The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-06-19
MARYLAND PLAN GOOD.
PRESIDENT HOPES TO SEE 9TH.
ER STATES ACT.
Work or Fight" Principle AppIied
Below and Above Ages Included in
Draft.

~NiAS - iSolNCut
Wilson has approved nationwide
compulsory work movement to sup
plement Provost Marshal General
Crowder's work or fight" regulations.
In letter to Governor Harrington Of
Maryland. made public tonight the
president indorsed adoption by other
States of the Maryland compulsory
work law, under which the work or
fight principle is made applicable to
all men between the ages of IS and
so.
General Crowder also has approved
the movement and believes that it not
only will give greater effect to his new
regulations but will further aid the
country in it's task of winning the war
by reporting men below and above
the draft ages. Without some such
law as proposed, either State or nat
ional, 1t was pointed out, men of draft
age who can not pass the physical
requirements for active or limited mil
itary service can not be made to en-
gage in necessary occupations.
The presidents letter to Governor
Harrington follows:
Your letter of May 81 calls my at
tention to the proposal for a nation
wide movement based upon the prin-
ciples embodied in the Maryland COM
pulsory work law. 1 ,can say with
out hesitation that am heartily in
accord with any movement intended
to bring every citizen to full realza-
tion Of his responsibilities as a partici-
pant In the war;
Upon our entrance into the war
called upon our citizens to mobilize
their energies for it's prosecution in
every way that was possible. The re-
sponse has been exceedingly crafty
ing. The slogan work or fight" has
everywhere been taken up as a salts
factory explanation of the spirit OF
the people. The instances of failure
to appreciate it's force and significance
have been few. 1t is only natural
however. that these few cases should
excite the feeling that the spirit of
the community should in some way
be enforced by law upon those who
were not willing to cooperate Of their
own initiative. This has made pos
sible the effective operation Of our Sc
lective law and has found expression,
also in your compulsory work law.
"The memorandum which you have
prepared points out how wisely Mary
land has acted in this matter. l par
ticularly admire the care the Maryland
legislature has taken to be just in the
provisions of the law which protect
the honest working man in his rights
and privileges. assume that the safe
guard Of this legislation against the
possibility of abuse includes the main
tenance Of those standards and work
ing conditions which the council of
national defense and the National war
labor board have set up as indispens-
able to the nations full productive ef-
ficency.
II hope that 1t will be possible to
duplicate the action and experience of
Maryland in other States"
The suggestion for adopting the
Maryland law as a model in supple
menting the selectve service regula-
ton was made by the national COM
mittee on prison and prison labor aft
er careful study of six months en-
forcement of the Maryland statute.
Four other States, New York, New
Jersey, Delaware and South Dakota
have enacted laws similar to that en-
forced in Maryland.