Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-31
R TO THE UTMOST
The Man.Power Of the Nation Is Now at the
Disposal Of the President for Win.
ming the War

AhS AAoth O"St W ~
Disposal Of the President for Win.
ming the War
THE first thing to be noted in connec-
= ton with the passage of the man.
power bill is the enthusiastic willingness,
when it came to a final showdown, OF
both Houses Of Congress to place at
the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief
of the Army and Navy of the United
States virtually the whole man-power OF
the nation.
Congress was ready to pass such a bill
weeks ago, but the Secretary OF war
said it was not necessary. He urged post
ponement. And Congress took a recess
on the strength of the assurances from
Secretary Baker. But within two or three
weeks the War Department changed its
mind and asked that the recess be aban-
doned in order that a bill might be passed
as quickly as possible empowering the
President to draft all eligible males be-
tween the ages of eighteen and forty-five,
inclusive.
This Congress has now done. There
were only two negative votes in the
House and only one negative vote in the
Senate on the bill in it's regular form, and
the Senator who was opposed, as soon as
he discovered that he was alone, asked
that he be allowed to withdraw his vote
and be recorded as not voting. The diff
ferences between the House and the Sen
ate bills were quickly adjusted, and the
bill went to the President with all the
essential provisions in it and with some
troublesome provisions, inserted by the
Senate, eliminated, especially the anti
strike amendment, which this newspaper
opposed from it's inception as unneces-
sary and pernicious.
The significance of all this ought not
to be lost on the executive heads in
Washington. The Congress, representing
the people of the nation, is more ready
than the War Department to use force
to the utmost to win the war. And the
nation stands behind the Congress.
The bill, as it was passed, opens the
reservoir of military power, to be drawn
upon to whatever extent may be neces-
sary. 1t puts complete discretion in the
hands of the President as to the number of
men to be called, as to the order in which
he shall call the men of different ages and
as to the assignment of them to the army
or to the navy. Under the power thus
conferred the President may take from
his office a man managing a large bust
ness and put him in the army as a pri-
vate. He may take a professional man
a lawyer or doctor-and set him to driv-
ing a team, of mules in the commissary
department, or he may take the presi-
lent of a college or the principal of a
high school and make him a headquarters
clerk.
But such men need fear no such action
on the part of Mr.. Wilson. The power
that he has had to be inclusive. 1t will
be exercised with discretion and judgment
in such a way as to utilize to the best
advantage all the fighting ability and
technical skill that we have in order to
make the most efficient fighting machine
of which we are capable. And if men
are engaged in occupations necessary to
the conduct of the war, whether it be
agriculture, or other form of industry or
occupation, they may be exempted en-
tirely from the draft or they may be
drafted for limited military service.
The industries of the country are prop
erly ~safeguarded. The responsibility rests
on the President, who is the commander
in-chief of all the national forces, and
who must take into consideration all the
problems, industrial as we'll as military,
connected with the raising of an army
and it's maintenance in the field.
The Constitution contemplated the ex-
ercise of such powers by the President,
and the Congress has merely followed
the letter and the logic of that docu-
ment in prescribing the way in which
the army shall be raised.
If we need an army of 5000. 900 men
it can now be raised without further
legislation, and if we need an army of
100000 900 men there are eligibles enough
between the ages of eighteen and forty
five to fill its ranks.
The spirit with which our men are
fighting in France already has encour-
aged our allies. They will be heartened
still more when they learn the extent
to which we have committed our man.
power to the great task laid upon it.