The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-08-31
WITH THE EDITORS
THE NEW DRAFT LAW.


The age limit in the new draft law will be 10 to
As. The bill passed the House that way Saturday
and the indications are that it will go through the
Senate without change.
This is the administration bill, nearly three
months late but credit for the delay is freely &C.
corded in Washington to the Secretary of War
who has Jagged behind the procession in all war
preparations instead of being ahead leading the
sentiment and arousing the enthusiasm of the
country. -....,s
Amendments to the bill limiting the draft to men
20 years of age or older and to those 10 or over
were vigorously supported, also amendments to
put the men Of 10 and 10 in deferred classes, but
they were. voted down and the administration
measure passed with only two dissenting votes
one an Ohio Democrat and the other the New
York Socialist who always puts the Socialist party
on record as friendly to the Beast of Berlin.
The War Department has indicated that, al
though empowered by the bill to include men down
to Is ,as it desired to be- it may, after registration
issue its draft calls so as to call the available men
first. But this bill is supposed to produce the
three and half million who ten months from now
are to make up with those already over there, our
proposed army of five million in foreign service
That is going to mean intensive work in prepara-
ton and, unless the period from 81 to As produces
soldiers more numerously than it is expected to,
the call for men below 20 will not be deferred long
Nor, indeed, should it be! for after single men
and others above 81, having no dependents, have
been called, upon whom should the country rely for
this service rather than those completing their
10th, goth or 21st year, having no one dependent
on them for support? Of such were the armies
Of the Union and the Confederacy chiefly COM
posed. Among the advocates of 1S-year age limit
are several members Of the Senate who Joined
one army or the other "in the sixties" about the
age of 10 or younger, including our own senior
Senator who shouldered musket on the Union
side when only little over Is.
That the government does not, however, intend
to call the youngest registrants into training
camps first is further evidenced by the provisions
made by which students of draft age may be given
in the schools and colleges military instruction
without taking them away Immediately from their
regular work. ...a.,.r>@
One Of the most impressive and most reassuring
facts in connection with the war is the splendid
spirit in which the principle of selective conscrp-
ton has been received by the people of this repub-
lie. 1t evidences high quality of citizenship,
degree of loyalty to the principles of our govern
ment and spirit of willing sef-sacrifce for the
welfare of others as well as ourselves that before
the testcame, we would have hardly dared to as
sumo. But the absolute fairness Of the rule laid
down and the almost perfect impartiality by
which it has been applied by lot of men, who are
not getting due credit for their work on the regis
traton boards, satisfies the universal instinct for
fair play. Even if we could have raised an army
without resorting to the selective draft we would
not have been as well off. Sharing one anothers /
ourdens," or the common burden, is begetting
within ourselves as people more than we had be-
ore of that for which we are fighting the spirit
# true democracy. The volunteer system would
lave accomplished comparatively little in that re-
pect. Minneapolis Tribune.