Norwich bulletin., 1918-06-22
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Advantages and Obligations Alike.


 MT. Editor: Something like two millions of aliens of military age in the United States is something to think about The draft opened the eyes of the nation to a glaring inius- tice that had escaped general atten- ton, or perhaps better stated con- centrated opinion on the injustice of drafting citizens for the defense of the nation and leaving aliens at home to take positions that had to be relin- Qulshed by citizen soldiers on the call to arms. In certain districts of our large cities the draft used up a very large percentage of citizens, practic- ally leaving the community in the hands of aliens without any share in the responsibilities that arose through the war and with every advantage that followed the withdrawal of the citizen from trade and industry and left the field to the alien. It needed something of this kind to jolt the cit izen into a sense of the injustice of freeing the alien from responsibility and at the same time doubling his advantages in trade and industry. No higher premium could be placed on nGn- naturalization. That thousands Of aliens were not unaware of this advantage was shown time after time when don't have to go to war" was given as excuse for failure to become naturalized. It has been quite com mon to refer to our larger cities as being the second largest city :n the world' in relation to a certain class of it's population. for instance. Chi cago, referred to as the sixth larg- est German city in the world. the sec ond largest Bohemian the second largest Swedish. Norwegian and Pol lsh, including, we take it, both-na = turahzed and unnaturahzed residents. Just what the citizenship numbers as compared to this statement is not 5iVen but it follows with this array 1 of alien population, the conscription law will take from trade and indus 1 try the greater portion of the citizens leaving occupational advantage to the ! alien, freed from every responsibility 1 of protecting the land that gives him preferment. This manifestly is wrong to. the citizen as business or wage competitor: it is equally unjust to ths nation that provides the opportunity for advantage, less the responsibility Of defending his own interests.
 The criticism that attends this sit uation is clearly directed to our con l gress that must have been aware ol 1 the inequalities in favor of the alien but with the vote of the foreign borr l citizen always before too many mem. 1 bers of congress, the dangers tha
 HOW are so apparent were ignored fol political profit. Neither of the grea parties is free from criticism on thi. score but congress has the power t
 free itself from whatever censure
 may be directed to it by enactin!
 legislation that will either exact ful r. rlcn or send him back to the land iron
 which he came. where it is fairly cer
 tain he will give military servic
 whether he likes it or not The write
 did not want war; none of us wan
 war. but we had to have war and "
 must win the war, therefore, militar service is recognized as a duty to- tn
 nation in specific sense and as
 duty to humanity in a general sense We did not want eonscription; tn volunteer system did not meet tn requirements of the situation and W had to have it and with that under
 standing we are for it, out we g further than the original demand an in the first draft and insist that ever
 man who is within the borders of tn , United States for profit through trad profession or industry. be compelle 2 to give his full share of military seY vice for the protection of the natio
 that has given him his advantages ap , his home. Enemy aliens are eXcepte ]: from this proposition. To exact mi .. itary service from them would be ( questionable advantage to the nation , to return the enemy alien to his ns tive land would be to recruit for u , enemy service. but 1t does not seem be out of place to demand that In ar other direction that fairly could !
 devised 1t would be quite within u
 right of the nation to exact such SCI