The Washington herald., 1917-05-03
GOVERNORS GET HINTS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

me royerners and the State represent
atives started busy day by attending
war lectures in the office of Secretary
Baker. Secretary Baker dwelt princi-
pally upon the operation Of the selecttve
draft measure which VIII shortly be-
come operative.
II have no idea" he said, how many
inerements of 10000 men we will have
to call out. Neither has any other man;
that is matter that Is beyond human
Judgment But the first thing to be done
after the bill becomes operative will be
to designate a Registration Day. 1t may
be conducted efficiently and orderly or
with hopeless confusion and discord. l
realize that the word draft Is obnoxious
to a free people as we are. But it is
the only way, and I hope that each of
you will impress upon your States the
necessity for making this day ~one of
festivity and a great and memorable
occasion.
Tho world must have peace. There
can be none unless We go out and get
IT, We can't get II unless we fight for
it. And the harder we fight the sooner
we will get it,
VIII Take Only Twelve Days.
Judge Advocate General Crowder then
outlined to the governors the operation
of the bin. The whole matter is simple
IS.
Registration will be conducted by the
local governments Blanks will be sent
out from Washington to every part OF
the United States. Five days after the
proclamation is issued every State should
be supplied. BY the eighth day registra-
ton boards should have been appointed,
and the actual registration concluded by
the tenth day. At the end of the twelfth
day the War Department should have
the names of every citizen Of the United
States capable or bearing arms.
Secretary of War Baker explained the
exemption clause" in the bill No citi-
zens, he said. would be exempted as a
class. be they munitions workers, farm
ers, or what not
There are certain Industries that are
indispensable to the conduct of the war"
he declared, but there are few citizens
who are indispensable to the Industries"
Exemptions will be conducted by the
local registration boards, under govern
mental direction, and those exempted will
be given some sort of a distinguishing
mark so that the public will know they
are not "slackers.'
Keep the boys on the farm" Secre-
tary Daniels told them after the army
heads had finished The navy has been
swamped with boys Of tender age who
are enamoured OF war. Tell them tbev
can be Of more service TO their country
between the corn rows than they can in
the navy"
Navy at War Strength.
Secretary Daniels said the navy is at
present at its war strength. but it will
not long remain so. for Congress soon
Will authorize the enlistment of 10000
more men to man the ships that are
coming.
Secretary of the Interior Lane warned
the governors against proceeding on the
assumption that this is to be a short
war or a toy war
I'VE are 1900 miles from the firing line"
he said, and We must get there to it.
II we don't, then Germany Is likely to
bring the war to this side of the Atlantic.
We should not be preparing for a
years war. Herbert c. Hoover. director
of the Belgian Relief Committee, tells
me that Germany has enough food for
two years yet, and an abundance of iron
and coal We should proft by her ex-
ample Of preparedness, for she has put
up the greatest fight the world has ever
seen.
1 The solution Of the submarine prob
lem IL essential, and am sure that the
inventive genius OF America win vet find
1t. According to the estimates of shipping
men, about 10000 tons of shipping have
been sunk in the past two weeks"
The question Of getting labor to reap
the coming harvest troubled the COVER
nors greatly, and they piled Secretary
of Labor Wilson with questions when
he appeared before them In the late
afternoon.
Secretary Wilson frankly admitted that
the matter has not been fully threshed
out by the government yet. He out
lined a plan to the conference, however
which he said he hoped would ultimately
relieve the situation.
Wants Factories to Ala.
His plan calls for the great factories
and city industries to give their employ
es to the farmers for a few weeks in the
heat Of the harvest season. This, he
said. was the most practicable solution
yet offered
There has been a lot Of talk about
conscriptins an Industrial Army" Let
me say to you as one who is familiar
with the psychology of the working
mans mind: get that out Of your heads
now. You can't enlist a working man
for private employment which means
private profit The American working
man is not built that way. You can en-
list or conscript men for national de-
Tense, and the working man will lay down,
his life for the country glardy. but when
he works for private enterprise, for
SOAAACDONy SiSS . pIOliIg ne wants TO feel
that he can work or not, just as he
chooses.
Now is not the time. though. for dis
rupdon. There should be no forcing of
union recognition on the part of labor
during the war, and there should be no
lowering Of wages or the standard of liv-
ing by capital"
The suggestion was out that prison
labor might be utilized as a harvest
army" and moved from place to place
working on the honor system. Secretary
Wilson warned against this.
Working men will not work alongside
men whom they consider their infe-
riors," he declared. Don't forget that
Put your convict labor alongside your
free labor. and free men will walk out
IT has been proved over and over again"
The Governors were received by Pres
ident Wilson at the White House in the
afternoon. They were presented by
Secretary Baker. The President made a
short welcoming address.