Evening star., 1948-04-17
The Political Mil
Congress Members Ally
With Wallace on Druft
Anti.UMT, Conscription Group
Seen Fearing Loss of Votes
By Gould Lincoln


An alliance, holy or unholy, as you choose
to view 1t, undeclared though 1t be, Is arising
between Henry A. Wallace and his third party
and those members of Congress who oppose
universal military training and return of the
selective service draft. Both groups see votes
in the issue, although both continue to insist
that UNIT and the draft IN peacetime are
wholly un-American. Unfortunately for the
country and its safety an election is Just around
the corner.
The Wallace Enlist for Peace" drive has
been launched from coast to coast. The pro-
gram calls for gathering signatures to mann.
moth petitions, urging Congress to reject both
the draft and universal training. These pleas
will not fall on deaf ears, unless the Republican
leadership in Congress reverses itself.
Indeed, the Republican leadership IN the
House has seized on a novel means Of avoiding
UNIT and perhaps the draft, too It has gone
all-out for big appropriations to build up To-
group Air Force. The theory is that II sufncient
aircraft are provided, the expansion Of the
Army and Navy, the training of men, and the
draft where necessary, can be sidetracked. 1t
has its appeal. especially to those who wish to
avoid voting for military training system and
the draft required to bring the armed forces
up to authorized strength.
Drive Il Methodicai.
The Wallace forces are going about their
drive for enlistments In q peace army" In q
methodical way. Recruiting centers manned
by volunteer workers are being set up at key
spots in many cities as focal points for the Pc
tition campaign. Door-to-door canvassing and
shop-gate and sidewalk tables are being set
up in several hundred cities and towns. This
has been Save the Peace Week" The petition
drive will culminate, it Is suggested, in Ma
tion-wide motorcade, leading to Washington
where the petitions will be presented to Con-
gress by Senator Glen Taylor Of Idaho-who
is to be Mr. Wallace's running mate on the
third-party ticket.
President Truman, advised by the best mill
tary brains in the country and sensitive to the
real needs OF national defense. Is doing his best
to get Congress to provide for a program that
looks to the future as well as to the present.
The President has fought courageously for this
program, notwithstanding the unpopularity in
many quarters Of the peacetime draft and the
UNIT He has laid before Congress in his
addresses and messages reasons why this coun-
try should strengthen its armed services while
Soviet Russia is aggressively on the move.
1t is easy to give Mr.. Wallace credit for de-
string reace-for this country and for the
world 1t is equally easy to give the anti
UNIT and antidraft members of Congress the
same credit. None of them, however, is more
desirous of peace than is President Truman.
Yet Mr.. Truman has been accused ,unjustly OF
emphasizing the Russian Communist threat In
order to take the mind of the people of his
own political troubles arising out Of the revolt
in his own party because of his civil rights
program and his handling of the Palestine
problem.
United States Cut in Armament
The United States has sought In the past
for world peace by setting an example Of limi-
tation OF armament. After World War I,
it called conference OF the maritime powers
the Washington Conference Of 1921-22
There it offered to scrap the greatest Navy In
the world, built and building, provided other
nations would agree to limit their navies, too.
It did scrap that Navy in large part. When the
fighting halted In World War II, although
peace was still far of, this country reduced
its military strength at an amazing rate OF
speed Did Soviet Russia follow suit? 1t did
not Among the steps taken by Russia was
system Of military training which Is proceeding
today.
Mr. Wallace wants peace and proposes that
the United States deal kindly with Russia and
at the same time do nothing about rebuilding
its own military strength. Members Of Con-
gress speak harshly Of Russia and communism
and aggression-yet they, too, duck and dodge
when it comes to providing the manpower
needed to make America militarily strong.
The one way the United States has not tried
to preserve peace is by maintaining military
strength at all times SUFFICIENT to discourage
aggressors anywhere