Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-08
Draft PoHtickinu

1t might be interesting to see what
would happen if one of our presidential
candidates should come out with strong
defense of the draft on the ground that
military training is a good thing for
young Americans This defense ought to
rest on the premise that all qualified
young men have an obligation to serve
their country, and that the military
training received in discharging this OBJ
legation is of great and lasting benefit
to its recipients.
Our guess is that fortnight stand
such as this would be applauded by the
great majority Of Americans. But, of
course, nothing of this sort is going to
happen-at least not in an election year.
Therefore, it is necessary for one to make
his choice between the respective posi-
lions taken by Mr.. Stevenson and the
President. And when it comes down to
this, the President is being much more
sensible and much more candid than Mr..
Stevenson.
The latter's position is fuzzy, to say
the least. The Democratic nominee has
not advocated an early end of the draft,
for he knows perfectly well that this is
impossible unless America is to be stripped
of its defenSeS. What he has done is to
hold out hope that the draft can be
ended in the "foreseeable" future, what
ever that may mean, and to state that it
should be ended Eat the earliest possible
moment consistent with national safety"
which certainly is not going to be any
time soon.
The net effect of this line of cam
paigning is to imply, without actually
saying so, that the draft will be ended
sooner under Stevenson administration
than under an Eisenhower administration.
But Mr.. Stevenson does not tell us how
this result would be brought about, and
so one is invited to draw the inference
that this is nothing more than fishing
expedition designed to pick up few
votes among those to whom the prospect
OF military service for themselves or for
their sons is diStasteful.
This is maneuver which has put
the President on the defensive. He. too.
is suggesting that he would like to see
the draft ended He promises not to
draft one more man than needed, and he
cites the fact that Selective service calls
have been reduced from 5000 in his
first year in office to 10000 in the cur
rent year. But Mr.. Eisenhower is not
holding out any hope for an early end
OF the draft. He says, quite rightly, that
the United States, as the leader Of the
free world, must not forfeit the conf
dence of our allies by loose talk on this
question, that continuance of the draft
under existing world conditions is essen
tlal to an adequate national defense, and
that mo man can foretell the duration
of this need"
As between the two, we think that
this is the responsible way to put this
matter before the country. 1t is Mr..
Eisenhower, not Mr.. Stevenson. who in
this instance, is talking sense to the
American people. 1t is regrettable that
Mr.. Stevenson has undertaken to make
political issue of such nonpolitical mat
tiers as the draft and the continued testing
OF nuclear weapons. 1t may be worth
noting that Mr.. Truman diSagreeS with
his fellow Democrat on this latter cues
ton. Mr.. Truman says that he wouldn't
stop the tests because he doesn't believe
In giving away our advantage" Perhaps
the difference is that Mr.. Truman, having
been President, is in a better position to
know what can be done and what cannot
be done with safety in this field. But
Mr.. Stevenson, as man who wants to
be President, should also know the facts
OF life in this respect. He ought to know
them, if he does not. And if he does know
them, we think he is guilty of irreSponsi-
BILE politicking on these issues.