The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-07-19
THE LAWSON HnEA"
Is A I'M STEER"

| PRESIDENT mas not Topped 10 uni
versal military training and service.
He has not been-as many-tongued
rumor has had it-converted to Prus-
sianism by Mr.. Victor F. Lawson
of the Chicago Daily News.
In short, there is nothing" in the
so-called Lawson myth" the daily
newspapers to the contrary nothwth-
standing.
From sources close to President
Wilson-so close that they could
scarcely be any closer-it is learned
that the newspapers have made out
of whole cloth the sensational re-
ports with which they have recently
been filled to the effect that the
President has become converted to
the adoption now of a permanent
after-the-war system of universal
military training and service. He
stands today where the stood six
months ago, according to these adj
vices-that is to say, opposed to
universal military training because
Of the dangers of Prussianism in
herent in it, because it is precisely
the system which America is in the
war to overthrow, and on the imme-
date practical grounds that we bare
ly have sufficient officers to train
the men recruited for war without
going into the wholesale military
education of the boys from IS to
81.
But the dawson myth" was GER
tainly corker while it lasted!
According to that story, Mr.. Law
son, whose organ, the Chicago Daily
News. has been one of the admins
t,ation's persistent critics, got ac-
:ess to the President through Col
mel House and had converted the
President to universal ni'itary train
'ng. The argument with which M
awscn was said to have converted
he President was the argument that
We needed universal military traininr
o "trade with" at the peace table
Mr.. Law on is reported as HAVING
explained carefully to TIE presiden'
hat if we weHt to the peace table
'ullv equipped with universal mili-
ta,y training and service, we would
then have something to give NJ
matching the sacrifices Of the Other
nations. A light dawned on Mr.
Wilson. he shook Mr.. Lawson by the
hand he announced himself con-
verted
Apparently it had never struck the
President just that way before
II I'll sounds naive enough when
stated in bald terms but some of the
best informed of the Washington
correspondents fell for the runor
and rushed to print it without talk
ing the trouble to look it up. One
Of the victims of the myth" was
the United Press association which
e"nt ort a version sliehfiy different
from the others to the effect that
the President had consented to the
elaboration of a scheme of mixed
military and vocational training for
bows below the draft age.
That particular anple came from
General Crowder's office. General
Crowder is working on a scheme for
the extension Of the draft ages. to
he introduced in Congress after the
November elections are safely out
Of the way. 1t is an elaborate
scheme and among its tentative fea-
lures is proposal to lower the draft
are to 10 or 20 with the idea of
furnishing military training for the
hovs of those ages without actually
lraftinO them for service until they
reach q.
But that, it is explained, is pure
" war measure. 1t would be an
amendment to the draft act and un-
less re-enacted by Congress at the
close of the war, would expire with
the expiration of the draft act.
Furthermore it is still purely tenta-
tive in outline and has not been
presented to the Secretary of War
or the President.
And as for the Lawson myth it
self, Washington has about reached
the conclusion that Mr.. Lawson was
victim Of the well-known affability
of the President whose comprehend
ing nod, whose Eyes. / see" with a
rising infection, and whose cordial