The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-06-25
American Men to Win.

The imminent broadening Of the age
range of the selectiye service marks thu
passing of the delusion that America I
chief contribution to the war was to BIZ
money, and the things money can buy
| The war is TO be won by men, American
men, whom money cannot buy. At last
we see it to be so, and the opposition
to extending the age limit, personified by
the secretary of war, melts away sud
denly.
At the outset there were many in
| fuential men in America who thought
| it better for the United States not to
undertake large military enterprise in
connection with the war. They argued
for great naval expansion and activity,
but maintained that to put great army
into France would be more of a him
drance than help to the allies. Their
reason for this belief was that in order
to raise, equip, transport and maintain
an army, we would have to curtail sup
plies for the allies 1t was this idea
that gave rise to the suggestion that
we give billion dollars to France, out
right 1t was felt that we could do our
best by providing generously for the
maintenance of the allied armies that
were believed to be sure of winning the
war. Besides, there were certain weird
notions about beating the Germans with
electrical devices, but these were the
mere efferverscenses of imagination
Practically all the solid opposition to the
big army idea was founded upon prae-
teal considerations. 1t wasn't coward
ice, or pacifsm, or money worshlp-lt
was practical sense operating within
narrow limits.
The coming of the foreign ENJOYS be-
gan our enlightenment. Men were need
ed--chiefy for moral effect, to be sure,
but needed, nevertheless. So we send
over some marines and regulars, got
the 26th and Rainbow divisions togeth-
er and sent them along, and proceeded
in leisurely fashion to build a picture
book army out of what material we
had among the single men between the
ages of q and 30. Then came the Sc
ries of events eliminating in the great
offensive, and we stood in full blaze of |
the truth--the truth that American men |
are TO turn the tide.
But there are nowhere near enough /
men in Class / as it stands to-day. 1t
Is planned to call l,550,000 men to the
,olors between July ! and the end of
The year, lf-million more than are
available in Class |. We might go into
,ther classes, but this would be indus
rally and economically undesirable, and
1 is unnecessary. We expect to get
$50 900 men by process of reclassifica-
ion. They will be absorbed in month.
some 400, 900 men become available by
he 1918 registration-not enough by
5000 for two months needs. We have
rot TO have ampler sources
Those sources lie on either side OF
he present age limits. We should pre-
err not to send the boys into this bust
less, not because they ought to be cod
led, but because they are boys, and
modern warfare is a thing for maturity,
OF adolescence, to grapple with. But we
ave no choice We can't fight the
7ar with theories of youth and msturi-
v. Men are demanded, American men,
nd millions of them. So the boys must
ecome men quickly, in the swift matur-
lg process of military service.
And on the other side of the present
arrow band stretched across our popu-
.tion there are older men who can fight
+ work under the selective service plan.
iding materially TO our military and
'onomic resources. They, too, must
N in.
For the war has become a question Of
en- az last. Let US not get away from
lie idea again. II always was that, in
Ct. but some Of Us didn't see Il. II
uldnt be otherwise. The men OF the
ord are determining the conditions
der which they shall live How, then,
uld We have thought that other men
uld settle this matter for ", or that
could settle il BY money, or By IN =