIective Draft.
louisville courier-Journal)
There exists in some minds the idea
that a selective draft of men means con-
scription as the only means of raising
an army. No greater error could be
made than that of believing that a Sc
lective draft Is made necessary by the
unwilhngness of men to volunteer.
As matters stand today recruiting Of
fees are open to all men OF suitable
age and physical fitness. The result is
| that recruiting is marked by the enlist
1nn 0f IA ~,
| more useful In other capacities than they
| can be in the army or navy. A young
man who was to be graduated this sum-
| mer from a technical school finds that
his school will be closed earlier than
usual because of war. As he sees IL the
obvious duty of the student who can get
| into the army or into the navy is to do
so at once, thus declaring his patriot
| ism, saving his self-respect retaining the
esteem of his friends, rebuking the hest
tant Stacker" He is, let US say, a me-
chanical engineer. a chemist, an agron-
omist, civil engineer, an electrician, an
| expert on animal husbandry, or specially
| prepared for some other expert work. II
he enlists as a private, yielding to the
| emotional appeal of the situation, he is
performing the part of patriot, of
| course, but he might be far more useful
| In less heroic role. The higher call
of patriotism is, when all is .said the
| call to the efficient man to be as efficient
as he can be. whether on the battle line
or in a cornfield where the material for
bread or horse feed is being grown for
the needs of the army.
Let the General stan Decide.
kansas City TimesJ
The General Stan bill providing for
universal training and service was
framed by men who understand the de-
fensive needs of the nation in the crisis
that confrOnts It They know the kind
of men the army needs and they know
from the history Of the present war as
well as from our own past experience
that they cannot be obtained by volun-
tary enlistment
This expert military knowledge ought
not to be lightly set aside by Congress.
No law that could be framed by civilian
| committees, acting from whatever mo-
tives OF patriotism and under whatever
spur OF zeal to raise armies in the quick
est time. could possibly operate to give
to the General Stan which must direct
those armies when raised the material
of which modern soldiers are made.
That was shown in the last attempt Con-
gress made to raise an army, when un-
trained, unfit. and unequipped militia
men were called into the national
service.
The General STAFF bill was framed in
the light OF that experience and would
prevent a repetition of that dismal
breakdown In our land defense system.
1t is based on the sound democratic
theory of a universal obligation to mill
tary service of every physically fit
American citizen of fighting age. 1t has
the approval of the President and his
advisers, and Congress should accept it.
Not a Rich Mans Loan.
New York world.)
Wall Street bankers are already talking
of the projected 5000, 100000 war bond is
| sue as "a rich mans loan" They say II
| is so because the poor man cannot af-
ford a 3 1-2 per cent investment when he
| can get per cent at savings bank; and
! they say 1t is so because of the income
| tax exemption which will not affect or
profit the poor man.
This sort of talk is not encouraged in
Great Britain or France when a war loan
is pending. The British and French
| could not have prosecuted the war up to
this point had they depended on the rich
alone and the current savings of the rich
to supply the war funds.
| France was not crushed, as expected, by
the brutal German war indemnity OF
| 81 900, 0O0, 900 in 1871, because France work
ed to enlist and won the thrift of the
| common people. Great Britain COulO
never have ioated its last hugh war loan
which brought IS, 200 10000 in new money
II It had not enlisted the increased
economy and savings Of the poor.
| 1t is said our small savers are not used
to making investments by themselves
! This Is all the more reason why the sur
est security on earth should be popular
ized to the uttermost possibility. Put 6
| 800 United States bond into hands tha
never felt the tangible evidence Of part
nership in the government or in any cor
porated undertaking and you have
given not merely a stimulus to further
saving never felt before but you have en-
listed great new forces for stability will
democracy in government.
| Let this be done. Stop this silly talk o.
a rich mans loan. It will cost money t
distribute these war bonds in small lots
But 1t will be infinitely worth the cost.
| The Flag at Arras.
| Baltimore American)
In the first victory on either front sinc'
the United States became vitally interest
ed in the war. through breach of relations
and the further step of belligerency, th'
flag, the standard of freedom, the insig
g..a- -