Evening star., 1920-04-04
BY l.. A. NORRIS.
Ex-Tank Corps, A. E. F.


A CONSCRIPTIvE. universe
~ military training bill has been
n been reported upon favorably
in Congress. which bill strikes
at the foundation of our democracy.
The same end, a trained citizenry
can be secured at less cost and with
greater benefit to American institu-
tions and the people. under the fol-
rowing plan:
The proposed law makes effective
the old selective service conscription
laws. in time of peace and in time of
war: provides for 1000 perpetual
draft boards. registration and exami-
nation: with military prison for
every boy failing to present himself.
The bill also provides:
That when the boy shall have
completed the period of training
he shall be classified for service, In
case of war. in accordance with
the regulations prescribed by the
President. And, in case Of a dec
iaration of war. every boy in the
Army shall be subject to orders
by the President, under the con-
scription act. May IS. 1917, and
amended August 81, 1918.
1t makes conscription perpetual
and the constitutional liberty of your
boy depend upon the Presidents
ideas and the whim of Congress-.
without possibility of any voice of
the people being heard in case of a
war provoked by some interest and
utterly contrary to the will of the
people. 1t is an act of autocracy. at
a time when we have five million
trained soldiers who are ready to
serve when and if there is any real
need. We have two million men who
saw overseas service and three mil
lion men who were trained at home.
enough for any emergency for live
years. In fact, all the available men
are trained now.
Place Of National Guard.
Our National Guard. a voluntary in
stitution, is the traditional interpre-
tation of the militia spoken of in the
Constitution. and that will cease to
Win Tic duNcHt Oh consecutive
military training. Why the rush?
Secretary of War, Mr.. Baker, in an
article in the Saturday Evening Post
of May 81 fast. said:
The important question with re-
gard to the peace-time Army of the
United States is the mode of securing
sufficient number of enlisted men.
The time Army of the United
States must be raised by volunteering.
and there is only one way to secure
the necessary number. and that is to
make the service in the Army so at
tractive that men will seek it,"
Mr.. Baker tried to do this by Offer
ing schools within the Army" but
the plan has not proved popular. for
the reason later suggested for one
thing. The proposed plan will extend
the inducement of an education along
a line that will gain the end. What
end? Sufficient enlisted men, efficient
ly trained for any need. 1t Is in sub
stance: Introduce the plan of the
Army within the schools" and re-
move the greatest objection to
schools within the Army" at the
same time.
The chief reason schools within the
Army must fail in the element OF
status, the ever present knowledge
on the part of the enlisted man that
as long as he is in the Army he is the
inferior of the man called the officer.
This status is not so obnoxious to a
Regular Army man, who has lost his
individuality. but our National Army
was made up of civilians. Those civil
ians have no desire to give up their
freedom again. Hence. few volun-