The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-30
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
FREDERIC }. HASKIN, Director.
Washington, D. C.
DELAY IN THE DRAFT.

Washington, D. c., March 27.-The
war department has met its first seri-
Gus check in war legislation. Oppo-
sition of unexpected strength has de-
velopcd in congress to the proposed
changes in the draft law, and passage
of the bill authorizing the new draft
system is still hanging fire.
The president supports the pro-
posed changes, and has conferred
with members of the house, military
affairs committee who oppose them.
1t is probable that the administra-
ton forces will carry the day, as they
have in practically all other impor-
tant war questions.
The controversy relates to the rules
and regulations for calling the second
draft Fresh increments of men will
be needed in the camps in the near
future as troops continue to flow to
France. The troop movement begin
ming at the end of March exhausts
the $4,000 men called in the first
draft, and may be said to encroach on
the second, inasmuch as the total
number of men called to date exceeds
6S7 900.
Under these circumstances, the
need for settling definitely the plan
there is talk here of delaying action
on the legislation until Secretary
BAKE returns from France.
The changes in the draft plan de-
sired by the War Department are en-
fbodied in a bill which passed the SEN
ate without difficulty. In the House
Military Affairs committee it encoun-
tered an unexpected snag. The COM
mittee divided on the question. and
the minority pitched in a report of
hot dissent signed by six members.
The temper of the house itself in the
matter is so uncertain that the orig
| inal plan OF rushing the bill thru as
| it was rushed thru the senate had to
be put aside. Some compromise in
the way of amendments will probably
have to be agreed upon before the
measure can be brought up in the
house with a certainty of quick pas
sage.
The proves. marshal geenraFs office
wants the bill enacted as quickly as
| possible; in fact, General Crowder has
been counting on its passage for some
time, as evidenced by his statements
to the draft boards when the new
classification went into effect. The
! BILL as desired by the War Depart
ment and passed by the senate, would
accomplish three important things. It
would enable the quotas in the next
| draft to be based the number of
men in Glass One instead of upon the
| whole population of the state. It
would enable the War Department to
call all of the men in Glass One from
every part of the United States be-
f, fore beginning on Glass Two in any
! part of the United States, irrespective
! or the state quotas. 1t would en-
power the War Department to call out
the draft any time they were needed
no matter what classification they
| had been given.
The provost-marshal general wants
| the changes because it is the opinion
| of his bureau and of the war depart
| ment as a whole that they will make
! for greater justice and efficiency in
drafting new armies. The department
| holds that it is more just to base state
quotas on the number of men in Glass
One-who are in effect the number of
available fighting men in the state
| than on the total population, which
may consist largely of non-combat-
ants, aliens. and the like. At the time
of the first draft there was a strong
protest from districts having a large
alien population on this point. The
presence of these aliens saddled the
state with a larger quota, but the
aliens did not help o fill the quota. It
is also said that the population esti-
mates, based on the census of 1910,
are sadly inaccurate.
| The second effect of the bill would
be even more of radical departure
| from the plan of the first draft 1t
| would empower the war department
to call every man in the United States
who is listed in Glass One before any
| the
| long run, this would do away with the
state as the unit in the draft, and re-
suit in having the entire nation han
died as a whole. North Carolina and
Tennessee. for example, have almost
identical quotas. If North Carolina
from the men in Glass One, and Ten
nessee had filled her own quota and
still had Glass One men remaining,
then the deficiency in North Carolina
~ ia r.-tA
see. At present, the obligation of a
state ends as soon it's own quota is
filled.
This proposed change is based on a
view which regards the nation as a
whole. Theoretically, any man in
Glass One is better fitted to be drafted
than Lny man in Glass Two. Hence,
to take men from Glass Two while
men from Glass One are still left avail
able, simply because a state line in
terveneS, is poor national economy. 1t
may benefit one state, but it would be
in a theory a loss 20 the nation.
The third proposed change would
empower the president to draft skill
ed workers as need at any time, no
matter where they are classified. The
purpose of this provision is obvious.
When the army needs a technically
trained man, the army ought to be
able to reach out and take him. Other
things being equal, the order of liza
bility of drafted men is based on
fortuitous circumstances of occupa-
. ton, family burdens, and the pure
chance of the lottery-but this is only
ture "other things being equal" On
TIE principle of universal liability to
service. no drafted man has a right
, to deferred classification. He is given
such classification in the national in
terest, and if the national interest
requires him If the army, it would
be defeating the principle and pur-
, pose of the Law to let any deferred
classification stand in the way.
The war department has a very
l strong case in asking for changes in
, the draft law. Opponents of the
, changes have some strong arguments