Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-11-14

powers to obtain the labor required
| bu- the government lacked the neces-
sary determination to apply them
properly.
Ahe administration of these laws,
| however. would amount to a mere
application of force. from which, on
| reflection, | saw little hope of real
success / thought that it would be
! better to have a law supported by
| tho approval of the whole people, one
which would make plain to the whole
world our determination to hold out.
This, too, explained to the chan
cellOr.
Law Not Sweeping Enough.
| AT last. after two months delay,
and after much modifying pressure
from the supreme army command
the government made up its mind in
November, to introduce into the
reichstag the auxiliary service bill,
which was passed on December 2
1t was neither fish nor fowl, and very
different from what we had desired
The bill departed too far from the
principle of universal liability to serv-
| ice, which we had laid down in Sep
| TENDER. and gave no security that
the labor strength obtained would be
so employed as to produce the maxi
mum results In practice the law
largely owing to the manner in which
it was administered. was but a shad-
ow of the reality we desired, q reality
which would have devoted the whole
strength of the nation to the nations
service, and so supplied reinforce
ments for the army and labor for the
army and for home industries.
The provisions did not even cover
women, although there were many
available to replace men at their
work and release them for the army
In spite of everything, | gave the
law at first a warm welcome, Friend
and foe alike attributed to it, as a
sign of our determination. far high
err value than it really possessed In
connection with our successes in Ru-
mania, it was bound to have consid-
cradle moral effect.
Panied BY Rcichstag Talk.
! I followed the course of the dis
| cussions in the reichstag with un-
mixed regret This was the first time
in the war that l had the opportunity,
and also, in my position as quarter
master general, the duty, to do so.
The supreme army command obtained
| by this means an insight into the
spirit of the population that was of
decisive importance for the issue of
| the war.
| 1t was certain that the government
was in a very delicate position in
dealing with the difficult labor ques-
lions. 1t should have followed a
strong war policy instead of q weak
and submissive domestic policy. Why
| did it not boldly and clearly make
the whole people share the RESPONSE
bility for the result of the war?
| Certain parties in the reichstag
seemed unable to realize the neces-
sity of postponing party interests for
the general good in the hour of peril.
The government. the reichstag and
a great part of the population had
never vet understood the character of
modern warfare, which lays claim on
all ones resources; nor had they ever
realized the importance to ultimate
victory of their full cooperation in
| the fight
| The supreme army command had
again and again to- emphasize that
the war meant life or death to Ger
many.
II soon became clear that the aux
iJiary service law was not merely in
sufficient, but positively harmful in
| operation. 1t was particularly lrrl-
tating to the troops to find auxiliary
workers, at the same work and in
the same positions being far better
paid than the man who had been
called up for service under the pre-
vious legislation and were now under
military command.
Bitter Feeling i'm the Army.
These grievances were increased by
the circumstances that exempted men
were paid the same wages as free
workmen; that is to say. as the aux
iliary workers This was wholly un-
| Just and unfair.
On the lines of communication