Evening star., 1923-03-06
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Every man In the United States will
be drafted next year and compelled to
serve his country at least six weeks,
without pay. or course. he Will be
compensated in his patriotic feeling
that he has done his duty as man
and an American, but he will draw no
wages. nor even Communication of quar-
ters. That may be getting back to nor
malcy," but it Is a plain duty of every
man who enjoys the liberties of the
country not to be grouchy about CIV
ing six weeks labor to the good of
the cause.
There Is one difference between this
draft and the one in 1917. when so
many were able to prove that they
hsd crooked toes or fiat feet and could
not march or do picket duty, and 50
obtained exemption. There will be no
exemptions in this draft. II any man
is found unable to really work as a
full man, he may have to serve double
time. but the six weeks duty is based
upon a normal, blebodied worker,
and is the minimum time allotted.
This is to be an industrial draft, not
military. 1t will take all classes
bank presidents, lawyers, doctors and
street sweepers. Each will give six
weeks of his labor - each after his
kind. None can evade; all are listed.
Not only will this draft come next
year, but. more or less. as to the
length Of the service, it will be re-
peated every year-as it has been
done for several years. There have
been some slackers. perhaps some of
my crescent readers are already
breathing more freely, thinking that
they evaded the draft last year and
can DO SO again. But did they? May
be they deceived themselves for
time, but the chances are that they
did not succeed in fooling Uncle Sam.
X X
This is the finest government on
earth: it gives the greatest liberty.
We See by the dawn's early light what
so proudly we glimpsed at the twi-
lights last cleaning. and our chests
swell, and our hearts beat with the
proudful feeling: II am an American,
and that is glory enough for any
body"
But let US not be slackers when the
draft comes and the bugle calls: Fall
in, Count off by fours."
To be an American costs money or
labor, which is the same thing.
X X =
William p. Helm, who likes to
"fgger." finds that the federal gov
ernment costs s4.666671.5 .594. The
forty-eight state governments cost
an additional s1,0os, ,54o,232 County.
municipal and village administra-
tions and all other expenses of
civilized administration make a
grand total running or overhead"
expense amounting to ss.4s0.011,5s7.
Hurrah for Old Glory! Rah!
OF our population of 10000 600
people there are 4o,0o0,oo0 workers
in gainful occupations, and they pro-
duce in a year Of ffty-two weeks a
gross income Of $4,000, ,o0o,o 600. which
amounts to about seven times as
much as the total cost OF our gov
ernment So. more than one-seventh
Of all our gross income goes to sus-
tain the taxes that run the govern
ment, federal and local l said each
man would be drafted to serve the
government six weeks out OF the
year I purposely understated the
fact, for each must give one-seventh
Of his time and earnings to support
his government, and one-seyenth ex-
ceeds even seven weeks each year.
\ \
Mr. Poor Man and you. Mr.. Tax
Dodger, quit your laughing in your
sleeves at the funny thought that
you evaded that draft last year, and
will do so again. You are not fooIing
Uncle Sam You are listed and the
tax Is collected: you are serving just
the same as real patriots, for.
whether you fall in and count off, the
tax Is added to the price of every