Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-04-22
(By Morning Journal Special Leased Wire.)

men above the age of 20 who may
be moved to volunteer, and by equal
izing the terms and condition of SER
vice in the regular army, national
guard, and additional forces gives
such volunteers entire equality with
all others in the national forces.
"The drafting provision starts at
the outset a process by which the
forces OF the country can be called
as t'Ipy shall be needed according to
an equal and inst eystonl, md ii has
the /, %itsa -
Merits of Draft system.
lit spreads the burden of mill
tary preparation equally throughout
the United States.
"2-It is certain in its operation,
so that after the registration is made
every man in the country will Know
whether he is to be called and when
he is to be called upon, allowing
those who are not to be called, or
whose call is postponed, to continue
their normal pursuits undisturbed by
uncertainty as to their duty and un-
agitated by neighborhood pressure or
misunderstanding.
"3-It starts at the beginning OF
the accumulation of these new forces,
and has none of the character of
penalty which attaches to the draft
when it is used after volunteering
has been tried and failed.
CompuIsion for Volunteers.
Il have studied every report l can
secure of the use of the volunteer
system abroad and in our own coun-
try, and | believe it to be true that
in every place where it has been
tried whatever success it has had
has been due to a system of com
pulsions more harassing and almost
as drastic as the provisions of law
itself. In the countries of Europe
where the volunteer system has OBJ
tanned those responsible for it were
excused because they could not have
foreseen at the beginning the re-
suits but we have their experience
to guide us and I believe that those
responsible in this country for re-
peating the costly errors which have
been made abroad will not be able
to make that explanation.
Urges Bill as Drawn.
with the greatest Difference to
the rights and independence of judg-
ment of your committee and the
house | still feel obliged as secre-
tary of war and therefore your re-
sponsible adviser on this subject, to
urge the passage of the bill as
drawn. This is the greatest war in
the history of the world. Our par
ticipation in it is as yet undeter-
mined in many of it's modes and
wholly as to its duration and ex-
tent, but we are called upon to in
augurate a system which, in any
event or contingency. will place our
country in situation where it can
contribute the trained men and the
means necessary to bring this war
to a conclusion which will mean a
vindication of the principles upon
which we entered it"
No Alarm on Militarism.
I'm conclusion I beg to assure you
that I have no alarm on the subject
of militarism in America. Militarism
is philosophy; it is the designation
given to a selfish or ambitious politi-
cal system which used arms as a
means of accomplishing its objects.
The mobilization and arming of a
democracy in defense of the principles
upon which it is founded and in vim
dication of the common rights of men
in the world is an entirely different
thing"
Supplenenting Secretary Bakers
letter, the minority report says the
members Of the committee are laymen
and adds;
"In this great crisis we deem it to