Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-17
SIR AUCKLAND GODDESS
SPEECH IS CRITICIZED
Arnold Bennett Says fritish Exemp.
ton Tribunals Are Generally
Fair to All Sides.
PLAYING GAME OF ENEMY
Phrase Could BE M.dc to Apply 20
Many Men and Women Who DO
Not DO Their Full Duty, 1t Is De-
clared
BY ARNOLD KENNETH.
international News Bureau.


Sir Auckland Gcddcs. the Minister OF
National Service. when he WAS defend
ing his administration OF the military
service acts. spoke as follows at Man
chester:
II have never resented informed
criticism, but The present criticism is
noluins up the Legitimate flow OF men
to the forces. The air force and the
army are not getting the men they
need There are many men being pro-
tected and exempted whose removal
Satastrophc-men who are exempted
because their fathers are friends of
members Of the tribunals. These men.
VII? are using a social pull TO protect
their young. healthy sons. are traitors.
Ihcy are absolutely playing the game
oil inc enemy etc.
Is y, n ustns influence. or on whose behalf
ih'luence * being used. to save him
IRON an UNPLEASANT and dangerous duty
which. If he had not influence. he
would be compelled to perform / do
not say that there are no. such persons.
employed is rather strong. and. indeed,
Sir Auckland Gcddcs has since apollo
gizGd FOR IT,. think that the tribunals
~ The tribunals might we'll argue
mat IN thousands OF instances they
have helped the national cause by defy
ing military influence and stopping
men from going into the army who are
undoubtedly more useful to the allied
cause in civilian positions at home.
cases. in which no good, and much
harm. has been done to the allied cause
ought never TO have gone into the
army.
TRIBUNALS GENERALLY FAIR
IN DECIDING MATTERS
The tribunals might argue that they
are bound to exercise their discretion.
and that, for the most part, the eXcr-
Else Of ,hsir discretion has had excel
argue that. if the war Office influence
had been allowed to work unopposcd,
immense evil to the allied cause would
have been the consequence. Sir Auck-
land Geddes's accusation was OF far too
general a nature. Even when tribunals
fair enough. and can give very sound
reasons for their decisions.
Possibly, in a few cases. young or
youngish men who could properly be
spared from civil life may have escaped
the army, simply because they hap
agree that such cases are ineXcusable
ana that the members of the tribunals
have ssopd
hesitate 70 call them traitors" or to
anssr, that they are s,ch playing the
traitors. by what name are you going
to call men who conspire to mako
armed rebellion agains; the govern
bad munitions which cause death. not
among the enemy, but among the sol
dlerS VINO nave TO use them! And by
what name are you going TO call men
who sell secret information to the
enemy, In war there is no worse
name than traitor. and 1t ought to be
uttered with the greatest caution and
circumSpection.
Still. am willing to argue that there
is Il sense in which the word traitor
may be applied To the men. II there
are any, who have behaved as Sir
Auckland Geddes suggests. Only 1 sag
that the word can, and must then be
applied to plenty of other men-and
women, II members OF certain trie.
the hundred may be discovered at the
War Onice, and in STATS at the front.
and in the fine mansions OF fashionable
squares in the West End. and in the
country houses set amid the historic
parks Of England.
INCOMPETENT MEN GIVEN
IMPORTANT ARMY JOBS
II is true that these people have not
played the encmys game by keeping
played the enemys game by pushing
incompetent men into important posi-
tons within the army The constitu-
scandal at the beginning OF the war.
and long after the beginning of the
war; and il is still some considerable
scandal. Nobody can deny that there
Ulcers in highly responsible positions
who occupy those positions, not he
cause they are qualified for them. but
because they ere the sons of their
cousins or uncles with social power, or
because they belong to the right clubs.
or because they, are acquainted with
bigwigs In Parliament Nobody can
deny that to this day the higher ranks
OF military command are still abso-
lutely closed to brilliant men who do
not possess certain qualitications-the
said qualifications not being military