New-York tribune., 1918-09-01

Of the country to talk about not taking
them into the service. l am beseged all
the time by young fellows of eighteen years
and upward who are anxious to have the
bill passed, and anxious to know what
is going in the Senate with reference
younger than that who are anxious to be
permitted to 60 in.
The work or fight clause was the other
gage for battle in the discussion of the
new man-power bill. 1t was finally with
drawn, thus insuring a speedy passage
of the draft bill itself Senator Thomas,
OF Colorado, rather tall, spare man,
but an energetic fighter, was the most
persistent defender of the clause. He
spoke thus to the Senate:
hear some ask, Would you apply
NO. not at ALL ! would appeal to American
"orkmen to conduct themselves that
there should be no necessity for even re-
terring to such conditions, interfering at
present only as regards men in deferred
e!assifcations; but if production in Ger
many had slackened For short space of
time prior to the collapse in Russia this
war would have been ended; and it has been
said many times that men should take ad
vantage OF tte experiences of their on
Mr. President, for whose benefit are we
gh'ing this war? For the capitalists, for
the leisure classes. for the workmen. for
Aay particular portion o. our population?
For what are we making these gigantic
sAcF1hoes and expending not only all our
VISIBLE treasure, but mortgaging the gener-
atoms FOR centuries to come, unless it be
20 preserve 70 the indiv dual whether he
De workingman or a CAPITALIST hlack Nv
white Jew or Gentle, those priceless
privileges of freedom ard liberty which are
inseparaoie from republican form of GOV.
ernment-the right to strike. if YOU please:
from
II you please; the right to enjoy life and to
the pursuit Of happiness; the right to
everything that makes life dear; the r,ebt
OF the Stacker and the exemptionist inst
as fully as the right of the boy at the front
and the family which he represents; the
rights and the liberties and the freedom Of
al' Governments exist largely for the
protection Of those otherwise defenceless:
largely. in other words, for the poor. for
the man who tolls for his livelihood. cheered
oy the reflection that he lives in a country
where perhaps his son can rise higher in
the scale of social life than the point he has
been able to attain.
Mr. President, I believe that the senti.-
ment of the nation demands legislation Of
this sort. | believe that every father with
q son at the front or with a SON to be in
eluded in the operation of this bill when
1T becomes law; every mother whose boy
try, side by side and shoulder to shoulder
with fellow Americans maintaining the
honor and the Integrity Of the American
army away of on the blood stained fields
OF France; every wife whose husband has
heard the call of duty and left his family
and his home, perhaps forever, that he may
give to his country the highest test of de-
votion; every fair young girl whose hearth
desire has been postponed perhaps forever
because her lover has gone 70 the colors
OF his country, ready to march when the
order is given, and brave the machine Guns
OF the enemy-every one Of these in their
hearts depths feel that those who stay at
home should make, as far as they can, an
equal sacrifice and see to it that the man
at the front shall not falter for lack of all
that he demands for the full and triumphant
vindication Of his nations integrity.
The great heart of the American people
is sounded else we would not be in this
war at all, and, MIR. President, we have only
begun it. Every day we see in the public
press the constantly iengthening lists of
American dead and American wounded.