Republican farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1810-1920, 1918-05-24

sideration' in making it's decision" !"
Explaining the new regulation, Gen.
Crowder said:
THE war has so far disorganized
the normal adjustment of industrial
man power as to prevent the enor-
nous industrial output a1Ai national
organization necessary to success.
\ There is a popular demand for or
ganization of man power, but no di-
rect draft could be imposed at pres
ent.
Steps to prohibit idleness and non
effective occupation will be welcomed
by our people.
I'VE shall give the idlers and men
not effectively employed the choice
between military service and effective
employment. Every man in"the draft
age at least must work or fight.
This is not alone a war of milf
tary manoeuver. It is a deadly con-
test of industries and mechanics. Ger
many must not be thought of as mere
ly possessing an army. We mus
think of her as being an army-ar
army in which every factory and loom
in the empire is a recognized part ir
complete machine running nigh
and day at terrific speed. We mus
make of ourselves the same sort OF
effective machine.
at is enough to ask what woult
happen If every man in the natior
turned his hand to effective work. We
must make ourselves effective. We
must organize for the future. W.
must make vast Withdrawals for th'
army and Immediately close up thu
ranks of industry behind the gal
with an accelerating production o
every useful thing in necessary meas
ure. How is this to be done? TIT
answer is plain. The first step towarC
the solution of Nhe difficulty is t,
prohibit engagement by able bodied
men in the field of hurtful employ
ment, idleness or Intellectual employ
ment, and thus induce and persuad
the vast wasted excess into usefu
fields.
The very situation we are nov
considering, however, offers great pos
sibilities in improving the draft, a
we'll as great possibilities for the com
position of the labor situation by eff
fective administration of the draf
Considering the selective service Law
we see two principal causes of defer
ment to the call to military service
exemption and the order numbers as
signed by lot. The exemptions them
selves fall into two conspicuous cate
, gories, dependency and industrial EN-
ployment. One protects domestic re
lations, the other the economic in
-. terests of the nation. Between tn
two there is an inevitable hiatus, fo
, it is demonstrably true that thou
sands, if not millions of pedendenc
exemptions have no effect of induc
trial deferment whatever.
zone of the unanswerable criticism
of the draft has been that it take
men from the farms and from all ust
full employments and marches thel
past crowds of idlers and loafers ava
to the army. The remedy is simp
to couple the industrial basis wit
other grounds for exemption and
require that any man pleading exemI
4 ton on any ground shall also sho
: that he is contributing effectively I
: the industrial welfare Of the natiol
THE regulation itself makes plal
e the determination OF the war depar
). ment. The great organization of loc
t and district boards which has alreaG
d accomplished a notable work may
= relied on to catch the spirit of IL
a movement and sorely needed ma
It power will soon be flowing into Il
y fields of useful eRdeavoT or into Il
i other direction of military strength