The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-11-27

OOA1O vi tAC COlulu1SS1OISu SOuS VI
prominent men in the American
Legion have hit upon a scheme for
evading the issue of universal mill
tary service, against which the rank
and file Of the legion seems to be
firmly set. They are planning to pro-
pose, at the national convention Of the
legion in Milwaukee in November, the
same resolution which slid through
the state legion convention in Mime.
sota-a condemnation of universal
military service" in time of peace, but
an Endorsement of universal military
training"
It is pointed out by the men who
are opposing the schemes of the mill
tarist clique that not one of the bills
offered in congress has made any dis
tinction between training" and "serv-
ice." A boy under the control of. the
general staff for training" may be
sent to the Philippines or anywhere
else for his training" in the art Of
war. He will obey orders O get a
swift courtmartial.
Yet it is common talk in Washing
ton that four-ifths of the members Of
congress will vote for a system of uni
versal compulsory military training"
before this winter has passed.
"Joker" in Rail Bill.
Glenn Plumb has discovered another
startling possibility in section 20 Of
the Cummins railroad bill. Section 20
prohibits any two or more persons
from combining or conspiring to pre-
vent the transportation of passengers
or commodities, or doing anything
which has the substantial effect Of
preventing the transportation of pas
sengers or commodities on the rail-
roads. 1t is meant, Of course, to for
bid strikes of railroad employees. But
Plumb sees something more in it.
Suppose he told the senate COM
mittee on interstate commerce, "the
California fruit growers organization
should decide to withhold shipment Of
fruit to the market, because prices
were low. Under this law they might
be held criminally liable. Their act
would be the refusal to accept prices
offered them by dealers-private per-
sons For refusal to accept prices Of
fered to them, then, they would be
liable to fine and jail. In the same
way, coal producers might be held in
Jail for refusal to ship coal at prices
offered by factories.
Essentially, this section under.
takes to brand men as criminals be-
they refuse certain prices and
conditions offered them by private
capital. Aside from the fact that the
scheme violates the constitutional
right of freedom from involuntary
s%ervitude, it is a direct violation of
the constitutional and statutory right
Of freedom Of contract"
Berger Case Report.
Two big volumes, containing some
LOO pages of hearings and documents
In the case of Victor L. Berger the So
cialist member-elect from the fifth
Wisconsin district, have been publish.
ed by the special house committee
which has been considering whether
he shall be excluded from congress-.
In these volumes are most of the So
cialist party documents of the period
Of 1917-1918, together with a vast
amount of propaganda matter and the
record of the trial of the Socialist Of.
f1cials in Chicago.
The kernel of Berger's plea to the
committee is found in the appeal of
his counsel, Henry F. Cochems, that
the people of any congressional dis
trict are the sole judges of what per-
son shall represent them in congress.
There Is no immediate prospect of
action on the part of the committee.
When a congressman tries to get
the war department to surrender any.
thing from military boarding to imme.
date public use, he finds himself in.
volved in a swamp Of red tape.
Another Red Tape Case.
Representative Sinclair has for
some months been exchanging letters
with the department, on behalf of the
state engineer of North Dakota, in the
hope of locating some of the extra
tires and spare parts that will be
needed for the upkeep of the 400
motor trucks which were allotted to
the state by the recent postofice ap-
preparation act for highway develop.
ment work.
After a voluminous correspondence
with generals and lesser persons, Rep
resentative Sinclair finds that the
judge advocate general has decided
that until congress shall have passed
a special bill on the subject, the spare
tires and parts can not be distributed
along with the motor trucks.
More than that, the military gen.
tleman to whom inquiries are turned
over, makes lengthy arguments
against. the permitting OF any state
government to get more than one
years supply Of tires and spare parts
because It would create a scandal IL
the tires should go to pieces and the
metal parts rust on their hands" He
wants the lawmakers to see that all
but one years supply Of these goods
shall be left to the department to sell
on the Wholesale market, for what
we can get"
4H rNn(v~nmA - ET~AnA8~A 49, hn,.nr 49,.