The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1918-07-05
SENATORIAL JOINT DEBATE
Continued from Front Page,)

IIOi.
The board OF directors consists of
70 members OF the United States Sen
ate and 45o members OF the House Of
Representatives. With few excep-
lions these men have been unsWerving
IN the performance OF their duty to
their country and their labors have
been marked by intense patriotism.
/ his beloved president exhausted
all human remedies in an effort to
steer this great and peaceful nation
through the fog of war to the port OF
peace For two and a half years the
battle ragged in Europe and the war
clouds lowered lower and lower and
one act after another was committed
by the Imperial German Government
encroaching upon our rights as Amer
lcan citizens until finally every hon
orabie resource was exhausted and OIL
February End, 1917. all diplomatic
relations were severed between this
! government and the German govern
ment
On April End this great President
called congress in extraordinary SEES
sion and with serious calmness and
clear voice he proclaimed that Ger
many had murdered our citizens, de-
stroycd Our commerce, fired upon our
flag and denied us the freedom of the
seas; that the only road left open for
us to travel was that which led to the
held OF carnage; that to submit to the
atrocities hcaped upon us without the
least justification would mean nation
al d1shOnor and national disgrace.
This message will go down in his
tory as the greatest state paper ever
written by any man, and no written
instrument in all history portrays
more justification for the entrance of
a nation into war than does this great
message
On the morning after the delivery
OF this message congress adopted the
resolution declaring a state of war to
exist between our government and
the imperial German Government.
Then, my friends, the die was cast.
There was but one thing left for
America, united America, to do. That
was to prepare with the greatest
haste, with the greatest efficiency,
with the greatest economy this pow
ertul nation for the conflict
The first step taken was the issu-
anCe OF seven billions of dollars in
| bonds
The next step and most essential
step was the raising of great army.
There were two plans suggested. One
the volunteer system; the other the
Selectlve service system. The ques-
ton then naturally arose, which of
these systems will procure an army
i'll the most effective, expeditions,
equitable and democratic fashion?
| For myself. | saw but one fair and
democratic way to gather an army
by selective draft. Under the volun-
teer system only the intensely pa.
triotic go out in defense of home and
iireside. 1t is unfair and undemo-
cratic because the responsibilities OF
| the defense of the nation do not fall
alike upon every man of fighting age
| in the nation. 1t is inefficient because
1t does not provide the country with
a continuous and certain flow OF man
power, which is absolutely necessary
in time of war.
| 1t might not be amiss upon this
| great day to mention the struggle that
| Washington underwent during the
days OF the Revolution on account of
the short periods OF enlistment and
1.-THE uncertain flow of man-power in
the Continental Army. Bounties ha@,
to be resorted to, States We'd with
each other in an effort to induce men
20 go to the front and fight for in
dependence, and finally the Continent
tai Congress gave unto Washington
certain powers under which he secur-
ed an army, and from that day on
success after success crowned the eff
! forts OF our revolutionary army and
we gained our independence after a
prolonged struggle and the sacrifice
unnecessarily OF many lives and much
treasure.
In our own war between the States
the volunteer system proved a failure
and Jefferson Davis recommended to
| the Confederate Congress the pass
age of conscript law which was en-
acted and signed by him on April II,
1862. From that day until the federal
| government passed its conScript act.
which, by the way. was the most dras
/ TIC and undemocratic ever passed in
the history of the world, permitting
the rich to employ substitutes, the
Union army won by few, if any inn
portant victories
The Union forces were continual
ly changing The trained soldier
| "oIiN ~ Oul dlu Tie raw recruit
come in Exorbitant bounties were
paid, and after an expenditure of
S/9o,OO0,OOO they finally abandoned
| the volunteer system.
What of the selective draft law
under which our army is being gath
cred? 1t recognizes that under the
Constitution the same responsibility
rests upon the shoulders of the rich
| that rests upon the shoulders of the
poor to take up arms in defense of a
JUST and common cause. 1t recognizes
the. principle that efficiency must be
maintained behind the battle line as
well as efficiency along the battle
line. 1t selects that man who has the
least responsibilities of domestic
character upon his shoulders. 1t ex-
empts him who has old and depend
ent parents or helpless and depend
ent children, and calls on him to main
tam the efficiency behind the line. and
1t takes the strong. stalwart young
man with few domestic responsible
ties and sends him to the front to
face the enemy. 1t recognizes no
bounties. 1t recognizes no substi-
tutes. 1t calls on rich and poor,
high and low, white and black to
answer as one man the call to arms.