The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-05-07

fress is insurance, but over pre-
paredness is like over-insurance
and over-insurance has two funda
mental weaknesses it is an eco
nomic waste and it leads to arson
We do not need any such standing
army as universal service would
give us.
Somewhat later the committee
drew the Massachusetts, general
out on the subject of the vast men
tai and moral benefits which are
claimed for peace-time conscription
but there again they caught a Tar
tar.
General Sherburne: So much has
been said about our training these
men in patriotism and all the
other virtues. Now there is a
good deal to be said for military
discipline in teaching men subor-
dination and perhaps teaching
them prompitude, etc, but it has
been my eXperience-and I think
it will be yours if you analyze the
effect upon the returned soldiers
that the military discipline which
they have received rather reacts
upon them when they get out of
the army, and the average soldier
! today is a good deal of a Bolshevist
in a pleasant sense-nOt in a So
cialist sense. He is very impatient
OF any harness. or of any control
whatever. and ] think that is the
great weakness of the army disci-
pline-of the army system. I have
not hesitated to express my feeling
could, in order to try it out, and
against universal service wherever
think in no place has my stand
failed to meet with an almost in
Simultaneous acceptance and ap-
plause, both among the service
men and among other citizens in
my community"
This developed into a discussion
Of whether compulsory training was
popular or not among the men who
saw service in France. The discus
sion went as follows:
Senator Wadsworth: Several
state conventions of the American
Legion have indorsed universal mil
itary training"
General Sherburne: "Undoubted- |
ly, but what do they mean by
that"
Senator Wadsworth: They mean
UNIVERSAL obligation to be trained"
General Sherburne: They may
mean universal obligation to be
trained, or they may mean high |
school training. You do not define
it. That's the danger. If it is uni
versal military service, they are all
against it. Now that is the only .
fair way-to come straight out and /
say that you intend three months
compulsory service, because that is
what it is.
What this country needs,
more than anything else. is
framework. II has been my
experience, dealing with Citi-
Zens who have donned the uni
form. that il il Il very quick
piece of business to train
thom. For example, there iS
the 18TH field artillery brigade
of Colorcd men who went into
the line with less than 60 days
of actual artillery training and
who were highly spoken of by
the French. They did their job
in every case. Our men are
very quick to learn. This talk
that you cannot make soldier
in less than three years is per-
feet and utter rot. and | do not
hesitate to characterize II a.
such. You can make a soldier
i'm three weeks with the proper S
leadership; the whole question n
hinges on the proper leader
ship
General Sherburne had some he
-erodoX ideas about discipline, as
The committee found out before it
got through with him. Speaking of
he influence of the regular army
traditions upon our democratic p
lighting forces, the general said; Z
General Sherburue; Our gen
,ral staff is patterned almost eX-
lctly on the pre-war German staff f,
Methods. Well, perhaps it would ?
,e invidious to so very much fur
her on that line, but take, for in h
tance, the question of saluting -
Undoubtedly you gentlemen have =
alked to private soldiers. can q
ell you that as general, going .
bout in a Cadillac limousine, that D,
ny arm has gotten so lame from ,
aluting that l have pulled down q
he curtains of my car so I would
ot have to salute, =,
Il have seen boys sitting
MI tho road xahn WpnIH nj