New-York tribune., 1918-06-17
The Conscription Dilemma

The Conscription Dilemma
At hearing on Saturday before the
Senate Committee on Military Affairs
General Crowder said that he favored
an extension of the age limits for con-
scription. Senator France, of Maryland,
has bill pending for the enrolment of
all males between eighteen and forty-five.
The Provost Marshal General qualified
his approval Of this measure by adding
that his personal ideas concerning the
age limits differed from those of Senator
France" What is more interesting, he
indicated, according to "The New York
Times's" account of the hearing, that
Secretary Baker is opposed to any extern
sion of the existing age limits.
This testimony shows a conflict of opin-
ion within the Administration. The War
Department is apparently haltng be-
tween two policies. The act of May Is,
1917, is officially known as the selective
service law. 1t provided for conscription
on selective basis, applying the prin-
ciple of selection--that is, granting ex-
emption for dependency obligations, on
industrial grounds, for alien status and
for other reasons. The War Department
has arranged the draft registrants in
various classes. Glass 1 contains 2,42S,-
600 men, Glass 2, 100000, Glass 8, 100000
and Class a more than 100000.
The army will reach strength of
100000 on August next Of this total
100000 will be conscripted men and
100000 volunteers. Taking 1000 900
from Glass 1 leaves 428,O00 available
BY reclassification the department ex-
poets to get 100000 more men and from
the new registrants of June last about
100000. There would then be in sight
an army of 100000, raised through
strict adherence to the principle of selec-
ton.
But more than 100000 men will be
needed in 1919. The ar1ny's minimum
strength should be 100000, plus re-
placements. If there is any virtue in
selection (and nearly everybody will con-
cede that there is), it is unfair to regis
trants between twenty-one and thirty
one not to adhere to it. Hundreds of
thousands of men between thirty-one
and forty or forty-five would be found
eligible to enter Glass l. The regular
army and the former National Guard or
ganizations take men up to forty For
some of the special services the age limit
is even higher Why, then, should Glass
men between twenty-one and thirty
one be called while prospective Glass
men between thirty-one and forty-fve
are exempted from service?
Great Britain has just raised her draft
age limit to fifty-one 1t is not necessary
for us to go that far. But for economic
and other reasons it is advisable to
broaden out materially our present range
OF selection. There are other important
branches of war work besides first line
service. The greater control the govern
ment assumes of man-power the moro
efficient our war-making organization be-
comes. The vital need of the Allies in
France to-day, and in the near future, is
more men. Superiority in numbers
means victory at a minimum cost.
Now is the time to plan ahead. In our
present conscription scheme we are work
ing at cross purposes. The army must be
rapidly increased. Congress should
therefore decide definitely now between
broader age limits and a scrapping of the
selective principle.