Evening star., 1940-07-11
Draft Would Lead
To Mi|itarism, Says
Norman Thomas
Gen. Palmer Urges
Compulsory Training
At House Hearing
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
Norman Thomas, Socialist candi-
date for President, told the Senate
Military Affairs Committee today
that conscription was "a read lead
ing straight to militarisrn, imperial
ism and ultimately to American
Fascism and war"
About the same time, appearing
before the House Military Commit
tee, Brig. Gen, John McCauley
Palmer, retired, said the Nation
should have system of compulsory
military training because it is facing
the greatest menace in all its his
tory"
Gen. Palmer, member of Gen.
John j, Pershing's staff during the
World War urged enactment of the
Burke-WadsWorth will for eight
months military training for men.
Mr.. Thomas and Oswald Garrison
Willard, author and editor, who also
appeared before the Senate Com
mittee, opposed the measure.
Il am aware" Mr.. Thomas said,
that an elaborate effort is being
made by powerful men and forces
IN this country to represent the
bill as somehow valuable for DEM
ocratic discipline and the inculca-
ton of loyalty. The sufficient an
sWer is to be found in the history
of all great nations which have
adopted conscription."
Delay in Passage Asked.
Gen. Palmer testified that mo
modern nation is prepared for war
unless it is prepared to utilize all
its man power" 1t may be neces-
sary soon, he added, for this coun-
try to exert all our power" to pre-
serve American institutions.
Mr. Willard pleaded with Sena-
tors to delay passage of any COM
pulsory military training legisla-
ton until the American people
have chance to discuss this and
know what it is about" He added
that the Burke WadSWorth bill
violates all the fundamental Amer
lean principles" and offers the
gravest danger to the future of
America in my lifetime"
Encouraged by President Roose-
welt, advocates of compulsory mill
tary training proposed yesterday to
draft 100000 or more young men into
the Army Immediately.
Before leaving his Senate seat
for summer training as an Army
Reserve captain, young Senator
Lodge, Republican, of Massachusetts
introduced a bill to select for one
year enlistmentS enough men be-
tween 81 and 25 to give the Ma
ton a peacetime force of 10000.
The force would include men en-
listed under existing law.
One of the sponsors of the Burke
WadsWorth compulsory training bill,
Grenvllle Clark, New York lawyer,
warned the House Military Affairs
Committee that a very grave i'm
mediate threat" makes it "abso-
lutely essential" to. train 100000 ad-
dltional men.
S5,0O0,0O0,O0 More Asked.
1ndorsing the principle of COM
pulsory service, President Roosevelt
said in a message requesting nearly
S5,ooo,oO0,0o0 more in armament
funds:
THE Congress is now considering
the enactment of system of select
i've training for developing the
necessary manpoWer to operate this
materiel and man power to fill Army
non-combat needs. In this way we
can make certain that when this
modern materiel becomes available,
it will be placed in the hands of
troops trained, seasoned and ready,
and that replacement materiel can
be guaranteed"
In sharp dissent before the Sem
ate Military Affairs Committee,
Frederick J. Libby of the National
Council for Prevention of War pre-
dicted that compulsory service law
would fill our jails with tens of
thousands of young people" who
would refuse to give military service
"I don't believe it," Senator Min
ton, Democrat, of Indiana snapped
back as he frequently did during
the hearings.
In one exchange, Senator Minton
challenged the assertion of Eugene
Morris Lerner of Omaha, Nebr
president Of the 1910 class at George
Washington University here, that
the New York Times had quoted
President Roosevelt as believing
United States involvement in war
was inevitable. Invited by Senator
Mlnton to produce the quotation, Mr.
Lerner left the hearing room. He
did not return.
Army and Navy SpokeSmen, al
ready announced as favoring COM
pulsory training in principle, are
expected to present their views on
the Burke -Wadsworth bill to the
Senate committee today or tomorrow
Now a cavalry captain in the Re-
serves, Senator Lodge said that vol
untary enlistment for the Army hac
'broken down" and proposed COM
pulsory registration of all men be-
tween 81 and Is.
If the Army attains its goal oi
'375000 men under existing law, he
said, 375 900 should be enlisted un-
der his bill to give the Army a force
. of 100000, for which equipment is
being bought.
The only fair way to recruit the
troops, he asserted, is to obtain then
from "all element of the population
rich and poor alike" on compul-
sorry basis. A draft of 375,000 woulc
be so small as not to cause any dis,
location, he said, and only mer
without dependents would be chosen