The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-24
NECESSARY TO VICTORY
Experts Say War Cannot Be Ended
Next Year Without Taking Boys.
Deferred Glasses of Older Men Will
Be Combed Thoroly for Smokers.


night and altho neither house had yet
acted finally upon the bill, sentiment |
had been gauged by votes sufficiently |
to indicate that the war department |
was going to get the age limits and
the legislation in the form it requested
without hampering restrictions. The
Mckenzie amendment, which made it
arbitrary that all older men should
| be called first before any 19-year-old
or 1Syear-old classes were touched,
was defeated 1877 to "a in the house af-
| ter an intensely exciting and dramatic
debate. So was the Johnson amend
ment, which would have dropped Is
year-olds out of the draft altogether
and let it start at 10. AS that was the
heart of the fight the war adnlinistra-
| tons victory now is certain.
| Few Exceptions.
There developed during the debate
i in both houses, however, a drive
against slackers and an insistence
against easy regulations that may have
decided bearing on the number of men
that will be obtained from the older
| classes In this. congress is but re-
fleeing the sentiment of the country.
generally, and it is apt to be reflected
provided the war department re-
spends to the sentiment expressed In
| congress-in a much sitter combing
plying stiff regulations to older regis
trants in the new draft than had been
| anticipated. If Secretary Baker had
any notion that the country, gener-
ally, would rise to the proposal that
| married men would automatically be
deferred, It would have been dissipated
by the debate today.
Taking of Boys of 1S a Necessity.
In nutshell. the sentiment as re-
Elected in congress was that the nation
| will-accept the drafting of 18-year-old
boys because it believes that a military
necessity exists that makes 1t impera--
tive. But in accedinE to it. the coun-
try wants the slackers rooted out OF
the present draft and the future draft.
| 1t wants every man of the older class
es that possibly can go to go, so that
many 1s-year-old boys may not have
to go.
TO begin with, the house began by
putting in an amendment that would
remove the statutory provision against
legislative officers being taken in the
draft This was to permit members
| of congress to be drafted like everyone
else There probably won't be any
considerable depletion of the member
ship rolls as a result, but 1t put the
tmembers. in voting to permit 1S-year-
olds to be drafted, in position OF hav-
AS election is nearby, 1t was good poll
tics to do so.
Kansan Opposes Taking Boys.
Representative E. p Little of Kan
sas figured prominently in the debate
: yesterday. Little opposed, taking the
1s-year-old boys and he opposed II
vehemently. He spoke for the amend
rnents and he interrupted other speak
ers again and again with questions in
the vehemence of his opposition to
' Secretary Bakers plan of including
: 1S-year- olds in the draft =.
''Come out of the brush, slackers.
Little said, come out of the brush.
r brave man, and save the 1S-year-oId
bows going. There are enough slack
| ers in Washington to make brisaae
and enough in any industry to make
division The basis of Little
L areument was the same as that of the
others opposing President WilsEa $
S and the war departments plan-that
s there were enough older men to go
y so that the. 1S-year-olds would not
have to.
Exhibited an fS-Year-Old Boy.
Much OF the while the house was In
T. turmoil today. Representative Albert
johnson of washington. who, with
| Dent of Alabama, Little of Kansas
|, and others were leading the fight on
the war departments ages, brought III
e an understood page, in knee trousers
s dressed him in uniform, gave MIN 9
n gun bigger than the boy himself and
= proclaimed: Here's an 18-year-old
: boy, do we want to send such boys as
:, these as soldiers when men stay at
{ homer"
d It made a hit, but Tillson of Con-
/ necticut, who was defending the ad-
ministration plan, made bigger hit
u He addressed the gallery and asked
= four marines to stand up. They were
= huskies. One wore a sharpshootel
r. badge.
e 1s-Year-Olds Saved Paris.
e "Those are 1S-year-old soldiers jus
e like the boys who won glory at Cha
= teau-Thierry," he said.
{, That brought the house into an ever
II more violent demonstration than thu
re johnson incident. And so it went
: The senate debate was more decorou
n :. as usual. and less interesting asid'
y from the Lodge address.
Representative Olney of MasSachu
Il Il sets in the course of his remarks de
. clared that as a result of the alliet
= retreat before the last German driv,
II on the Marie two allied generals wer,
h court-martialed and another commit
ted suicide. British and French off
GERS concede, he said, that ten thou
sand American marines, f1anked b.
four regiments of American regulars
I, saved by refusing to retire at Belleal
Wood before a dozen or fifteen Prus
sian regiments.
y Ford's Case Discussed.
n The editorial by Colonel Roosevelt
y on Henry Ford's candidacy and tn
4 giving of deferred classification to hi
Ss son. Edsel Ford, came up in the hous
- debate. Representative johnson wa
~ appealing for more thoro combin
~ out of the draft lists before takin
:, 1s-year-old boys. He referred to tn
:, Edsel Ford incident and said:
Are we going to take 1S-year- oil
boys and leave the Edse1 Fords q
home p
. He then referred to Colonel Roose
a. velt's declaration that such young me
a as Edse1 Ford owed a particular dut
,s to serve in the army in the war rattle
- than staying home.
l. Wild Talk of Casualties.
s. When Representative Crago c
Ian rfrarr h., 1