Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-08-25
NORTHWEST HUNS WITH WAR WORK,
GIVING men, MONEY AND MATERIAL

appeared like magic all over the au-
ditorium. waved high above the
heads.
Crowd FaVors War
The crowd was Overwhelmingly in
favor OF war: not the tiddledy- wink
kind, but real, outstanding, smashing
war. That was plain when, as the
commission entered unobtrusively by
a side door. the audience got 70
its feet for the first OF many such
times and cheered continuously I'M
til the commissioners were seated
at the luncheon table. And every
time any speaker made a point either
against Germany direct or in refer
ence to Americas part in the world
struggle, the cheers rang out.
One could write volumes about
how the Northwest is doing its share
in our fight but l can only touch
on some Of the salient features.
When arrived in Seattle | found
at least half of my friends, Of all
ages, either in the service, getting
IN or trying to get in. Many have
enlisted, others are headed for the
training camps. Shortly after I ar
rived the results of the first draft
were announced and then came the
ex emption discussions, which are still
in progress. 1t appears now as if
the boards will rule rigidly on eX-
emptions, which means that slackers
will fare badly. A friend of mine
who is on one OF the exemption
boards-a volunteer position-told me
that most of the talk about con
scientious scruples" has turned out,
as far as they have gone, to be rot.
The man who says he has conscien-
tioIs scruples against fighting may
be either a coward or one of those
individuals, indifferent to the well
fare of his country, who Is almost
as dangerous as an avowed enemy.
But / gather from the newspaper ar
ticles and from talks with exemption
board officials that most of these
conscientious scruples are going to
disappear when the drafted man is
faced with the necessity of proving
that his objections are not extern
poraneous affairs invented to get
him out Of the army. In a good
many cases the claim of conscientious
scruples is not needed at all unless
the claimant has affidavits to back
up everything he says.
Campus Is Changed
Out on the beautiful state univer-
sity grounds the naval militia is en-
camped, with new contingents arriv-
ing almost every day for training.
-Four hundred tents and eight big
buildings went up almost over night.
The classic campus is now turned
into a field Of Mars. The naval mil
itia gives promise, as | write, of be-
/. ing up to strength without any diff
! ficulty.
The streets have been full of
brawny, Iounging, graceful, smiling
Young men in khaki-recruits. Most
have now gone to their posts. One
day l saw some companies of coast
artiuerynIen leaving for one of the
Puget Sound forts-youngsters, most
Of them, and it was no surprise to
learn that many are collegians who
have given up their courses to ans
wer the Country's call. However,
there las been much said in favor
of tie colleges and universities con-
tinuing their courses as usual, and
students have been advised that they
can best serve their country by con-
tinuing their work and fitting them
selves technically for the demands
which war makes on modern science
and organizatjCr.
infinitely the most striking proof
Of war preparation is given on Sc
attle's waterfront, where the young
shipbuilding industry which is the
eighth wonder of the world has sud-
denly sprung up. OF this shall tell
more In detail in a later article
Enough now to say that where there
was enc shipbuilding plant before
tile war there are now a couple Of
dozen, and more are growing like
dollhouse plants. Seattle's pioneer
energy is going to make this city one
of the greatest shipping and ship
building center of the world-not
Iimpossibly the greatest. Announce
ment has Just been made that the
government is taking over the ship.
building, under contract-stern evil
dence Of the wars demands. Steel
oho NOO0OA NCCCCAb d4C UO4uS
out with breath-taking rapidity, for
the war or war-trade, most of them.
Opposition 10 Rife
Yet, though the Northwest is a
potent factor in arming and supply.
ing Uncle Sam, though all the talk
Is about the war, the draft and sim.
liar topics, there is a great under
current Of opposition. The pernicious
l. w. w. influence is abroad, evil and
subtle. Labor troubles are rife. Some
Of them are not unconnected with
the war. The, Northwest is badly
hampered in industry and commerce
by strikes, some perhaps justified,
others certainly not, all Of them used
by>-the I. w. VS. to spread their
propaganda. No section of the coun.
TRY, so far as can learn, is so har-
assed by these cross-currents of So
cialism, l. w. W. doctrines and
even more vicious preachments as