Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-17
OPPOSITION WAVES,
|. CONSUMPTION PLAN
WILL FINALLY WIN
Senators and Representatives
Realize More and More That
They Must Stand by the
President
BY RALPH SMITH.

bond bill marked the first important leg
islative step OF the war congress. In
\ cidentally Il cleared the decks for the
consideration OF another legislative
measure OF the first magnitude-the Sc
lective consumption bill. by means OF
which the government proposes to raise
an army Of 5Oo.O 900 lighting men between
the ages of nineteen and twenty-five.
The army legislation will meet with
opposition Its passage will not be so
easy Of accomplishment as was the en-
| actment OF the bond bill. The title OF
the bill. the very caption, ''conscIiption."
is one OF the chief obstacles in it's way.
The idea of drafting rlen for the army
doesn't appeal. at first blush. 10 the
| average representative or senator, nor
does il challenge the commentator of
the people. generally speaking. 1t is re-
sarded as undemocratic, kingly instru-
/ ment. repugnant to a free born people.
Since the announcement of the gov
ernments plan OF selective CONSUMPTION
4 the probable fate of this legislation in
congress has been the principal topic
Of conversation among senators and rep
] resentatives There is still doubt as
to the final form of the legislation. but
/ The Journal correspondent has reason
| TO believe that the presidents plan. in
its chief essentials. will prevail. state
ments TO the contrary Notwithstanding.
! PROTESTS AT FIRST
A storm OF protest greeted the first
announcement of the selective conscrip-
! ton plan. Senators and representatives
I did not hesitate TO voice their Opposi-
ton. and freely predict the failure of
the "militarist effort to saddle con-
scription upon the American people
/ They received many kilograms and let
tiers that strengthened them in their
posttions. and the outlook for the legis-
I lation was gloomy for few days
Happily, however. the opposition to
/ the legislation is weakening. 1t Is less
| pronounced today than ii was yesterday.
/ and Yesterday it was less positive than
the day before OF course, all of the
. opnosition will not fade away entirely.
, Indeed. IL is possible that the friends
! of seIective CONSUMPTION will yield lit
tie. and il may be that a period of
ninety days will he allowed for volun-
/ tarv enIistments before the consumption
actually begins. Voluntary enlistments,
I however. would be restricted to youths
I between the ages of nineteen and TWEEN
I ty-five
Two influences have operated to weak
en- the opposition to CONSUMPTION:
First. a disposition of senators and
; representatives to stand by the presi-
I dent and give him what ne wants, based
I in part upon their personal confidence
/ i'm his far sightedness and in part upon
/ the realization that the people are with
I him
| second. the realization that the volun-
rarv system. whenever and wherever
| tries. has proved a failure. coupled
/ with the realization that the United
I states has entered upon the greatest
/ struggle I'm its history
! OTHER INFLUENCES.
There are other influences, or rea-
\ sons. for the softening Of the protes-
\ tants against the legislation, such, for
\ instance. as the assurance that under
I selective CONSUMPTION individual sena-
\ tors and congressman will be relieved
. of pressure from a horde of "office-seek-
I ing soldiers" otherwise patriots VINO
\ are willing enough to go 10 war II they
| can wear epauletS on their shoulders.
/ The disposition TO stand by the presi-
/ dent proceeds on the theory that since
! congress declared war the men who com
/ pose the congress. the men who voted
\ for the war. can do no less than sup
l port the leader upon whom rests the
/ responsibility of prosecuting the war 10
/ a successful issue. Moreover. there Is
/ the reaIizat ton that when all is said and
/ done the president is better Informed
I on the requirements of the situation
7 than any other man in the country. He
has the facilities at his command 20
gain the information, to estimate the
7 exigencies of the situation
The recent election sufficed to con-
vince the members of congress that
\ the people are behind the president.
I The senators and representatives need
/ ONLY to revert to the returns OF that
\ memorable November election to be inn
/ pressed with the realization that the
/ president speaks for the people.
! VOLUNTEER SYSTEM FAILURE.
] Experience has demonstrated that the
/ voluntary system is expensive and in
eficient-expensiv in money and hu-
man lives, inefficient in accomplish
nent. The history of the Civil war
/ offers the best argument against the
/ volunteer army.
! There is in the library of congress
& book called The Military Policy of the
United States" 1t was written by Gen
eral Emery Upton, of the United States
army, and offers abundant evidence or
the woeful inefficiency of the volunteer
forces during the Civil war. which the
book discusses comprehensively.
OF the second period OF the Civil war
| in 1852 General Upton had this to say
bearing upon the voluntary system:
During this period the government
and the Confederates conducted the war
on contrary principles. The government
sought to save the union by fighting
as a confederacy; the Confederacy
sought to destroy It by. fighting as a
/ nation. The government recognized the
states. appealed to them for troops, ad-
| hered to voluntary enlistments, gave
. the governors power to appoint all COM
I missioned officers and encouraged them
I to organize new regiments. The Con-
. federates abandoned state Sovereignty,
appealed directly TO the people, took
away from them the power to appoint
I commissioned officers. vested their APP
I pointment in the Confederate president,
refused TO organize war regiments
. abandoned voluntary enlistments and,
/ adopting the republican principle that
\ every citizen owes his country military
! service. called into the army every white
man between the ages of eighteen and