The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-30
PRESENT PLAN SUFFICIENT

PRESENT PLAN SUFFICIENT My understanding is that this. bill carries appropriations to equip, arm, and maintain an army of 3,000,000 men have no doubt in my mind that if the nation were prepared to do so from the material standpoint, the chairman of the committee would have brought in appropriations not to arm. maintain. and equip 3,00o,000 men, but to arm 1 maintain and equip 5,000,O00 men. I take it, and I think it goes without controversy, that the reason why it IS not done is because we have not the guns, the clothes, the food, and the ships to take care of that many men at this hour.
 Now, the nation is mobilizing. Six months from now we probably will be able to take care of the additional
 men in Class 1 in the draft age, but it is not so today. If it is not true today, what would we accomplish in increasing the draft age today? What would be worked out for the good of the nation? Why should we say in this law that the boys between IS ard Fl must register and become part of
 the drafted army today, or that the
 men between 31 and 40 must become part of the drafted army today if we can not use them? I see nothing that can be accomplished by that result at present; and, on the other hand,
 recognize the fact that today it is
 very different proposition than it was
 year ago to bring men within the
 terms of the draft. We have the ma
 chinery organized. The country is
 ready to respond. Men know what the
 law is, and the machinery of the gov-
 ernment is ready to put it into force.
 When we increased the age limit and
 brought into the draft the boys wko
 had become q in the last year it did
 not cause any disruption in the coun-
 try. There were no great difficulties
 involved, so far as the executive
 branch of the government was cou-
 cerned. It merely required the enact
 ment of the law. The machinery moved
 along smoothly, and in oneNday prac-
 tically every man who had become 21
 years of age within a year was with.
 in the draft The question of fixing
 his exact place and assembling and
 deciding on his status in the various
 classes in the draft is only a question.
 of weeks to determine, not of months.
 So that at any time in the future when It becomes apparent that the reservoir rom which we must draw our reserves mas become exhausted and is not keep
 ing up with the material that we can supply them with to make the
 army, it is merely matter of few
 NAtN states to pass the necessary resoi1- ton. and only question of a few weeks to classify these men and place them in their natural place in the draft, and 1 am prepared to do it.
 WOULD WATT DEMAND
 I do not intend to vote for this amend ment at this time, for the reasons I nave expressed; but at any hour that the executive branch of the government says that there are not enough men enrolled under the present draft system to sup ply the army that we need in Europe, I am prepared to vote immediately for an increase of the draft and an extension of the age limits. Up to that time however l do not see how anything can be ac- complished by it.
 The man in France is already sep arted from his family; he has already decided the question of life and business; he has but one business before him. and that IS victory. Now, in this hour, when the nations crop must be planted and gathered, when the nations industrial resources must be maintained, are you Willing to pass law that may not be necessary for three months and bring to the home of every man between IS and 2l and between 31 and 40 this entire change of life? He may think today it is something that may occur in the lutule,5 even men up 10 o0 may th1nk the hour may come when they will be sum- moned to their country's needs but it is not at his door today. and why should we place it at his door when we can just as effectively and just as success fully, for the cause of the nation. ac- ccmplish the result and bring it to the man when we need him, and not before?
 WANTS NO LIMIT
 "When we give the President the ripht to call men there is limitation on it. Of course. there is first the limitation of the draft age, the registration next, the limitation of the supplies necessary to furnish an army: but when we give the President the unlimited power to raise an army we notify every man in the country who is able to bear arms, whether he be 60 or whether he be IS, \ that if his country needs him on the bat tie line he must go. That is a summons to every man, whether he is in the draft age or not. Now, within the draft age there is no disturbance, because the very terms of the act carry on it's face what we are going to do. We have a reservoir in Class of 100000 men. We are providing by appropriations in the terms of this bill to increase the army 1000, 900 men, and every man within the draft age knows that there are going to be 600,0O0 men left in Glass 1 when the terms of the bill are carried out, and that we cannot go beyond that until there is additional legislation in the way of appropriations, and when that addi- tional legislation in the way of appropria- tions comes we will take care of increas-