Show I Discuss Compulsory Training I. I LIKES IDEA OF POLL The Salt Lake Telegram Your yes or no ballot on national military training has a popular ring in inthe inthe inthe the affirmative How However ver it is debatable and pre- pre several points for consideration 1 First if there is a constitutional provision for general military service in time of peace it is s a dead letter Second it if the moral and physical ad advantage advantage ad ad- vantage for young men is a prime prime- reason reason rea rca son for military training It is a weak one II He may get Iet a lesson Jesson in obedience obedience obe obe- and physical care careS but as to morals or habits the States soldier does not reflect anything es especially especially es- es exemplary and often much to the contrary Our army boys are average average average av av- av- av good fellows of course Third the schools will afford better moral and as good physical training and permit him to complete his education education education edu edu- cation instead ad o ot of having It broken at a avital avital vital period in his life ilfe perhaps never tn to be renewed or completed The age aire of f nin nineteen teen to twenty one is the most import important nt educational period for all those aspiring asping to higher mental train train- in ing Fourth Fourth as to the development of the soldier instinct fighting courage that is the lowest order of courage is primal animal and Instinctive it should be used for defense only The man who wont won't fight gets the cowards coward's name and the Jeer of th world while any kind of a fighter for any purpose Is popular And ye yet a bad temper an anger anger an- an ger greep any inflated passion is ready to fight even without a cause A Avery Avery very common courage is the physical lighting fighting courage it requires no reason rea rca son no liO morals no intelligence I a am ama a fighter and come of fighting stock I admit it Is is doubtless an American trait as well as European It Is a human force best used in self defense and for worthy principles Fifth and primarily the object Is preparation for war The navy th the army the equipment for tor destruction and the training of ol every able bodied man matI h has lias s one purpose wag purpose war lye Ve may mav protest as aa did the German Gennan kaiser that it Is all for defense our neighbors may mayor or may not believe this But certain certain tam tain it is our on this hemisphere hemisphere hemisphere hemi hemi- sphere sphere- and other nations will prepare for the same kind of peace In this tills preparation there will be very active rivalry Preparation will reach hair- hair tr trigger expectancy and finally the ex expected tx- tx d will happen The chip will be knocked off somebody somebody's ff s shoulder and then will wilt come something called honor to defend by an offensive action The boy stor story the man story the nation story have the same status S in iii dIfferent different different differ dIffer- ent ent- degree the other started it and andIs andis andis is always wrong wrong Tho The trouble with the preparation idea Is th that t it has no limits Well prepared prepared pre pre- pared ared means b better prepared than thans s some e other Again better prepare prepared tIn than several others taken together for nations combine in fact fac arc are known to tobe tobe toe be e allied This is not speculative witness Europe taxed to the limit for preparation n for mutual destruction If It as some claim war is necessary to thin out excessive population to raise aise the standard of patriotism and progress and foster courage then pre preparation 1 is a good thing Sixth among many other new things that have come to this remarkable age is the idea of extended International governmental restraint and control The community finds a peace loving I honest majority and they organize for i safety agree on rules of action es establish es- es police protection and courts j eS-j of justice communities form states I states combine to form nations Though the general administration is from the top down primarily the be beginning beginning beginning be- be ginning was with the small unit Is there any reason why organized nations nations nations na na- na- na should not extend the system to International agreement and world worldwide worldwide worldwide wide federation for safety and trade relations so organized that a majority shall control An international police generally contributed shall preserve the peace International courts shall adjust differences scrappers that try to break breal the peace to to be brought 10 o book and made to face a i penalty i Will the wholesale butchery de destruction destruction de- de and cur curse cure e of the present ex experience experience ex- ex in Europe Europe- suffice to prove to what is left of civilization the failure of exhaustive preparation for war Religion need not be brought into i this except to remark on the absurd I position of so called Christian nations and the confidence of their supplications supplications supplications to the same Deity for preferment of the contentions of one against th the I other Claiming to be followers of the gentle Christ who forbade the smiting of an ear even in self