The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-04-01

There seem to be two arguments why our boys
should be kept in Europe altho the arnistce mas
been signed
The first Is that France and other devastated
countries need the help of the United States IN re-
construction work.
The second Is that the United States may need
the men in furtherance of the peace treaty. In
other words things are chaotic now in Europe
that they are needed for Oet call 10 police duty
As TO the first we may readily grant that
France needs the help of the United States to rebuild
itself. However. is it right for us TO impose upon
"A few hundred thousand Yanks all the cost of that
help? Every soldier who works on roads in France
today is contributing 500 a month-and more, nc
cordng to his station in fe-to France.
The government pays him only $50.
Is il right TO make him contribute that much
and deprive his family and his in doing
so-while the rest of US give nothing? 1t would be
far better for us to float several more Liberty loans
and turn the money to France. either as loan.
or as national gift, and let France hire It's own
ut its own price.
If the situation is of such character that
must absolutely supply France with man power as
well with money. then we should continue our
draft system-and make every one fit TO WELD pick
and shovel do his share in France. instead Of con-
demning the Yanks already there to an indefinite
servtude
What howl there would be If we attempted to
conscrpt for "pick-and-shovel' duty in
Francel How many mothers would be willing to
have the boys who have turned 81 this spring
drafted and sent TO France for this purpose? Yet
that ought to be done II we dealt Justly with the
Yank Observation-Disclosures" who have already done
tnelF DIT.
So much for the altruistic argument II the
armistice has not ended the war. then should
tinue 10 draft able-bodied for the purpose
of adding to forces and also for the purposes Of
RELIEVING those who have already spent time in
service II is not fair TO condemn men who volun-
TERED early 1916. for service in Mexico.
to remain on police duty indefinitely Let's keep
training have done during the war
and thus distribute the burden of keeping peace in
Europe and elsewhere.
The great majority of the soldiers in Europe
are not professional soldiers. They went to help
New conditions Mt hand Shall we impose
all the hardships of every condition upon the
boys who went to fight Germany?
II must keep large army in Europe, it
should be either professional army-men who are
regular soldiers to whom army life is a career or
else should rotate the responsibility so that all of
US. instead Of n comparative handful. should bear
the burden.
Again The Star repeats that il is no more right
to have roads built in France by the labor of Amer
lean soldiers, at $50 month, than it would be in
the United States.
When we have n government railway in Alaska
to build. when We have Lincoln other highways
TO build, we. the people of the United States hire
those who willing to work at that kind of labor
and we pay them adequate wages not a beggarly
$50 month. If our policy is right in France. then
IL would be right in the United States to take our
soldiers and sailors and make them build OUR roads
too. Thus they would be relieved of too monotonous
round of drills"
Maj. l.. d. Lewis, in the letter reproduced here
with. takes issue with The Stars position. Yet he
himself explains that the failure of congress" to
provide regular army of 100000 is responsible "for
keeping many in the service who would have
otherwise been discharged"
Exactly Our Yanks in France are bearing the
brunt of somebody's faure-somebody's laxity. To
use popular expression, they are 'the goats