Evening star., 1951-06-02
The Political Mil
Foes Still Hope to StifIe
Universal Training Plan
System Soon to Be U. S. Law
Although Only in Principle
By Gould Lincoln

Universal military training at long last
Is to be recognized in law in this coun-
try. The unfortunate part about it, how.
ever. is that further action by Congress
new and additional legislation-will
be necessary to put the system into
practical operation. Nothing is to be
done about it until the present period
Of universal military service Is out of
the way.
The danger is that when universal
service is no longer needed and in oper-
alton, Congress and the country may
sag back into state Of complacency-
the kind of complacency which came
after the close of the First World War
and after the close of the Second World
War. That, indeed, is what the oppo-
nents of universal military training are
counting on. The opponents have by no
means given up hope there will never be
a system of universal military training
put into effect in the United States
They go along with the old saying:
There are more ways of killing a cat
than choking it to death with cream"
So long as congressional action is still
essential, they figure, they may be able
to stifle UNIT.
Principle to Be Adopted.
Nevertheless. the principle of univer-
sal military training will have been
adopted by Congress when the pending
universal training and service bill has
been finally approved and signed by
President Truman. The measure has
been passed by both houses, and the
conference report, representing COM
promise of sorts, is in the process Of
adoption.
The Softening-up process on the uni
versal military training program is due
to the insiStence of the House conferees.
The House itself. in passing the bill,
had provided that Congress have sec
ond look at the proposition before any
inductions into the National Security
Training CorpS-the name given the
prospective traineeS. The Senate bill,
on the other hand, actually gave green
light for inductions for training, even
though it was recognized that some ad-
ditional legislation would be required.
The conference agreement prohibits
UNIT from getting under way until "the
code of conduct" and measures outlining
death and disability benefits of traineeS
have been enacted into law.
The battle over the second look" re-
quirement in the conference committee
was severe-so severe that at one point
a motion was made that the whole
measure be sidetracked and the present
Selective Service Act extended for a
year. The motion was not put and voted
on, and the compromise was reached.
Russell Confident.
Chairman Russell of the Senate
Armed Services Committee has expressed
his confidence that under the bill soon
to become law this country will go to
permanent system of universal military
training. Further, that training is to
be military, in accordance with a pro-
gram determined upon by the military
authorities. It is not to be some kind
OF indoctrination center for certain ideas
or PHILOSOPHERS or a national education
program or something in the nature Of
a great works-project program" Ger
tainly the Senator from Georgia is on
sound ground here. for the very object
of UNIT is to provide a militarily trained
reserve of millions of young men.
Senator Russell freely has admitted
that this Congress cannot bind a future
Congressional it cannot even bind it
self. The advantage of having law on
the statute books is clear, however. It
is sometimes far more difficult to repeal
law, when it is in operation, than it is
to enact law. However, it has been
tremendous job to get Congress to con-
slider and pass universal military train
ing law-and as already pointed out, the
new measure provides for a second
look by Congress, before the actual
induction of the trainees can be begun.
Clearly Senator Russell and supporters
of UNIT in both Senate and House are to
be congratulated on their achievements
in this field. For many years this country
must maintain itself in military strength.
We have been warned again and again.
1t cannot indefinitely carry the burden
Of maintaining an armed force of mil
lion to million men-a regular, stand
ing army Such program would be
enormously costly and disruptive Of the
country's economy in many ways. 1t
can, through a permanent system Of
training, provide trained reserves so
essential in time Of emergency.