defense With each of the warring nations claiming a righteous cause the they should make unto themselves new gods for consistency t Finally the safety of the tle world is best assured by the flaming naming bon bonfire ire of destruction now in progress consUming consuming consuming con con- suming we will hope tie the elements of passion gre greed d and hatred fostered by byan byan byan an autocratic few assuming g divine right the the- truth of which may be realized realized real real- by b by those left sitting sitting sitting-on on ash heap ruins and the gra of millions If the thc curse of preparedness and domination dom dorn- shall not not bo po realized when ex exhaustion ex- ex h comes then a iea Bea tea of brotherly blood shall have haye flooded the earth a wasted sacrifice to be repeated in ia time Tho The preparedness s' s Idea comes from kings surrounding themselves with or organized or- or force force- to maintain themselves against their own oven subjects The ex- ex n of this force under the guise of fear of other nations until the prep preparedness pre pre- p redness idea was fully absorbed by bythe bythe the subjects an and the chief cief energies of the people forced into it Thus ob obsessed obsessed obsessed ob- ob with power or fear war material material material mate mate- rial piled high 1 ready eady for fOl the match the conflagration came and must be met World civilization means world dis dis- dis- dis armament General General and and special police pollee powers for forthe forthe forthe the execution of the will of majorities must be maintained organized societies socie- socie ties lies united to impose selfish purposes upon upon the general interest and civil laws must be restrained an and controlled con- con trolled Labor must have haYe justice en enterprise enterprise en- en must have a fair reward b but t both must yield iel l to governmental contro con con- tro Otherwise society is disorganIzed disorganized disorganized and civilization ends It is taken for granted that government government govern govern- ment merit m must st represent honest majorities then it must be prepared to restrain and control au all who live under it No government has realized its full duty that falls fails to protect all its subjects In their rights without recourse to force on their part And all swearing ai allegiance alie- alie e- e lance glance to that government are bound by their lives to support It therefore every loyal subject of the government of this country which he helps to tomake tomake tomake make must be always prepared in mind and heart to protect it The effort of THE TELEGRAM to get an expression iori of opinion from the people is noteworthy The newspapers of the country are supposed to express public opinion in reality they represent represent represent sent but a few individuals An independent independent inde inde- pendent public forum should be welcomed wel wel- corned and supported necessarily it must be limited but matter can be fairly selected to be representative CHAS E. E STREET Resident Resilient Salt Lake Lae City BLAMES TRAFFICKERS September 30 1916 Mr 11 Editor It is just ordinary common sense to provide adequate defensive armament and learn how to use it effectively when when attacked That applies to Individuals as well wen wenas as to a a. nation It Is equally common sense when successful defense d depends upon the co operation of others to make sure that they are prepared to assist de de- de Consequently universal training must be a common sense sense proposition besides being inherently democratic At that I would cheerfully forfeit my life rather than vote an any kind of a 11 system of preparedness on the people durIng the life or active influence of the National Security or Navy league They were founded by and exist on contributions from the war traffickers which include the money powder armor and munitions trusts and their Interlocked d Interests have always These war ar traffickers shamelessly robbed our government go through extortionate prices averaging more than double the cost of tion They have sold sod ped peddled t d and given away to our potential enemies priceless priceless price price- less military secrets invented by men educated and employed at public ex ex- pense They control the appointive military offices and are steadily corrupting our army and navy officers by furnishing lucrative private employment while whilo they retain their government salary They assist foreign nav navy leagues to secure huge h appropriations in order to force us to follow suit to maintain our proportionate strength They have been convicted and fined for supplying defective armor annor plate Workmen claim the fraud continues to thi this day They control the public press and by It the mental functioning of the Ignorant ig ignorant ignorant ig- ig the careless and and- those who believe a 11 new Idea lda is poison Their treatment of labor has al always always al- al ways been such that real slave slavery would be a boon to a majority of their employee Their heir purpose is to build up a fearsome fearsome fear fear- some overpowering war machine to tg prevent J European labor from repudiating their intolerable war debts and to shut them out from the