Evening star., 1918-07-06
REALLY BIG WAR
PROGRAM FORMING
U. S. to Work on Policy Full
filling Pledges While Con-
gress Recesses.
MUST ALTER DRAFT AGE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Ihe decision to postpone was made
by the executive branch of the gov
ernment: the legislators deferred to
the judgment of the President, the
Secretary of War and the chief of
staff of the Army. 1t is an open Sc
cret that Provost Marshal General
Crowder. father of the selective draft
system, thought otherwise and gave
reasons.
There is much merit to the two sets
Of arguments, but each depends for
its efficacy on what Germany does in
the next few months and what the
Grain on American forces now in
France is going to be. The safer
course is to assume that Germany will
try to do something decisive before
fully into action. Germany may be
too weak to attempt another super
offensive such as she launched last
March, but IL she does there will be
a panicky call for men. and our draft
will be taxed and strained
to the utmost.
Situation in Nutshell.
In a nutshell, the situation amounts
to this:
Virtually sixty days have been ask
ed by the government before putting
into effect new military policy. Con-
gress will be back here in the latter
part of August, and allowing for de-
bate and the delays incident to the
consideration of such important legis-
new enrolment can be started.
Something must give. therefore.
Either the government plans to
call fewer men after October than its
usual monthly average, believing trat
the winter months will not require 50
many replacement troops. or tie draft
boards all over the country will be
asked to q. in I. irty days wha: it hss
hitherto taken hem ever SO much
loEger to accomplish in the filing out
Of qucstionna;res and the elassifica
iion F.; reg ST: onts.
Age Limit Change Inevitable.
For it is inevitable that the age
limits for selective service will be
changed No one seriously believes
that President Wilson's outspoken
declaration against compromise with
the enemy means termination of the
war this year or during the early part
of next year. Provision must be made
for men to f1ll up the gaps caused
by autumn losses and to hold the in
fdently expected that our men will
begin gradually to hold on the west
ern front.
Here is a sketch of the status of
our man power; the government is
calling heavily on class one every
country class one has already. been
exhausted. It has been definitely de-
termined not to touch class two or
three or four anywhere until all those
fit for military service in class one
have been summoned to the colors.
At the present rate of cali, with the
xpectation that July's quota alone will
be 400, 900 men, and that numbers al
most as large will follow in the en-
suing months, the entire member
ship Of class one, including those OBJ
tanned by recombing other classes
and by taking the men recently regis
tered as twenty-one, will be exhaust
ed by October 1 Of this year.
Faces Alternative.
Then the government will be con-
fronted with the alternative of
reaching down into the deferred
classes or changing the age limits to
class two would only yield $4,000
men. but these men are skilled labor
ers and essential to agricultural and
other war Industries. The gain would
not be commensurate with the loss
even II every man in class two were
called. In class three. where the men
with dependent families are listed.
only 35O,000 registrants have been
placed, and certainly the original
selective service law specifically ex-
emptell men of that class as it did
married men in class four.
Touching the deferred classes means
to industry as well as the
home, and Congress would hardly
care to accept the responsibility for
of the deferred classes, especially
when there, is excellent material
available below the age OF twenty
one as well as unmarried men above
the age of thirty-one without depend
ents and those not engaged in useful
Must Meet War Pledges
To carry on the war. indeed. accord
ing to the pledges America has given,
even the calling of all the men in
classes one, two and three would not
meet the needs of the situation: There
fore the average man can understand
ton exactly the statement made at
the outset of this article that a
change in age limits has not been
abandoned. but simply postponed
until the autumn.
When the registration Of men above
and belbw the present limits is
eventually ordered it will have to be
done in a hurry, and there will be
far less time for men to choose the
branches of the service they like or
to arrange their affairs than there
would have been during the summer
far less burden. too. on the
draft boards. who, when working
under a strain, are not SO likely to
justice to the individual
as when they have plenty of time. We
had an instance of admitted injustice
[n the hasty administration of the
first draft and by comparison splen-
lid example in the Questionnaire sys-
tenn of what might have been ac-
IL there had been time to
10 the same thing In the first instance.
Presidents Argument.
The argument of the President and
he Secretary of War seems to have
been that until men above thirty-one
we're absolutely needed the economic
situation in this country should not
be disturbed. The moment men are
registered, whether they are called
,r not, they begin to feel the compul-
sion Of the situation and their en-
,loyers begin to be uncertain as m
he length of time they can be de-
pended upon to stay in their present
positions.