Show M a e e Known Your Views on Question of o f i ft j nr 7 Compulsory I S Military t T Training 1 raining raining and Service Those Americans who give any serious thought at atall atall all to the equivocal position of the United States at this I time differ sharply as to the policy polley that should be adopted Some advocate preparedness and some disarmament disarmament disarmament disarm disarm- ament some are for the maintenance of the country's rights and insistence upon international law some would surrender the one and abandon the other some are for fora a vigorous nationalism and some come for pacifism But as to one phase of the problem there is no real controversy Both sides are agreed we think that there Is vital need for a choice one way v or the other This is isan isan isan an hour of decision When it is considered that half the world has been drawn into war against its will that American citizens exercising their acknowledged lawful rights have been slain on the high seas that American commerce although although al al- though conducted In conformity with International law is subjected to harassing interference that American property In an adjoining country has been destroyed and its owners murdered or driven into flight and that American territory is even now subject to invasion it must b be that the Imperative demand of events Is for the adoption of a definite course of action It is for the people of this nation to choose between preparedness s and defenselessness as the means of promoting promoting promoting pro pro- security and peace The truth Is that they cannot cannot cannot can can- not avoid a decision They must adopt some plan of I military preparation or reject all such proposals And since a policy of absolute disarmament and nonresistance ance has no formidable support the essential question is isas isas isas as to the character and scope of the military policy to tobe tobe tobe be selected There never was a time when the merits and defects of the various systems were more clearly revealed Americans AmerIcans Americans Amer Amer- can observe the workings of with compulsory service for long periods a military party inthe Inthe in inthe the In the government and a doctrine enforced enforced enforced en en- forced which subordinates the well being and the rights of the citizen to the power of the state They may examine in operation the policy at the theother theother theother other extreme in China That country after centuries of safety due to isolation now faces partition and an extinction extinction extinction ex ex- of Its sovereignty and too late the government is trying to arouse a sentiment for national defense among a people educated for generations to believe in submissiveness and nonresistance The desirability or otherwise of a democratic system of compulsory military service for three years may be examined examined examined ex ex- in the experience of France of-France France which adopted this drastic measure of defense In the shadow of long threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened aggression Or the United States might continue to follow the example example example ex ex- ample of Great Britain which relied upon a small standing standIng standing stand stand- ing army and the raising of a large volunteer force in time of national peril but learned at the cost of disaster that the plan was wa fatally weak and led straight to the abhorred abhorred abhorred ab ab- ab- ab horred necessity of cons conscription There is still another choice the choice the system adopted by bythe bythe bythe the most democratic and peace loving of nations Switz Switz- erland Inveterately opposed to militarism and convinced of the injustice and futility of making national defense a matter of haphazard choice on the part of Individuals she Norl worked ed out a scheme of her own Every Swiss youth when 19 years old is required to report for enlistment and to undergo training for from sixty-seven sixty to ninety days according to the ine branch of the service to which he Is assigned Each year thereafter thereafter thereafter there there- after for eight years he must serve from thirteen to sixteen days After that up to the tho age of 33 he Is liable to be called upon in emergency but otherwise performs performs per per- performs forms no service Between the ages of 33 and 40 he Is Isa Isa Isa a reservist and must serve once or twice for a fortnight thereafter until he Is 48 he is in the second reserve which entails no service unless the national safety requires requires requires re re- re- re quires mobilization Each citizen keeps his uniform and other equipment at his home and once a year must submit submit submit sub sub- mit to inspection and qualify as a marksman By this method Switzerland has had available since the beginning of the war a fully equipped and trained army of men out of a population of only It has been for this reason and no other that the country's territory has remained free from violation although it is hemmed in by three of the great It Is needless to add dd that the system in Its Inspiration Inspiration inspiration In In- and Its results is as remote from militarism as the most abject pacifism The purpose and the effect ef feet are to keep the country at peace Moreover Its very essence is democracy Every citizen citizen citizen citi citi- zen of the republic bears his share hare of the responsibility of national defense And the burden is adjusted so as asto asto asto to cause the least possible interference with economic stability The longest period of training training ninety ninety y days days days- Is required in youth before the citizen has undertaken the support of of a family thereafter the yearly tax on his time Is brief In time of need the young unmarried men are called out first and care is taken also that the productive capacity of the nation Is not disrupted by bv indiscriminate drafts The United States must decide we have said upon pon one of these systems or upon some alternative military policy or upon rejection of all defensive measures whatever An organization has been formed the purpose of which Is to educate public thought In favor of the principles of national military training and equal service Its the title is the Association for National Service The president Is Lieu Gen S S. S B B. B M. M Young retired the other officers are civilians While avowedly advocating