The Washington herald., 1917-06-10
PLAN TO RECLAIM MEN
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.


a brief interview between meetings
council OF Defense Friday. Secre-
tary Baker promised an extended
conference early next week. Senators
Pomerene and Harding. Of Ohio, Inn
pressed with the Importance Of the
problem, yesterday set the wheels in
Of the plan.
Armed with the latest available
statistics obtained from the depart
ments Of the surgeon general and
adtutant general. DR.. Quayle returned
to Cleveland last night to work out
tended to 90 to France with one OF
! the medical units" he said, ''but
when / began thinking of this prob
lem, I concluded I could do more in
this way
DR.. ouayle, according to informa-
J private practice and II considered one
| Of the leading medical men of the
nation. He has given up his own
| work entirely in order to do his bit"
| in pushing a project which he con-
siders, Of vital Importance. At least
30 per cept Of the physically unit may
be reclaimed by intensive training
camp methods, DR.. Quayle believes. In
his own practice, he said yesterday,
| hundreds of young men have come to
MIN 10 De E6fncQleQ OF some minor
phys defects so that they could
pass the army examination.
Some Men Seek Defects.
On the other hand, especially as con-
scTiption drew near, a great many
sought some physical defect which
would bar them from service, some
going so far as to seek injection or
temporary incapacity of some kind.
This class OF shirler, to my mind.
Is the most vicious class of Citizen
ship" said the doctor. These moral
and physical slackers should be put
into condition SO that they may be
required to assume their responsible
/ lty. Why conserve our food supply
to feed a bunch Of loafers and shirkers
who will do anything to be rejected,
even to contracting diseases deliber-
ately?"
The training camp plan, as pro-
posed, provides for the appointment Of
commission by the Federal govern
power to organize camps with facil-
tiles for making scientific and exact
| examination and diagnosis of all
rejected men and determining what is
necessary to correct defects. Expert
surgeons and medical men, DR..
Quayle believes will volunteer their
services so that the only cost to the
government will be that OF maintain
ing the camps. He has placed this
cost. figured from War Department
records, at an average Of about 500
for each man.
Giving the men healthy outdoor life
| would also promote a movement back
to the frams, he argues. II the war
should stop, the increase in the phys
| ical well-being Of several million men
would become an economic asset to
the nation.
"A mans moral stamina and will
power are in direct proportion to his
physical fitness" said DR.. Quayle
majority are unit because OF self
indulgence and vicious habits which
! could be absolutely regulated under
this plan. Approximately 10,Oo0, ,0Oo
men registered last Tuesday and sta
tistics show that regardless of ex-
OF these men will be barred from
military service through physical de-
fects. Consider the enormous advan-
! tage to the nation If 100000 to 6.OOO,-
( 900 of them could be reclaimed into
( healthy normal men.
This percentage could not happen
in Germany where they have uni
versal military training. There men
| OF military age are under restraint
and discipline. They are developed
physically under a strict system and
are not allowed to run to vicious
habits. Great Britain, having ex-
hausted the flower Of her army, is
compelled to fall back on slackers
end loRfers, even II they are not
physically fit for the army. We should
take advantage OF the experience of
other nations in this war and put a
reclamation plan into immediate op-
| Grafton.
Urges Doctors to Help.
"This is the only short cut to the
| benefits Of universal military training.
J We can help the young men who
| have been rejected and at the same
time make them available for military
| service,
1T is a problem which every coun-
| try that is in the war has had to deal
with. and 1 do not know of any of
| them that has successfully solved It,.
| We have the example before us Of
! seeing the best men OF the nation
| volunteering and the worst men escap-
! ing service.
| PERSONALLY, stand ready and will
! ing to devote my time and services
! without compensation in carrying out
this plan. and l feel that II It is
J adopted by the government, that every
medical man that takes part in II is
doing much more for his country than