Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1940-08-16
PUBLIC ACCEPTS
THE NATIONAL
DEFENSE PLAN

American public sentiment, under
pressure of world events, has accep-
ted with remarkable rapidity the nee
essity of compulsory military train
ing as a safeguard for national de-
tense. The Burke Wadsworth Bill
to this end is about to be taken up
for debate in the Senate, and while
an outspoken opposition may be ex-
pected, the prospects for it's early
passage are considered high.
Possibly the most cogent objection
to the present content of the bill is
one which by a simple amendment of
the measure could be turned so as to
contribute actually to speedier Or
ganization and training of the reserve
defense force. This criticism is
voiced by Senator Vandenberg to the
effect that the possibilities of volun-
tary enlistment should be exhausted
before CONSUMPTION is resorted to.
Mr.. Vandenberg believes that 1000,
900 youths would volunteer for train
ing if the War Department would try
one-year voluntary enlistments in
stead of the three-year terms now re-
quired for the Regular Army. 1t
would not be practical to combine one
year and three-year enlistments in the
same military units; but since the
training period envisaged under the
Burke Wadsworth bill is to be twelve
months, volunteers for this training
ought to be at least as acceptable as
drafted men.
There is no reason for any delay in
holding the registration of manpow-
er contemplated in the draft act. This
should be carried through as rapidly
as possible. But it should not be nee
essary thereafter to wait several
weeks while the registrants are being
classified and their numbers drawn
before the first trainees can be called
to the colors. There will be several
millions of active service age, with
out dependents and not needed indis-
pensably by agriculture or industry.
Is it not reasonable to pick, say, the
intended first call of 100000 from
that group by their own choice, rath-
er than by chance? Surely there are
many thousands who would be willing,
if asked, to be mustered in for the one
year training period Immediately
without waiting for the lottery of the
draft.
So why not add one simple question
to the list of questions to be asked of
the registrants in the national enroll
ment? 1t would be essentially this:
INSTEAD of waiting for your number
to be called, are you willing to be
called Immediately, or within thirty
days, to enter a one-year term of
military training?" The query would
be addressed to those between 10 and
As without dependents.
By this simple inquiry the draft
registration could be turned into the
greatest recruiting canvass ever car
ried out at one time in the United
States. There need be no pressure,
and there should later be no reflec-
tion on those who for their own rea-
sons waited to be called, but there
would be a great response. A great |
first class would be set up of those
willing to be called at once, and while
these thousands or hundreds of thou
sands were being put in training the
machinery could be set up for the
routine of calling others when the
voluntary list had been exhausted.
This proposal should not be allow
ed to interfere for one minute with
the preparation of the draft machin-
cry, but it ought in practice to serve
to set the defense training program
into operation more speedily and more
smoothly. Is it not worth consider
i,an9