The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-05-18
Talk of COnscripting
Capital Is Just Now
Untimely and Unjust


war does NOT only demand its tol OF ,1uman
nfe n requires q limitless expenditure Of
money. Never ln The history 0i wars hda Moutt
been SO necessary to military SUCCESS tGrtat
Britain alone rs spending fHiRIf-tINE NIL.
LION DOLLARS "a day as her sd are -ot me
wars expenscl
What then Is the duty Of an citizens Of means.
those Who have comfortable HlrplGst ana
especially all who -sill remain at home profec.
sd By The sacrifice OF The nations youns man
hood? The least fhHt can Dee done hy me mon
and women With bank accounts me men 700
old 10 fight. and all other people or means "ho
do not GO 10 tho FROM. ie 20 bear fioir share az
The nations burden by The free and prompt
offering of their wealth iu tne nations cause
America needs more ihan spoken LOYALTY from
It's citizens who stay n home 'i needs re"
In war. tho burden Of fighting must 30 car
red b. those no are phy hally strong and iN
10 fight The burden ~ finance mrsi Pc borne
hv those who are financially strong ana Aole 70
give Above att The .vtr must De paid Tor as ~
proceeds in dollars as well as in lives. There
must be M crushing legacy OF bonded de6t to
be paid in taxes by me men VINO nave done me
fighting and their children. Let us make inns q
cash war, "A pay-asyou-eo Lot an loyal citizens
who have incomes above thcir Immediate nece>
stiles volunteer their wealth
The people OF tho United States have never
failed 10 respond no their cOuuuys need. They
never viii In our Civil War a million men ga
quarter ~ the whole population OF military age)
volunteered al Lncolns call during the first
year But the nations private fortunes did NOS
volunteer They declared for patriotism while
they profited on the countrys necessity Con
eressional committees disclosed gigantic graft
and thefts from the government In war con.
tracts The public need not be reminded OF the
experiences during the Spanish American war
Let us not forget these bitter lessons OF history
We have quoted from a declaration
that reaches us from the Committee on
War Finance" composed of a number of
prominent Americans who make their
appeal. Of course, from patriotic motives.
What they urge is selective conscrp-
ton of dollars, from those who are best
able to give, just as selective conscrp-
ton of men calls for the sacrifice of their
lives by those who are best able TO die.
The theory of selective Consumption
of men is that men who can be spared
for the battlefield shall not remain at
home.
The theory of the committee is that
dollars which can best be spared for
meeting the expense of war should not
remain at home.
The criticism The Times would make
of the appeal by the committee is that
it is untimely and too broadly questions
the patriotism of capital, just as the con-
scription of men, taken hastily, too
broadly questions their patriotism.
The government has indicated TO in
vested capital that it may expect to carry
no light burden during the war and after
the war.
No complaint has been heard, how
ever, except in cases of rank discnmina-
ton, as in the instance of the automobile
manufacturers, whose protest is justified
Everywhere there is an evident will
ingness, amounting almost to an eager
ness, on the part Of the country's capital,
to do its bit
Our faith in American red blood and
American fidelity leads US to believe that
horded and idle capital will come to the
fore, too.
1t should at least be given a chance
to do so, and until it has failed to do so
CONSUMPTION would hardly be just.
Things aren't as rosy in this country
generally as they have the appearance Of
being in view of our prosperity.
There are the railroads, for instance
Increased wages and the demands that
will be made upon the roads by the gov
eminent will mean that a maximum rate
of about three cheers for their important
service during the war.
General Consumption Of capital, re-
sorted to hastily would be likely to do
more harm than good.
Our own idea is that what we would
Term vicious profits exacted by food rob
5ers and plundering munitions makers.
should be taxed to the utmost.
Just possibly we might begin con-
scripting by classes and in this manner
avoid doing anybody an injustice.
If such a program should be decided
on, we want to suggest at once that the
first dollars to be conscripted should
come from profits that are taken from