The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1918-07-13
WORK OR FIGHT" ORDER.
Operation Of New Military Measure
Fully Explained.

iCscSt ufttSlat Iells SE!)WueT, l.
an interview commenting on tn
"work or fight" regulation which too
effect July 1, called attention to tn
occasional misconception of it's scope
1t applies only to men between tn
ages of 21 and 80, viz, the age
covered by the seiective-service law
and thus made liable to draft fo
military service. Gen. Crowder said
'"The widespread and instant pop
ular approval of this regulation ha
been emphatic. But its scope shoult
not be misunderstood, as occasional
ly it is found to be. 1t is primarily
military measure and was prOmul
gated under the selective-service act
which places under liability for i'm
mediate military service all qualified
men between the ages of ~ and 80
1t does not affect men outside o
those ages, and therefore does not af
feet industry at large.
"The army and navy are taking th'
men who are best able physically t.
do the fighting. But that is only on'
part of the national task imposed b!
the war. The other part, the par
that falls on the other men, is to Sc
free these men who are to do the
fighting. Every man who helps tt
set free fighting man is helping tx
fight and win the war.
"And it is every mans duty to give
that share of help. That duty tt
work. and to work effectively, is tht
foundation of the new measure
Work or fight There is no othel
alternative.
"Now, many of the men of draf1
age in deferred classes 2, 3, and 4
deferred, that is, on grounds of de
pendency, are not engaged in effect
i've industry. The spectacle is not {
satisfying one of contingent OF
drafted men from Glass l being
marched down the street to camp
while other men of their own age
watching them from the windows, re
main behind to sell cigarettes or dis
pense soda-fountain drinks, solely be.
cause they have received defermen
on grounds of dependency. 1t thest
men of the same age are to stay be
hind let them at least get into work
more effective to help the war. Then
deferment takes them out Of military
service and yet serves no economic
war purpose whatsoever. They are
of military age, and therefore have
the primary duty to do war work. II
their dependency gives them defer.
ment from immediate military wal
work, let them at least do something
economically useful to maintain the
nations welfare while at war. They
should get into some useful and eff.
fective occupations or else forfeit
their sdefernent from military ser,
vice. The alternative lis . fair one. y
#stsTn his regulat tioIs therefore, docs
not affect any person outside of draft
age, except indeed that it will Offer
him more opportunities of employ.
ment than before. The PLACE left va.
cant by the men within draft age vii!
now be filled by men of older OF
younger ages and by women. The
limited list of noneffective employ.
ments was in rc.+ selected with a
view to this very fact that the work
in those occupations could as well be
performed by older or younger men
or by women. These men who are OF
military age will either go into mill
tar service or will 60 into occupa.
tions more necessary for the natlona
welfare, where there is an untitled
demand for additional man power
They will be replaced, to the extent
that they need replacing, by the
others not liable to militarv service.
"Ihis is a natural and logical con-
sequence of the vast Withdrawals fol
the army. Nearly three million men
are said to have gone into camp or IN,
to the navy. It is a simple and OBJ
yious fact that if the army is to be
a national one in the fullest sense
the places left vacant by the fighters
stepping forward out Of the ranks OF
civic Industry must be filed by new
workers, and the places vacated by
them must be in turn filed by still
others, and so on, until the ranks
have been closed up and the whole
man power has been utilized IN re.
placements.
'tThe need is insistent and the de-
mand is universal for systematic, ma,
tion-wide organization Of the man
power that is now either idle or non
effectively employed.