New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-14
Starting Wrong

Unless the labor Of patriotic citizens Is
to be wasted and results, now urgent, are
to be delayed, the Legislature must amend
the new law providing for military cen
sus. In its present form the law is wholly
insufficient. It authorizes census avail
able for usc in the event of war" but fails
to provide the means of securing census
which can be made the basis for any def
mite military action.
The underlying purpose of military
census is to provide the government with
exact information as to its resources IN
men and materials. Such information is
essential for prompt and intelligent action.
Without it no comprehensive plan can be
adopted. either of offence or defence.
Before the government can move 1t must
know what it has to move with.
Sooner or later the country must come
to some form of universal service. The
present inadequate response to the call for
volunteers shows that to secure respect
able army within the necessary period we
must assure our citizens that the duties
of military service are to be demanded
equally from all. But before any success
full plan for securing an army can be eX-
ecuted it is necessary to know the num-
Der, the location, the occupation and the
home ties of our citizens of military age.
The state government, acting under
authority of the Robinson act, is now
cob mil
Public-spirited citizens have volunteered
their services for the purposes of this act.
Money has been appropriated to defray
the expenses of the census. But if the
state now proceeds without further
legislation, the time, labor and money
expended will be wasted, and the work
will need to be done again after long and
costly delay.
In its essential parts the act reads as
follows:
"Section /. The Governor is hereby
authorized to cause a census and inventory
of resources of the state, available for
use in the event of war, to be taken forth
with; and the information thereby secured
shall be placed at the service of both the
state and the Federal governments"
There is not one word in the act requir-
ing the inhabitants of the state to give &C
curate information to the census takers; or
penalzng the shirker or the disaffected
for failure to supply the facts demanded.
The nation has had one wretched
experience with a military census which
was merely permissive. The enrolment
act passed by Congress in 1868 authorized
census of the country, but failed to
provide the necessary machinery and
sanction. Speaking of the results of this
Iill-consdered legislation, the provost
marshal declared in report to Congress:
Numerous and weighty obstacles were
encountered in making this enrolment
| Most of the embarrassments resulted,
however, from the opposition encountered
/ in almost every house, if not to the act
itself, at least to its application to the
/ particular persons whose names were
sought for enrolment. The law made it
the duty of this bureau to take, but did not
make it the duty of any one TO gi0e, the
names of those liable to draft"
Past mistakes should not be repeated.
The Legislature should realize that
nothing could more serve to damp the
ardor of right-minded citizens or create
a more profound distrust of the local state
government than for the discovery to be
made some months from now that, after
/ the arduous labors of census, all
effective results had been frustrated by
the short-sightedness of those at Albany.
/ Amend the Robinson act while there is
yet time Put teeth in New York's mill
| tary legislation