Evening star., 1924-09-14
Favors Conscripting Wealth
In the Event of Another War

eventualities to talk about 1t. We
are not Anglo-Saxon in blood, but we
are heirs to the language, traditions,
customs and methods Of thought Of
the English speaking people. and 1t
may be put down that people who
speak the English language never
are ready to meet disaster. They
just will not prepare for 1t. England
was conversant with what Germany was
doing. yet any English statesman who
might have succeeded in getting
through Parliament \ bill to prepare
for the danger would not have re-
mained long in public life, about as
long, perhaps, as an. American Con-
gressman who voted large appropria-
tions to increase the Army and Navy
or to train our citizen soldiery. The
history OF our race reveals that we do
not spend any more money to keep
peace than Is absolutely necessary.
In the minds of not few persons
is tho suspicion that the wars Of re-
cent yearsswere brought about by the
Worlds fnanciers. Whether justified
or not that suspicion has found lodge
ment, due probably to the fact that
the wars created numerous million
aires and manifolded the wealth Of
| those who were millionaires. This
sudden acquisition Of wealth is re-
Of government. / have no doubt It
is causing many men to advocate
pacifism who really do not believe in
1t. How, for instance, can we defend
the taking of young man out of a
family and keeping him away from
bis home and business at $40 a month
when at the same time we open up to
others avenues whereby millions are
acquired?
We have been educated up to the
truth OF the statement Of the German
general STAN that in war there
are no non-combatants. Our inter
probation is that everybody in war
time Is in the war. II. therefore, ne
cessity for the United States to en-
gage in war should ever come again,
why not put into war every man,
every woman, every dollar? If we
| are to conscript for the fighting
forces between the ages Of IS ana 45
years, why not conscript men Of all
other ages to do the work at home ?
Why not conscript the factories. mills,
| mines and furnaces, the cattle, sheep
and hogs and all products of the
| farm? Why not conscript everything,
| animate and inanimate, and let the
government use everything and every
body? In other words, why not
put into operation the principle that
in the midst OF arms the laws are
silent? Why not let the laws that
protect a man in industry and money
making go into the discard along
| with the law that authorizes one to
| go where he wishes and to do as he
pleases?
| The human in America is not a
commodity: his labor is not COM
modify. II for the defense of those
| things which We hold to be right, we
| take humans and deprive them OF
their freedom of action. freedom OF
contact and freedom of conduct, then
| why shall We not take everything
else and do with it as we will? Now
| that We have had Mobilization day, or
| whatever IT was. it would be no bad
thing for the Congress to provide
that in the event of future war con-
| scription shall include property as
| well as men. No future Congress
| would dare repeal such law. If
| there is anything in the claim that
| money is a maker of war, law of
that kind would silence moneys war
| cry.
! Copyright. 1924. by 21st Century Press.)