the adoption of a system of universal military training based upon that of Switz- Switz erland the associations association's present purpose Is to create intelligent discussion of the entire problem and particularly particularly par par- par to obtain a definite expression of public opinion as to what system of defensive preparedness if any should hould be established It has requested leading newspapers throughout the country to assist in eliciting the popular view by means of a ballot to be voted by their readers THE TELEGRAM has been asked to take the referendum vote in this tory and has consented believing that thereby it performs performs performs per per- forms an important public service The ballot Is printed for the first time on the front page of today's issue We shall present resent the ballot for at least ten days and perhaps for for a longer period We shall not employ I an any s special ecial measures to stimulate the voting because we we deem deem It quite as important to determine how how much m Interest theris there Is in the subject as to reveal the proportionate proportion proportion- ate strength of the two divisions of sentiment If only a few thousand or a few hundred ballots are signed and sent to us a clear deduction will be that the people of this territory are indifferent to the question This Is a factor which will have to be recognized in con con- I the final result A striking paucity of votes will be a circumstance of as much significance as a majority cne one way or the other In those cast As a matter of information and enlightenment we shall publish from day to day the arguments put forth by the Association for National Service and well known public men in support of the measure they advocate and if it seems desirable we shall supplement thes with expressions expressions expressions ex ex- of our own On the other hand it is to be understood th that t our columns columns columns col col- are open to opponents of the policy urged Those who are against all preparedness and all suggestions of military training or who believe that the plan suggested Is faulty and that existing arrangements of defense are adequate are invited to present their case Thoughtful arguments in opposition to the plan will receive precisely the same consideration as those in support of it Furthermore this vote is open to all citizens including women It is requested that women women signing the ballot shall indicate their sex so that a separate computation may be made We consider it of vital importance to know proportion of American women believe In Inthe Inthe Inthe the doctrine of pacifism and respond 10 o the sentiment of th the song I HI Did Not Raise Rase My Boy to Be a Soldier and are convinced that peace Is best assured by submission We think that citizens who realize the critical situation situation situation situa situa- tion of the country and whose patriotism has been awakened will be In this test and will express themselveS by voting But we particularly urge all ll those of an opposing mind to declare their sentiments Those who are chiefly concerned for the material prosperity of the country who believe that the American nation has no responsibilities to humanity and this generation generation generation gen gen- none of those which are to follow should help to vote down the proposal We especially urge citizens of divided allegiance allegiance- those who vehemently condemn defensive preparedness In Inthe Inthe inthe the United States while upholding a ruthless militarism in their fatherland to to utilize this means of discouraging measures which would enable the nation to protect its rights and guard its security Cowards and shirkers there shirkers there are such In all communities ties but the coldness shown the citizen soldiers by the local people suggests that the portion is higher here than elsewhere should elsewhere should not neglect this opportunity to discredit discredit discredit dis dis- credit an Inconvenient agitation which might result In a aI I distressing invasion of their individual rights We should like to hear from the Socialists both those who favor defensive preparedness and those who condemn condemn condemn con con- it We confidently expect a strong showing in opposition from zealous Democrats who consider that the Wilson administrations administration's record on preparedness Is satisfactory and will want to cite our experience in Mexico as a revelation of military adequacy And there are innumerable citizens who like ourselves are proud of the patriotic spirit of the national guardsmen guards guards- men who responded to the recent summons Such of these as arc are satisfied with the system which sends loyal generous hearted men to the front while tens of thousands of their selfish fellows ignore the call which leaves the families of patriots a char charge e upon charity and the wages of volunteer a burden upon private business I firms while the mass of the citizenship accepts no re- re these these we say will undoubtedly wish to express their contentment with conditions and their aversion aversion aversion aver aver- sion to a project which would equalize the burdens In a word while we are desirous that every advocate of a rational democratic system should make his convictions convictions convictions con con- felt our chief concern Is to get a cross section of the public opinion of the territory we cover To evoke an expression which was gratifying to patriotism without being an accurate Indication of the division of sentiment I would be worse than futile What the outcome of the voting will be we shall not I attempt to predict because we do not know The sentiment sentiment sentiment senti senti- ment has never been adequately tested We have long held a disturbing belief however that prosperity artS apparent safety have made this nation as a whole wole slothful sloth sloth- ful In spirit Indifferent ease lovino and unpatriotic We believe that President Wilsons Wilson's opportunism which led him to fasten upon this people the repute of being too proud to fight really represented the feeling of the majority His declaration developed Into an administration administration admin admin- policy caused a hardening of the sentiment which had been In process of formation thus he and those whose secret aspirations he lie uttered reacted upon one another and the doctrine has steadily tended to arow in favor |