Evening star., 1940-07-30

Tor third term, his words would
carry far greater weight, but, as it
is there are numerous persons here
In the political world who see Mr..
Roosevelt as gaining political
strength only if America goes on
war basis so that continuity in Office
becomes an issue.
The decision as to whether to vote
dor conscription of man power is
one that Congress must make in a
few weeks. The impression that
this legislation must be railroaded
through both houses because of the
world situation is one that is bound
to hurt rather than help the new
law. Already there has been talk
OF panicky nature which has en-
Veloped the conscription issue in
wave of emergency psychology.
Wealth Conscription May Follow.
While it is essential for America
to build her defenses, there is no
prospect that conscript Army can
be trained for action overseas in
less than year, and it is doubtful
whether a large Army can be
equipped fully in that time. But the
real problem in conscription is that
the men who are proposing it are
not taking into account all the i'm
plications of the project. If man
power is conscripted. it will not be
long before labor will demand that
all wealth be conscripted. England
has found this to be the logical re-
suit OF conscripting man power.
Labor already senses the difficulty
and John L. Lewis of the C. I. O..
opposes CONSUMPTION on the basis
proposed. He will doubtless urge
that labor be not conscripted unless
capital and management is also put
under drastic regulation. Much of
the pressure for conscription is
coming from the Eastern Seaboard
where the imminence of American
participation in the war has been
accepted, in contrast with the atti-
tude of the Middle West and West
ern States, where the question is still
being asked: Conscription for what
purpose?
The President has not yet specified
the nature of the uses of the pro-
posed conscript army. Doubtless in
further messages or communications
to Congress he will speak of hemi-
sphere defense. The question arises
whether voluntary enlistment will
not provide the Army with what it
needs at once. It is said, however,
that for aviation, skilled mechanics
are required and that these will be
obtained through the draft. Will
labor accept that system?
One of the troubles with the selec-
tive service idea, as it operated in
the early months of the last war
was that all the young men who felt
1t a patriotic duty to enlist and not
wait for the draft did so and were
accepted. Later volunteers were re-
fused, but not until after all the
alleged evils of disorganization at
tendant upon the volunteer system
had been experienced, irrespective
Of the draft.
Repeats Another Mistake.
Already, too, another mistake
made in 1917 is being repeated,
judging from the text of the regis
tration blank. The responsibility for
taking the initiative in claiming
"deferment"-it was called exemp-
ton in the last warts on the regis
trant. Even if a skilled workman is
essential to a production schedule
in a defense factory operated by
private management, the company
cannot compel the worker to claim
deferment. Arrangements were made
before the employers to intervene,
but If the worker felt that his rec
ord would not be regarded by his
neighbors as patriotic, he refused
to agree to the employer action
for deferment.
Unless and until some plan is
worked out whereby Americas in
dustrial organization will not be
demoralized by the selective service
system, all the evils of conscription
and the volunteer system will be
found to exist. Certainly the Army
would like to have 100000 men
drafted overnight. The military es-
tablishment of today is primarily
concerned with the training of
troops. 1t has little knowledge of
what may happen to American in
dustry if the selective service sys-
tenn is suddenly introduced into our
industrial machinery, and this is
natural because Army officers aren't
familiar with production problems.
Nor can they speak freely about
them because they are merely sup
posed to ask for enough troops to
man what they theoretically con-