worlds world's markets markets mar mar- mar mar-I after the war and to curb labors labor's just delT demands at home through fear of and by false education education education tion a along ng slavish lines These are old and well sustained charges it is inconceivable that a wage earner familiar with them would vote for Increased militarism without a res reservation reservation res- res ousting the war traffickers I who fatten on human carrion It ought to be he criminal to vote on another mans man's liberty without kno knowing ing ingall all the thc facts JULIUS M. M IILLEr Center street elt city MUST BE READY I Dear Editor I vote yes to compulsory training I Ido Ido I do not believe in war and if all aU the rest of th the world were like minded 1 I there would be no war As the population population I lation of the earth increases there will probably be more and more causes to stir the combative elements of different different differ differ- I ent peoples but education and right I thinking should settle all controversies Nevertheless some men men are of aggressive aggressive aggressive ag ag- ag- ag temperament and often impose impose impose im im- im- im pose on others and the nations ar are likely to do the thc same History shows show's us that they do The cases are too numerous and flagrant to admit of any doubt This country has been a source of ot relief to hordes of people who left others t tp better their condition of ot life and the nio most t of them remain As au an asylum for the oppressed and anda a place where we can work for still stillmore stillmore more elevated st standards of life it Should call for the best there is In Inman inman inman man for its protection as a a. nation Compulsory service would mean that the l' l rich ch man must serve the same ame as the laborer labor r and if it mine came to war which God forbid he could not nob bU buy a substitute as in the civil war They always want the government to back them up financially but few of or them are willing to risk anything on the gov government without a show of ofa ofa ofa a heavy return My forefathers fought the Indians in early colonial days in the French and Indian war and the revolution revolution- And in inthe inthe inthe the civil war every able bodied man that I knew of in both my fathers father's and mothers mother's families was in the union army I am against war I do not believe belieY in it and could not pass an examination examination examination examina examina- tion but should our country be unjustly unjustly unjustly un un- un- un justly forced into it and the need arises I will do what I can A. H. H V. V T. T DY DWYER THANKS THE TELEGRAM Salt L Like Lake ke City Editor The Telegram Telegram- Dear Editor I Editor I thank The Telegram for the privilege of voting for or against compulsory training I am voting NO for the reason leason that I am heart and soul against war or for anything that makes for war I object to the wholesale murder murdel of or orthe the best men in the world when there is nothing to gain b by the men who suffer and die clie I am surprised that 85 per cent of the readers of The Telegram Telegram Tele Tele- gram grain are voting to send our young men to the front in case of a a. war For it is very evident that they do donot donot donot not Intend to take this training to go goto goto goto to war either If they can make the theother theother theother other fellow go This was shown be beyond beyond be- be yond ond a doubt at the time of the preparedness preparedness preparedness pre pre- parade And when It came cameto cameto cameto to a showdown there was not one out of ot 85 per cent ent or more that was man enough to enlist in the citizen training camp at Fort Douglas this summer I r think there should be an opportunity for every everyone one in the world to vote for or against war and the ones who vote for war would have to go first I would be willing to 10 defend our United States our state or our cit city Incase In hi incase case of an invasion but all late wars have been for profit and not honor Yours very truly WILLIAM WARRICK Lincoln street Salt SaIt Lake Lale City An Anold Anold Anold old subscriber to The Telegram CAPITALISTS CAPITALISTS' TOOLS Lehi Lehl Utah October 2 1916 The Telegram Salt Lake City Utah Gentlemen Gentlemen find my ray ballot ballotin in opposition to to compulsory military training From the statements of oC some of ot our best known college professors we find military training does not produce a higher type of manhood but Just the opposite te that the present present system tem tern of training the soldier is not al allowed allowed allowed al- al lowed to think but Just obey therefore therefore therefore there there- there there- fore what se self reliance he has Is de de de- We Ye have also learned from sad experience ex- ex that the armies and navies are arc used to protect the great gleat capItalists capItalists' capitalists capitalists' capitalists capitalists' cap cap- interests abroad and not the peoples people's rights at home I thus protest against compulsory military service or training so long as the armies and navies and Imd also our government are controlled by the capitalist cap cap- class Very truly yours CHARLES E E. ROBINSON |