New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-10-05

| WaTuS OF ool, 0 70. Allowing 1U1, 10
as the male population under IA years
of age and 1868 of Is years of age,
| the council records a total male pop
ulation of 5000. On the proportion
Of los females to every hundred
males, it arrives at a total female
| population Of 7oe, 500, or a total pop
| ulation for the State of 1,454,504. 1t
! will be seen at once that these figures
! are generous and when compared
with the estimated governm ent popu
lation of 1,719,623 show discrepancy
of 265,119. The government, how
ever, levies a grand quota for the
draft of 1887 men, but, thanks to
the patriotism of the men of the state,
credits for the army and the National
Guard bring the net quota to 1897.
Estimates Should Be Corrected.
'The whole state has no more i'm
portant question before it today than
the question of correcting the federal
estimates Of population, so as to
bring the results nearer to the facts.
The attention of the war department
and of the census bureau has already
been directed to it. The census
bureau states that it estimated the
population on the number OF men
registered, figuring the men between
the ages of 21 and 80 at 1892 per cent.
of the total population. That this
method is as fair as it is supposed to
be remains to be proven. The secre-
tary of commerce, in letter to the
president of the United States senate
under date Of July Is, 1917, states
that as it was impossible in any event
to estimate precisely the population OF
the cities, counties, and states on the
basis of registration, the simplest and
speediest method was adopted.
And the bureau of the census, pre-
facing its estimates Of population as
of July /, 1917, says: One reason of
employment of this method was that
the census bureau had only very
short time in which to prepare the es-
Inmates, ETC.
II do not wish it to be understood
that I fail to appreciate the neces-
city of speed in the premises in order
that our military strength might be
used as quickly as possible, but,
obviously, where speed is paramount
accuracy necessarily plays a second
part
General Crowder, provost marshal
general, in q letter covering the
situation from the standpoint of the
war ucpdI ClOSCS Will IllS iuSS-
ton as to whether it would not be-
the part of wisdom to allow this
question to remain undisturbed
by legislation until the first draft
is completed, in order that it may
be determined whether in the in
terests of fairness throughout the
nation a new basis for a future
draft should be provided by law.
III
PEELED alone by patriotism, rather ac-
cedes to this suggestion.
"At the same time it is we'll to re-
cord here that the United States SEN
ate has already voted to accept the
amendment proposed by Senator
Brandegee of Connecticut, to the Act
to authorize the president to increase
temporarily the military establish
ment of the United States, which pro-
vides that
in the futurs operation Of the
said selective- draft act of May,
IS, 1917, credit shall be given the
several states or localities or dis
tricts for the increased number
of citizens heretofore drawn,
which excess or increase
caused by the fact that aliens
were registered in computing the
number subject to the draft but
were not themselves subject
thereto.
Should Draft Aliens.
''While all this is looking toward
the future, something must be done
now. Drafting the alien, while 1t will
not correct any overestimates of
population, will make more equitable
the obligation to service. It will re-
hood It will bring home most
quickly to the stranger within our
gates that if the blessings Of our de-
mocracy are invaluable in times Of
peace the duty one owes that democ-
racy is all important in war. It
will, moreover, be a strong assurance
to the foreign born already made citi-
zens that their neigh bors by neglect
ing citizenship are not by this neglect
to be encouraged to become slackers
THE opinion prevalent in the street
on this point is the same that has
been given expression over the sigma
ture Of the governor of the state and
of the executives of its leading cities.
Members of the bench informally
have recognized the justice Of it.
From the pulpits it has been
preached. The press has given it pub
licity.
"Connecticut is always ready to do
its share. All it asks is fairness,
Yes, it is ready to do more than its
share; and here 1 may briefly emu
merate some of its activities.
Il have consulted with the heads of
the various departments at Washing
ton with a view to having figures
compiled, in so far as Connecticut
is concerned, and the results tell the
whole story.
Brig. Gen. H. P. Mccain, the
adjutant general of the army, states
that Connecticuts total quota for the
regular army is 2,22S, and that the
nf6oiol Of hn do,a o.4.,,