The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1918-08-23

had been bit slow in mobiliZing her
great resources of man power, but the
war department woke to the serious
nature OF the situation when the Brit
ish were driven back twenty five
miles and from that time on America
has been sending 100000 soldiers a
month to the front. To continue to
do this and get the men from the
present registration would very ser
iously demoralize and cripple industry
and agriculture, because class one
| has already been practically exhaust.
ed. 1t will not do to make the mistake
that England, under the old volunteer
| system, made at the outset of the
war, that is build up a great army at
the front without the reserves OF
workers at home to properly equip
and maintain and support it.
The best equipped, the best trained
and the best educated industrial and
agricultural workers in the nation are
| between The ages or twenty one and
thirty two, the ages now covered by
the draft law That is true because
| until within recent years vocational
training has practically been unknown
! to the great majority OF our institu-
| tons of learning. 1t would be little
| less than a calamity to send all OF
these men to the front They are
too valuable at home On the other
hand there are tens of thousands of
men over thirty two and under forty
five physicallyable to make good sol
diers who can be spared from civil
life without vitality affecting any war
industry.
There is a good deal of mawkish
sentiment about taking the boys from
eighteen to twenty one, but military
experts generally agree that nineteen
is probably the best age for military
efficiency. Few of the boys between
these ages have dependents, most Of
them are in the full prime of physical
| power and they are easily made amen
able to military discipline. Few OF
them hold positions of responsibility
in agricultural or industrial lines Of
activity and they can easily be spared
for military service.
The argument that they ought not
to be conscripted because not voters
has little merit. As matter of fact
the youth between eighteen and TWEEN.
| ty one have much more at stake in
this war than have the men of the
thirties. They have longer period to
remain in this old world and it is
more to their interest that it should
be made fit and safe place in which
| to live. Men who have lived twenty
years longer have not an equal per-
sonal interest in the outcome of
struggle in which civilization itself IS
| involved
| This is no argument, however,
against conscripting men up to forty
five. Very few men who have lived
correct lives are so enfeebled at that
age that they cannot take their places
among the nations armed fighters.
Many of them have children and they
are more concerned that they should
| leave the world safe for their children
and their children's children than that
they should enjoy the priceless bless
ings of life, liberty and the pursuit Of
happiness for a few years longer
Many of these men are not engaged in
essential war work, if they have
wife ard children the latter are not
dependent and hence they should De
called to the army leaving the better
trained younger men to produce for
the boys at the front.
The Herald has long advocated an
extension of the draft ages TO the
limits fixed by the proposed Dill. They
are the ages in the old military acts.
They we're the ages in England until
recently when the age was raised to
fifty. 1t would have been better had
the act originally fixed the ages at
from eighteen to forty five, but it Is
better late than never.