Evening star., 1948-03-30
The Political Nm
7rumon's Plea for Druft
Puts UNIT in Jeopardy
Opponents of Training Measure Seize
on Selectivs Service
By GoMd Lincoln

By GoSId LIseols
When President Truman called GA consress
to pas . new Selsctivs Service Act. hs came
close to killing Oh. certainly for this Congress.
tAs Universal Military Training bill. Tris II
not what the President intended. He spoke
strongly for the UNIT bill % Q long-ranSs
measure Of national defense But the 90.
ponents Of UNIT have ssissd On the recon-.
msndation for . renewal Of selectiys servica
Many oe them do not want Q new draft law,
but they VIII take It In preference to establish.
ing system Of universal military training.
They contend that ths draft - the inrnsdi.
ately essential need. II, a. the administration
says, W cannot get men 10 al the require.
ments Of the armed services when war may
bs just around the corner. In this they are
correct But nothing could be more short.
sighted than their determination 10 give the
UNIT death blow.
The country had become more and more
conscious that It's national defense was belov
what 1t should be. Ths training bill was sath.
ering strength in both the House and the
Senate. 1t had begun to look as though Chair.
man Allen Of the House Rules Committee
would have his hand forced, and he would bs
unable to keep the House from considering
the UNIT bill. which was favorably reported
to the House last July and placed on its
calendar
Allen FavoEs selsctive Service
Mr.. Allen has declared himself in favor oS
the passage OF the selective Service bill-when
it has been drafted. Other Republican leaders
are taking the same position. Some Of the
Republicans do not believe in a military train.
ing system for this country. Others believe
that it would be unpopular to put through n
bill for training that spells something for.
them when they remember the election coming
next November
The country does need the drart-for the
simple reason, II for no other, that 1t has
been found impossible to keep the armed
forces up to required strength through volun-
tary snlistments They have been several
hundred thousand men short. Congress and
the executive departments have done their
utmost to make service In the armed forces
attractive. The pay and the various privil-
eges and perquisites offered young men who
enlist in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and
the Air Force, make the services more attrac-
tive than many well-paid jobs In civilian life.
But not enough men enlist.
We had the draft when this country vss
still at peace in 1940 What happenedp It
became necessary to extend the life Of the
draft act or let 1t expire. Just few months
pcloIe ESdIl ndIDOI, Jne House missed killing
the bill to keep the law alive by only one vote.
On that vote the great majority Of the Re-
publicans were against continuing the draft,
Had . universal military training system been
In effect, the country In 1910 would have been
strong militarily. 1t might never have been
drawn into World War II-and, indeed, there
might not have been such a war
Draft Might Be Dropped.
danger is that, having enacted another
draft act for a limited period, Congress may
come to the conclusion year or two hencs
that 1t is no longer necessary The act will
die, and the country will go back to having no
draft and no universal military system. It Is
the kind of thing that could happen so easily
here. 1t is certain thing that If Congress
should drop the draft In the future, 1t will not
put through UNIT Act. The time, therefore.
to put through the training bill Ia now, along
with the draft act.
Many suggestions are made that President
Truman should meet with Prime Minister
Stain to come to some agreement for peace
This is another hopeful gesture to stall of
both the draft and military training. OF what
use Is 1t, however, to come to an agreement
with Soviet Russia on peace If Soviet Russia
will not live up to the agreement7 Nothing
that Russia would not violate such an agree
ment whenever 1t suited her purpose, which In
to communize the world. On the contrary,
such a conference resulting in peace agree.
ment would merely result in encouraging the
American people and the Congress to let mill
tary preparedness slide again.