The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-04-27
SAYS CONGRESS
saw. )I...:::IRS0NS
Draft Act Fr1~.Gd 10 Miss
I'll n, is tnaTgo.
UNDER TIE Ice uiIIl
Dr. Williams Declares National Law
Makers !lade Twenty one Low Age
Limit to Exempt Their Own.

Philadelphia. April PA serious
charge against the members of CON
%rrsS for lhe manner in which they
framed The &clcctive draft law. with
the in+imation that the law had pur-
roSply been made To evade men UNI
i,! iwrnty-Gne Years Old in order To
pru;rrt lie sons of the men who made
the law. startled over 100 prominent
savantS 1T he opening sessions of the
TWEEN y-Second annual meeting of the
American Academy of Political and
Sec Science in thiS-city.
Th:S Charge was rnade by DIR. Tai
colt Williams. director of the School
His assertions were made shortly
after the meeting opened at the Belle
cue-S ratford. He proceeded TO re-
view the selective draft law in Il way
thar was highly uncOmplimentary to
the Sagacity and patriotism of the
meIHherS Of congress. He claimed it
knrnS eat of the American fighting
fcrces 100000 of the best soldiers in
80 world. the men between eighteen
ard tWenty-One years old. and added
;hIt he had made a survey of the ages
af sons of congressman. This survey,
lie said. showed that the average age
of these youths was between eighteen
and twenty-One years old.
THAT is no doubt one of the most
inn .ortant reasons why the minimum
age was fixed at twenty-one years"
Or. Williams exclaimed He also had
words of praise for the loyalty of the
fore gn-born people in the United
States. and asserted congress did
them great injustice in framing the
draft law
The United States lost heavily in
many wars by not including in the
draft the youths between eighteen and
twenty-One years old" he said "TheSe
boys are the best of fighters. they
make the finest aviators and they are
unencumbered by families. Had they
been included this country would have
70 Il great measure escaped the seri-
Us diSarrangement of its entire in
i,!strial and business machinery and
would have been more efficient.
at was a great injury to discrimin-
ate against the foreign-born when the
draft law was framed. In making
This law absolutely no attention was
raid to the foreign element and its
unequal distribution throughout the
country The draft law was not made
on a basis of those eligible to fight,
hut on a basis of population. This
has done a great injury to the coun-
try and in a measure reflects on the
loyalty of the foreign born, who have
proved their attitude by the way they
responded to the Liberty Loan"
DIR. Williams also described what it
has cost I'll this country because of It's
failure to promptly mobilize its re-
sources One instance he cited was
that of the Westinghouse company,
which he claimed lost S5,000,00O in
making 100000 rifles for England
and Russia. although profit of close
to S3O.OO0.OO0 had been looked for.
He also asserted that England and
France would have collapsed if it had
not been for the great increase in the
production of pig iron in this country,
and claimed that if we are to continue
in the war we will have to further
increase our production Of pig iron
by 100000 tons.
The blame for the long delay in
housing wOrkmen at government in
dTstrial plants was salso heaped on
The heads of congress by Lawrence
WELLER, secretary of the National
Housing Association. He asserted the
houses should have been completed
by now and said the delay has cut
down production of munitions and
other essentials to one-third of capa-
city in .nany important industrial CEN
res