The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-20
Senators and Congressmen Who Are Standing by the President Do Not Think Draft Plan Will Fail
DENT SUBMITS BILL WITH AMENDMENT TO
 CALL VOLUNTEERS
Chamberlain in Senate Sub mits Favorable Report of His C0mmittee-Kahn To Be Spokesman

l
 Washington, April 10.-As one step 1 toward meeting opposition in Com i gress to the administration's army plans, President Wilson today sent n letter to Representative KeIvering of Kansas, explaining what Is meant by selective draft and expressing earnest hope that the bill drafted by the war 1 department would he passed.
 The President and administrations leaders In Congress are confident of the ultimate enactment of the army bill without material changes. The light probably will begin in the Sem ate, where the bill will be taken up as soon as the espionage measure is 1 disposed of. Chairman Chamberlain of the military committee submitted his 1 favorable report today.
 NO TIME FOR UNCERTAINTY
 This is no time to tolerate uncer- tainty in the raising and maintenance of the large number of men which the pres ent emergency is likely to require, nor uncertainty in the methods to be adopted for the establishment of an adequate, i efficient military Service" says the re- port. The bill makes certain the rais- l ing and maintenance of the required forces with the utmost expedition. It es- ! tablishes the principle that all arms- hearing citizens owe to the nation the cola those who by reason of their age and physical capacity, are the best fitted to receive the training and withstand the actual hardship of a campaign and who, happily, can be taken with least disturb ance of normal economic and industrial conditions"
 After calling attention to the fact that the selective draft has been recognized by "a world in arms as the .'only ade- quate and effectual1 InetliIS of raising an army" the report says the bill pro- vides through means of recruiting the regular army and the National Guard for absorbing more than eoo.oOO vo1unreers
 ACCOMMODATES ITSELF
 Thus happily it says "the bill. while establishing and placing the national de- pendence upon the almost universally approved system of draft, at the same time accommodates itself to such volun- teer spirit exists and is available in the early days of the war"
 It says the opportunity for volunteer army Is greater than ever before offered
 in one piece of legislation.
 1 The volunteer method has never proved adequate and effectual for national nee 's, and will prove far less so now,'' the re- port says. History shows that much to our detrlment. we have begun our wars with this inadequate and ineffec- tual method, and have brought them to successful conclusion only by resort to a system based on proper principles. The volunteer failed this nation in the Rev. olution, and it was only the material aid of France that gave us our independ- ence. It failed us in the war of 1872, and had it not been for drastic draft laws and the diversion created by the Napo- leonic wars we could not have even con cluded such peace as We did It failed the Confederacy in the civil war, and that government, to it's advantage. was l quicker to perceive that fact than our own. It likewise failed the federal gov- ernment and volunteering having practi- cally ceased by the end of 1862. was suc- ceeded in the following year by the first of the draft acts. It failed us in the { Spanish American war, for the force then called for was never obtained.
 HIGHER DUTY
 ITO render military service to the na- tion is a higher duty than to contribute - l to Is mn nSar 1art, llxr considered therefore, military service Is the highest duty of the citizen and is in no sense to be regarded as voluntary offering
 After reviewing the American experi- ence in the civil war, the report points out that England was compelled in this war to turn to the draft system in struggle which involves her life, as in- deed, it may ours" It points out her sacrifice of her little regular army and says she was showed to the brink of calamity" and chose the other system fin the face of an enemy who does not thus impede himself to system based on dominant national principals. Only then the report says. was an effectual force raised in Great Britain.
 Tt would be folly 1t says for us at this late day, in the light of our ex- perience, to begin where they began
 The volunteer system. the report goes on, does not accord with the principles of our institutions. It is undemocratic. It shifts the burden of national defense from the many where il rightfuly be- longs. to the shoulders of the few In a word the volunteer system which this measure is designed to supersede is un- demoTatic.s unreliable. extravagant, in- 1 efficient and. above all. unsafe.
 KAHN WILL LEAD l Chairman Dent of the House committee formally presented during the day the report of his committee offering the bill in amended form, authorizing the Presi- dent to call for volunteers in increments of 500,000 and providing for the selective draft only after the volunteer plan has 1 failed.
 Representative Kahn of California. ranking republican member of the House commission, who will be one of the ad- lministration's chief spokesmen during the fight in the House, has had a long con ference with officials of the war depart- ment.