Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1940-07-02
INADEQUATE, POORLY-DRAWN
MILITARY SERVICE BILL
hristian Science Monitor)

Congress has before it the Burke-Wads-
worth bill 1t has been described in the
public prints as providing for universal
military service 1t does not.
Instead, it directs the President ito sell
ect for training and service and to induct
into the land and naval forces of the
United States such numer of men as III
his judgment, whether state of war eN-
lists or not, are required III the national III
terest for such forces The bill begins
by subjecting all males between the ages
of Is and 65 to liability to the Presi-
dents discretionary draft, but those who
are to be selected by lot. A wide range
of exemptions from the initial liability
to draft is provided; the service of those
drawn may by individual cases be defer
red. apparently indefinitely, and the
many causes of deferment include such
vaguely indicated reasons as "a status
with respect to persons dependent upon
them for support which renders their de
ferment advisable
This is not universal military training,
nor a close approach to it. If we are to
have CONSUMPTION when the country IS
not at war, all male citizens should be
compelled to train and serve in their
youth. That would mean, among other
things, the inculcation in the entire popu-
lation of the ideals of self-sacrifice, sense
of duty, sense of order and of unity Tor
a common cause. These are cultivated
personal attributes which are all fine
and BETTING human nature-qualltleS
which have been too long neglected IN
such training as the citizen has hereto
fore received but cannot any longer be
neglected if our great effort to assure the
safety of an independent American state
is to succeed.
In many important ways the Burke
Wadsworth bill is deficient. 1t provides
a wholly inadequate eight months period
of initial training, supplemented only by
a possible additional month in each of
only three years out of the succeeding five
years. 1t leaves the relation between the
standing or professional" army and
these training and reserve forces i'll
defined. 1t does not deal at all with the
acute problem of the presently insuffi-
cient voluntary enlistment in the regular
army, the Importance of which body to
the national defense has increased in
direct proportion to the intricate mech
anzation of modern warfare.
About all that can be said for the
Burke-W ellsworth bill is that it is a
crude first draft, useful mainly to focus
congressional and popular attention up
on a phase of the defense program
which cannot longer be ignored. The eX
penditure of billions upon the implements
of defense will have been wasted if we
have not enough men who know how to
handle them-ther handling is quite as
important as their possession. The bill
has the perhaps negative merit of dealing
with the ArmyNavy reserve personnel
specifically and by itself. In its neces-
sary revision it should be kept single to
that purpose We had better not try
any judicous blending of military and
social service in the same statute.
From its text it would appear unlikely
that our military and naval authorities
had had much to do with drafting the
bill 1t goes without saying that they
must be consulted