Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-11-14
coNScRIPr1oN

Among the numerous suggestions offered for
the attention of the armament conference is the one
that the nations unite in abolishing CONSUMPTION.
This, in the minds Of those who propose it, would
go a long way toward relieving the world of the
menace Of war and would thereby make possible
the material reduction, if not the completion of all
the worlds ornaments.
Tosaboish CONSUMPTION would be to declare
that a nation has not the right to protect its own
existence or to defend its citizens from aggression.
It would be to place a premium on Sinking and
Stacking, and would amount to the virtual destruc-
ton of all orderly government.
If a nation has a right to exist, it must create
governmental agencies by which the purpose of its
existence can be, realized, and human society
through its organized government must have the
right, and in time of need, must exercise that right
to command the services of all it's citizens and to
require the use of all their energies and all their
property: in the common defense. There can be no
limits.
The armies of the United States in the late war
were recruited through the operation of conscrip-
ton. When congress enacted its draft legislation,
it declared that all persons of military age must
register themselves and be held available for mill
tary service. The enactment Of that legislation
was a declaration that this was a war, not of indi-
viduals, but of a nation, and that in its activities
all should be held equally liable to participate
Most of the troubles which we are now experience
ing, most Of the bad conditions for which we are
now trying to seek remedy, are due, not to the APP
pIications of the principle of conscription, but to the
limitation of its operation. It is the devout hope
of all right-thinking persons that we may hereafter
be free from war. but if unfortunately, another war
should|be forced upon US and it should be neces-
sary for the United States government to arm it
self and engage in another struggle, there is reason
to believe that the principle Of CONSUMPTION could
he benefcially applied much more widely than in
the late war. During that war we heard a great
deal about the conscription Of wealth, and those
who used that term sought to create the impression
that those who were destitute of wealth were con-
scripted in their persons, while those who possessed
wealth were Exempted both from personal service
and from the use Of their property for the needs OF
The nation That doctrine is absolutely false. The
CONSUMPTION law applied with equal force to the rich
and poor. The young man Of wealth was drafted
into service in exactly the same manner and on the
same terms as was the young man without a dol
lar. Rich and poor. conscription applied to all
alike. and in addition to the personal corlscription,
there was BY a system Of progressive taxation a
conscription Of ycalth which many Of the blatant
gitatorsefaiie to take into account at all.
Nevertheless, there was a lack. Those who
were not actually called into the service were free
10 engage in whatever civil activities they found
desirable on whatever terms they could exact. The
withdrawal of several millions Of men from ordi
nary industrial work placed 4 premium on labor
These 9xho employed labor bid against each other
fkor tho4services of the nlanhaI workman, and as was
slaSQrafs&wages advanced to unheard-of limits Ac.
r6mdpanxing this movement, partly caused by IT and
opapYYt|y sxo5itfibntin 10 Il, WAS an enormous advance
51u fhe price of everything that Vas produced. In